Guide to MaP toilet testing & low-flow toilet flush ratings
With an increasing public concern for the environment and strict regional legislation regarding water consumption, low-flow toilets have become the modern standard in the plumbing industry.
But what is considered a low-flow toilet and what is MaP toilet testing? Use this guide to see how you can help your customers find the right low-flow toilet for their needs.
What is MaP toilet testing?
The first low-flow toilets were introduced to the market decades ago in response to regional environmental regulations. Early low-flow toilet models operated with 1.6 gallons per flush, or gpf. Today’s toilet manufacturers now offer models that use up to half as much water and perform with significantly better reliability.
Maximum performance, or MaP, is the industry standard for toilet testing in the U.S. and the only third-party testing method that certifies toilet performance of up to 1,000 grams of waste removal. MaP uses realistic organic-based test media to accurately simulate authentic toilet demands.
What are toilet flush ratings?
Toilet performance is measured in grams—the higher the number, the better the score. Manufacturers voluntarily submit their toilets to be tested to earn the MaP certification.
By selecting toilets that are tested according to MaP, or Maximum Performance, trade professionals have added assurance that they’re providing their customers with the most rigorously tested toilets on the market.
If you have customers who are worried about low-flow toilets clogging, you can help reassure them by explaining that MaP tests toilets for both efficiency and performance.
Toilet efficiency
This refers to the amount of water that a toilet uses in each flush. The Environmental Protection Agency’s, or EPA’s, WaterSense® program requires toilets to have a flush rating of 1.28 gpf or less in order to earn the WaterSense® label. MaP certifies some toilets for efficiency that operate with as little as 0.8 gpf.
Toilet performance
This refers to how reliably a toilet operates in terms of the capacity of waste that it is able to flush. As mentioned above, MaP certifies performance by testing up to 1,000 grams of waste. This is almost three times the WaterSense® requirement of 350 grams, which itself is over twice the average demand for homeowners, which is about 150 grams of waste per use.
What are MaP PREMIUM toilets?
MaP goes beyond simply giving toilets a pass or fail rating for efficiency and performance. MaP PREMIUM toilets offer superior efficiency and performance.
Toilets that are certified to perform significantly better than other toilets on the market are given the MaP PREMIUM rating. In order to earn the MaP PREMIUM rating, a toilet must operate with no more than 1.1 gpf and remove at least 600 grams of waste in a single flush.
Pro tip: While all MaP PREMIUM toilets operate with up to 1.1 gpf, there are select MaP PREMIUM toilets available on the market that are certified at 0.8 gpf while still removing at least 600 grams of waste. This is an advantage for trade professionals because they’re able to offer toilets to their customers that yield maximum water savings without sacrificing performance.
MaP toilets can earn rebates and tax credits
In addition to reducing water use, MaP PREMIUM toilets offer your customers additional ways to save. Many MaP-certified toilets are also WaterSense certified.
With the WaterSense label, these toilets may qualify consumers for government rebates and tax credits in certain areas. Use the EPA’s rebate finder to help your customers find out if they could earn rebates in your area.
Pro tip: For customers who are pursuing a LEED certification, toilets with a MaP PREMIUM rating can help. That’s because MaP PREMIUM toilets that are WaterSense labeled may contribute to points earning a LEED certification.
Ferguson is your source for toilets
As the largest wholesale plumbing supplier in North America, Ferguson is your go-to source for toilets and toilet parts, from one-piece and two-piece toilets to elongated and round bowls. Shop toilets online to find the right supplies you need for every project.