Hopefully most of us already have low water flow toilets installed in our homes, but what about all-in-one greywater systems? The Caroma Profile Smart Dual Flush is a 2-in-1 sink and toilet system that implements graywater recycling in a neat compact design that reduces toilet water consumption by up to 74%!
On average, almost a third of the water we use in our homes is used for toilet systems, with older units consuming water at an alarming rate of 3-5 gallons per flush. With an integrated sink sitting atop the tank, the Profile Smart is able to reduce this number to just 1.28 gallons. The clever system reclaims the fresh water that we use to wash our hands and immediately re-directs it into the tank below ready for the next flush. Not only is this toilet a great way to be more green in our everyday – ahem – habits, but also a way to free up some more space in our cramped bathrooms.
While at the moment Profile Smarts can only be found in Australia, they are anticipated to make their debut in US stores by the year’s end. As far as we can tell, these could be the next wave in water efficient toilets that we’ll be resting our environmentally conscious bottoms on.
I’ve seen these installed in a few homes. They sound like and good idea, and in theory they are, but on a practical level…they don’t work. They get the toilet and entire surrounding area wet and dirty because of water dripping everywhere after you wash your hands and the fact that the bowl size is smaller than a standard bowl. Also, most inspectors won’t pass these in a new construction.
I”ve seen this here in the Philippines. While I still think it’s a good idea, I think the faucet should be positioned at a right angle to the toilet bowl and like theauthor says, the sink should be bigger for me to consider doing away with a separate lav altogether.
Finally!
I first saw toilets like this in Japan in the early 90′s, in addition, the Japanese models had a two-stage selective flush lever, small lever for #1, and big lever for #2. Just imagine how much water we could have saved???
Finally!
I guess you could wash your hands while peeing – probably make more of a mess though.
Gunk from the sink should make the flush mechanism work real well!
I agree with the first comment. A silly idea altogether.
I also saw these in Japan more than 20 years ago. The Japanese version had a separate sink that was more conveniently located to the side and fed into the toilet. Worked great! I always wondered why we didn’t have them here.
I found it during my trip to Kyoto.
I was really surprising… look at this photo!
http://www.architetturaecosostenibile.it/curiosita/varie/perche-sprecare-acqua-potabile-e-pulita-per-scaricare-il-water-da-kyoto-il-wc-lavandino-amico-dell.html
I think that’s not so comfortable but ecologic!
Antonia from Italy
You could definitely use this in a small bathroom, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a second sink in a larger bathroom…and of course the water savings is a plus for you and the environment.