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Did you know that the average human produces about a pound of poop per day? Wouldn’t it be great if that could be used to help the environment? The good news is that it can.

Breakdown Process of Waste

According to many other resources, there are different ways in which we can reuse human waste; for fertilizer, production of biogas, fecal transplant (used in some medical procedures), brick-making, hydrogen fuel, a source of metal ($13 million worth of metals can be extracted from the feces of one million Americans), and as a source of water.

Human waste is biodegradable and could take a few days up to a year or more to compose, depending on several factors.

Our body is designed to naturally break down our consumed foods into waste, but then we need another step to break down the waste.

3 Stages of Sewage Treatment

The commercial process of decomposing human waste is called “sewage treatment”.

According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, there are 3 stages of sewage treatment, and the process has been successfully used for 103 years.

This procedure was replicated from nature where microorganisms help clean rivers, streams, and other bodies of water. Some materials are needed, but essentially it’s just nature taking its course.

First Phase

First, the sewage system collects the waste, the fecal matter settles to the bottom and the water on the top is skimmed off. Once the matter is isolated, then it is ready for decomposition.

Second Phase

The second phase, which involves billions of bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms work endlessly by feeding off nitrogen and phosphorus that are already present in the fecal matter. This breaks down the waste and prepares it for the next phase.

These anaerobic bacteria are particularly important because if they do not break down the material, the waste can be susceptible to extreme algae overgrowth causing toxic reaction and creating harsh chemicals like ammonia.

The waste is then put into a second tank containing high temperatures of at least 95 degrees fahrenheit and very low amounts of oxygen. These are perfect conditions for the anaerobic bacteria to continue breaking it down.

The most important part of this second phase is the extreme temperatures that help kill bacteria that we do not want seeping into our water or soil supply.

All harmful bacterias are killed in this phase, but the ones needed for decomposition stay in tact. These bacteria organisms work naturally, as their existence is designed to feed off waste and decompose it.

The remaining matter is now further broken down into water, carbon dioxide, and methane. This is the phase where the waste can be used for fuel.

Final Phase

The last phase uses this watery substance in the final process which requires drying it out. A large container is used as the matter spins vigorously and eliminates most of the water through a spinning motion, similar to a washing machine.

The remains of this last phase are called biosolids, which are used as fertilizer. Plants love human compost because it provides them with essential nutrients.

Uses of Biodegraded Waste

It is advised to only use this compost for flowers and not agriculture. Other beneficial farming uses of biosolids include reducing erosion and helping build soil structure.

Mass decomposing of human waste is generally left to the larger corporations. Most home human waste compost systems are rarely approved by the government, due to important fact that harmful bacterias must be destroyed in order for waste water to be safe for waterways and other uses.

However, if you would like to become more environmentally friendly and efficient, you can help the process. Some people choose to use their own waste to fertilize their gardens. This process is not as intricate and includes these steps.

1. Break up waste to small portions
2. Mix with other bio-organic materials such as leaves, twigs, grass, hay, or coffee grounds
3. Make sure it is piled loosely so there is enough oxygen
4. Earthworms may be added to help speed up decomposition.

Toilets and Decomposing Waste

Note: Household toilets do not have the capacity to help decompose waste matter.

However, some chemicals that can aid in this process are; bleach, detergent, caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), and certain enzymes. Boiling hot water also helps break it down in the toilet. Chemical tanks are used in place of other toilets where running water is not accessible. Port-o-potties, RVs, and airplanes are some examples of uses of chemical tanks. These tanks contain chemicals that assist in the process of breaking down the waste for safe disposal or reusable purposes.

Conclusion

Who knew that human waste was so useful? Whether you have an old septic system, a chemical tank, or regular plumbing, it is so great to know that our waste does not go to waste.

While choosing a toilet, you need to choose the one that delivers maximum performance and water efficiency.

Checking the MaP rating of a toilet is the easiest way of knowing how efficient the toilet is. MaP is a standard score that represents how much solid waste product can a toilet remove per flush.

Besides, the EPA’s flushing standard is also maintained which is using 1.28 GPF or less water while flushing. This way, you’ll know that the toilet can remove all the waste from its bowl without wasting much water.

Let’s dive deep into the details and find out everything you need to know about MaP ratings.

What is a MaP Score?

The term MaP stands for Maximum Performance. In MaP testing, a particular toilet model is tested with a realistic medium to measure the amount of solid waste (in grams) removed in a single flush. The amount of water is also measured to rate the toilet based on its water efficiency.

A toilet can be rated anywhere from 250 to 1000 which indicates how many grams of waste a toilet can flush. In 2002, about 22 organizations in the United States and Canada came forward to start the MaP program for low-flow toilets. Any toilet that follows the EPA’s guideline of using 1.28 gallons of water per flush is called a low-flow toilet.

MaP is a voluntary test and the test results are made public. After its introduction in 2002, it soon became a reliable standard to rate toilet models. By now, around 5,000 toilet models have been tested using the MaP method.

So, in short, the MaP score of a toilet tells you the maximum amount of waste the toilet can remove pee flush.

What Are the Standards?

As mentioned, the MaP test is done to rate the performance and efficiency of a toilet. So, these are the standards followed while performing the MaP test. Below are the details-

Toilet Performance

In simple words, toilet performance refers to the capacity for waste removal. In general, average homeowners demand toilets that removes 150g of solid waste per flush. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests a good toilet must remove 350g of solid waste in a single flush.

The MaP test is done using up to 1000g of solid waste. During the test, the toilet is rated depending on the maximum amount of waste the toilet can flush. For example, if a toilet flushes up to 400g of solid waste, the MaP rating for that toilet is 400.

Toilet Efficiency

It refers to the amount of water a toilet uses to completely remove solid waste from the toilet bowl. Nowadays, all toilets must follow the EPA’s standard flush rating of 1.28 GPF per flush. While it saves water, the low amount of water affects the toilet’s performance.

So, manufacturers use advanced technology to reduce water usage without compromising toilet performance. In fact, some MaP-certified toilets use only 0.8 gallons of water per flush.

Now, let’s take a look at the MaP standard scoring:

MaP Rating Flush Performance Recommendation

0g to 250g – Extremely Poor Performance Not Recommended

250g to 350g – Minimum Flush Performance Acceptable

350g to 600g – Strong Flush Performance Recommended

600g to 1000g – Great Flush Performance Highly Recommended

MaP Testing

To rate a toilet model, the MaP test is done by following an easy respectable method and realistic medium. A certain amount of soybean paste is used to replicate human waste. Here’s a short step-by-step process for doing the MaP test:

Step One: Preparing the Media

Typically, about 50g of soybean paste and toilet paper is mixed to prepare the test media. The mixture is given a ‘sausage’ shape. It’s about 100m long and has a 25mm diameter.

In standard laboratories, the mixture is put in a latex casing. A test specimen is then randomly selected. It weighs around 350g.

Step Two: Setting Up the Test Materials

The water level in the toilet tank should be as per the manufacturer’s recommendation. Water supply pressure should be around 50 PSIG. For the test, the recommended water temperature is 18 to 27°C or 65 to 80°F. Before conducting the test, each toilet is flushed at least three times.

After that, the flush volume is measured. As you might know, every toilet has a flush volume rate mentioned on its packaging. If the flush volume is 0.10 gallons greater than the rated flush volume, the fixture will be rejected.

Step Three: Waste Extraction Test

A drop guide is placed over the toilet bowl and the soybean paste is dropped freely into the bowl through the drop guide opening. The toilet is now flushed and the solid waste is collected with a suitable container for measurement.

To get the final MaP score, the test steps are repeated with more and more waste until the toilet fails to completely clean the bowl. The final measurements are noted and a toilet is rated depending on that result. While increasing the loading mass, the amount of waste never exceeds the standard 1000g limit.

What Is Flush-O-Meter?

Typically used in commercial toilets, a flush-o-meter is a water diverter that comes with a handle to flush commercial tankless toilets. A toilet that comes with a flush-o-meter is called a spud bowl and it uses the water pressure of the supply lines to clean the bowl.

This way, flush-o-meters save more water when compared to regular residential toilets with toilet tanks.

What are the Flush-O-Meter Commercial VS Residential Differences?

Now, you might wonder why flush-o-meters aren’t installed in residential toilets. That’s because there are some major differences between residential and flash-o-meter commercial toilets. Which includes-

Supply Line Size

To install a flush-o-meter commercial toilet, the supply lines must have a 1-inch diameter. Typically, most regular buildings have 1/2-inch supply lines. So, it’s not possible to install toilets with flush-o-meter valves in a regular house.

Besides, installing 1-inch supply pipes is way costlier than installing 1/2″ pipes. Hence, they are found only in newly made commercial buildings.

Efficiency

Without a doubt, flush-o-meter toilets are more water-efficient and high-performing. As they use water pressure instead of gravitational force, the flushing pressure is higher which cleans the bowl with less water.

What’re more, flush-o-meter valves work quickly and the mechanism is simpler.

Tank Size

Regular small or medium tanks used in residential areas aren’t suitable for installing flush-o-meter toilets. Larger tanks contain more water which provides sufficient pressure required for the flush-o-meter mechanism to work.

Again, larger tanks are costlier than small- and medium-sized tanks.

Loud Flushing Sound

Residential toilets with regular valves are quiet and have smooth functioning. On the other hand, flush-o-meter toilets are extremely loud. If you install these toilets in your house, your neighbors will hear a loud sound every time you flush.

This is another main reason why typical houses and apartment buildings in the US don’t use flush-o-meter toilets.

Wrapping Up!

So, that was everything you need to know about MaP. If a toilet has a MaP score between 500 and 1000, you can go for it for water efficiency and superior performance.

You can check the public database of the MaP test results to know what’s the score of your existing toilet. Finally, for commercial areas like stadiums and airports, toilets with a flush-o-meter valve are the most suitable choice.

Maybe you’re in the middle of a DIY bathroom remodel, or maybe you’ve asked a professional to evaluate the plumbing of your new home – regardless, we bet toilet vents have come up in conversation.

These vents are easy to spot because they are exactly what they sound like; ventilation channels that run from your residence’s plumbing appliances, such as sinks, bathtubs, and, of course, toilets, up and out of the roof of your home.

Toilet vents are crucial to the painless performance of your plumbing and to a homeowner’s peace of mind.

Key Takeaways

• Toilet vents are imperative to keeping sewage odors out of your home.
• Plumbing ventilation systems keep your drains running smoothly.
• P-traps catch debris and solids, as well as odors.
• Vent caps and covers are recommended to keep your vents clear.

Toilet Vent Working or Not?

There are several ways to know if your toilet vents are not correctly installed or, even worse, if there is no ventilation at all.

1. If you hear awful gurgling sounds when you flush
2. If you have sluggish drainage with your fixtures
3. Start to smell unpleasant odors

You may need to take a second look. Both could be caused by the lack of ventilation.

Operation of Plumbing Vents

Toilet vents allow air to enter behind the liquid moving through your drains, which create smooth flow throughout your home. The same air that helps your waste and water flow smoothly, also alleviates negative pressures and keeps your traps sealed.

The negative pressure is called siphonage and positive pressure is called back pressure. The balance of negative and positive air pressures in your drainage systems is imperative to an effortless and quiet plumbing system.

More importantly, a correctly installed toilet vent gives escape to sewage fumes that come from the horizontal sewage drains that run beneath your home.

These vents take the odors up and out of your roof, instead of giving them the chance to seep into your rooms.

Scenario of a Clogged Vent Pipe (My Story)

Let me share a story with you – when I was staying at my parents’ house for the holidays, I was smelling an awful odor in my bedroom. I thought to myself, whoa… that can’t be me, right?

Then, one day, as I was getting ready to wrap some Christmas gifts, I opened the storage closet adjacent to my childhood bedroom. It was like I was punched in the face with this nasty odor. This storage space, where my folks’ keep the holiday decorations and wrapping paper, had an open drain at the very back corner.

We realized during my parents’ recent bathroom remodel, the ventilation system had not been correctly installed, and therefore, unpleasant fumes were entering through that open drain and into my childhood bedroom.

Because nobody else stays in that room except when I come to visit, they hadn’t been aware of the issue.

As waste moves through the main sewage lines, vents draw air up and out. Without well installed toilet vents, you might have troublesome experiences like ours’.

Toilet Vent Connection to Main Plumbing

Toilet vents connect to the main drain, also called the stack, which should be about 4” in size and run vertically down your wall, to better aid in keeping drains unclogged.

Next you will see a secondary stack and branch drain pipes that carry water to your fixtures, and are often 1.5” to 2” in size. Vent pipes should be around 2” in size, and connect off of the main stack.

Different Types and Names

There are all sorts of vent types and names. Be sure to check the building codes in your locality to understand what venting systems are allowed and appropriate for your city.

True Vents

A true vent attaches to the main stack through the roof and has no water running through it.

Auxiliary Vents

An auxiliary vent attaches from your plumbing fixtures that may not be conveniently located to your true vent.

Common Vents

A common vent is used when two fixtures are on either side of a shared wall.

AAV

AAV or Air Admittance Valves allow air into your system when siphonage increases, then close with the help of gravity.

Wet Vents

Wet vents are drain pipes that can double as a vent, but can only be used vertically.

Loop Vents

Loop vents are ventilation tactics separate from all other stacks, and go up to the roof singularly from a fixture.

Types of Toilet Drain Traps

For the vents to work properly, there should be 6 feet of distance between the vents and traps.

Traps, also called P-traps or S-traps, are the small round section of your drainage pipes just before the horizontal wall tube. They sort of look like the letters P or S, hence the name, or like a J, and can also be called the J-bend.

• These traps hold water, which creates a kind of seal or dam, and acts as the barrier between odors entering your home.
• It also collects debris, solids, and anything else that might accidentally fall down your drain.

That’s how engagement rings are found after falling down the sink; they can (luckily!) be caught in the P-trap before they wash into the main lines, never to be seen again.

But, each usage of your plumbing fixtures flushes that old water out and replaces it with fresh water in the J-bend. So, if that engagement ring does fall into the drainage depths, don’t run the water!

Vent Caps and Covers

Your vent pipes open out onto your roof and into the elements, so we suggest investing in a vent cap or cover, to keep debris and even small animals out of your drainage systems.

Vent Caps

Vent caps are often larger and more prominent metal covering to your vent. They allow air to move freely and odors to leave your home.

Vent Covers

Vent covers, also called vent boots, can be found in rubber materials, and are installed more flush to your rooftop, providing less of a potential eye-sore.

However, rubber vent boots will contract and expand as temperatures rise and fall outside, and will more quickly deteriorate in the elements.

Detect Vent Cover Damage

You can tell if your vent cap or boot is damaged if you see water marks on your walls and ceilings in your bathrooms and kitchen, as well as shingle damage around your vent.

Outcomes of a Well Installed Toilet Vent

So, next time a plumber asks you about your toilet ventilation system, remember the following…

• Vents pipes should be installed as a 2” PVC
• The distance to traps should be about 6 feet
• Your P-traps cannot be dry.

Well installed vents will give you…

• Smooth drain flow
• Vented odors from the main city line and septic tank
• Lower drain noise

So if you have gurgling or clogging when you flush your toilet, or if you smell unpleasant odors, take some time to have a plumber check the vents.

The ventilation goes up and out of the roof of your home, so look into some vent covers or caps to keep your drains clear from outside debris.

If you take the time to have your toilet vents installed well, your plumbing systems will run perfectly.