Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen, left, views a demonstration of the Proficiency three-litre toilet by inventor Phil Hennessy
On June 2 the Ontario government announced a proposal to limit toilets to those that flush six litres or less. The announcement took place at a downtown Toronto hardware store and, highlighting the event, was an Ontario designed and built toilet that effectively flushes with only three litres of water. Hennessy & Hinchcliffe Inc., of Mississauga, Ont., launched the Water Matrix Proficiency ultra high efficiency toilet (UHET) last year. Designed by Phil Hennessy, it uses an air transfer system that pressurizes and depressurizes the toilet’s trapway with nothing more than the displacement of air as water fills and empties the tank. “I started working on the concept of pressurizing the trapway back in 2002”, says Hennessy. “At that time, the most efficient toilets flushed at six litres, but I knew there was potential to go lower and still get the job done.”
The market may be heading towards greener choices for the environmental benefits, but what concerns many homeowners is a toilet’s ability to flush waste—on the first push of the lever. “We knew there were bound to be skeptics,” says Hennessy. To ensure the toilet’s performance, Bill Gauley, a professional engineer and principal of Veritec Consulting, of Mississauga, Ont. extensively tested the new toilet. Gauley is a recognized expert in the field of toilet performance, and Veritec is one of the primary testing labs for all toilet manufacturers in North America. “When I developed the testing program in 2003,” says Gauley, “half the toilets we tested failed to meet the minimum performance criteria. The Proficiency three-litre model not only offers a great flushing performance, it also saves more water than any other toilet…” Water Matrix watermatrix.com
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