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7 Top-Rated Low Flow Toilets Reviews: Which Is The Best Water-Saving Toilet For You?

Every time you flush the toilet, you are also flushing down hundreds of dollars in the drain! It doesn’t have to be that way. The best low-flow toilets can help you save money and water.  

Don’t worry. Just because you want to save the world doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable too. We found a model that’s so fancy you’ll feel like royalty when you sit on the throne. 

Keep reading to learn which one.

Conserve Water With These 7 Best Water-Saving Toilets

It seems like everything out there nowadays claims to be eco-friendly or green. So, we scoured the internet to find the top water-saving toilets based on GPF, how easy they are to clean, and of course, style and comfort.

Here’s a nifty chart showing you toilets that use less water 

PRODUCT NAME DETAILS
Best Choice Best Choice Woodbridge T-0019 Low-Flow Toilet Woodbridge T-0019 Low-Flow Toilet
  • Modern design
  • Fully glazed flush system
  • Flimsy plastic seat

Budget Pick Budget Pick Niagara Stealth 2 Low-Flow Toilet
  • Use less than 1 GPF
  • Super quiet
  • The toilet flush is not always strong enough
Most Premium Most Premium Toto MS920CEMFG#01 Low-Flow Toilet Toto MS920CEMFG#01 Low-Flow Toilet
  • Integrated bidet
  • Fully automated experience
  • Needs electrical hookups

TOTO CST454CUFG#01 Drake II Low-Flow Toilet TOTO CST454CUFG#01 Drake II Low-Flow Toilet
  • Uses “Tornado Flush Technology”
  • CEFIONTECT glazed toilet bowl
  • Toilet seat is sold separately

Swiss Madison St. Tropez SM-1T254 Low-Flow Toilet Swiss Madison St. Tropez SM-1T254 Low-Flow Toilet
  • Soft closing lid
  • Ultra-modern design
  • Difficult to install

American Standard 288DA114.020 Low-Flow Toilet American Standard 288DA114.020 Low-Flow Toilet
  • Quick to install
  • Round front design
  • Very small

Kohler K-3999-0 Highline Comfort Height Toilet Kohler K-3999-0 Highline Comfort Height Toilet
  • Comfortable seat height
  • Uses canister flush valve
  • It does not include a toilet seat or bolts

Still unsure which low-flow toilet is the best for you? Continue reading for everything you need to know about each model on our list.

1. Woodbridge T-0019 Low Flow Toilet – Best Water Saving Toilet

Woodbridge T-0019 Low-Flow Toilet

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 1.10 GPF / 1.6 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12”
  • Toilet type: One-piece
  • Flush system: Dual gravity-assist
  • Seat height: 16.5″

With its sleek, modern design and high efficiency, water saving, dual flush system, it’s no wonder the Woodbridge T-0019 is our top pick for the best low flow toilet. 

Not only does this one-piece toilet look good, but it is also super easy to clean. There aren’t any nooks and crannies for funk to collect in. Simply pop the soft close seat off to get in there.

While cleanliness is next to godliness, the real question regarding low-flow toilets is how does it flush? And the answer is excellent. The dual flush system allows you to conserve water by choosing a less powerful flush for liquids. 

While the Woodbridge Toilet doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the other more expensive toilets on the market, it gets the job done well.

2. Niagara Stealth 2 Low-Flow – Budget Pick

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 0.8 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12″
  • Toilet type: Two-piece
  • Flush system: Single gravity-assist
  • Seat height: 16.5″

Low flow toilets aren’t just about saving water. They are also about saving money. If you want a water-saving toilet without breaking the bank, take a look at the Niagara Stealth 2 Toilet. This ultra low flow uses less than one gallon per flush

I mean this toilet is going to look very fancy. It has a standard elongated bowl and an average seat height. But we are talking about budget, not style.  

And for the price, you get a powerful flush. It uses Niagara Stealth flush technology, which features a vacuum-assisted gravity flush. It is ultra-quiet — you won’t even notice as your waste disappears!

All in all, the Niagara Stealth 2 Toilet is an excellent choice for a budget water-saving toilet.

3. Toto MS920CEMFG#01 Low Flush Toilet – Most Premium

Toto MS920CEMFG#01 Low-Flow Toilet

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 0.9 GPF / 1.28 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12″
  • Toilet type: One-piece
  • Flush system: Dual pressure-assist
  • Seat height: 17.75″

If you want to feel like royalty, check out the Toto MS920CEMFG#01. With a built-in washlet bidet seat, this toilet features things I didn’t know were possible. You can have a completely hands-free toilet experience and save water while doing so. 

The seat opens automatically as the toilet preps the bowl for your deposit — it’s like magic!

Once you are sitting, you can adjust the heated seat to make sure your tushie stays toasty warm. If that’s not enough, this toilet comes with remote control. 

That’s right. There’s a remote control for your toilet! 

You use this remote to select your cleansing options. I told you it was hands-free. Temperature, pressure, and oscillation are all adjustable, as is the temperature of the warm air to blow dry your bum. Heck, it can even make the bathroom smell like flowers!

The truly mind-boggling thing about this toilet (as if all that wasn’t amazing enough) is that it automatically detects how much waste there is and decides the flush volume accordingly. Stand up, and all evidence you were there is swept away by the powerful Tornado Flush as the lid gently closes behind you.

4. TOTO CST454CUFG#01 Drake II Low-Flush Toilet

TOTO CST454CUFG#01 Drake II Low-Flow Toilet

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 1.0 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12.5″
  • Toilet type: Two-piece
  • Flush system: Single gravity-assist
  • Seat height: 16.5″

Another toilet on our list from Toto is the Drake II. Although it doesn’t have the high-tech features of the other Toto toilet, the Drake II does come with all the water-saving features that make Toto toilets some of the best low-flow toilets out there. 

The Drake II has the powerful Tornado Flush that stands out in low flush toilets. Two jets of water create a powerful centrifugal rinse, flushing away your waste and leaving your bowl clean—all with just one gallon of water.

5. Swiss Madison St. Tropez SM-1T254 Toilet

Swiss Madison St. Tropez SM-1T254 Low-Flow Toilet

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 0.8 GPF / 1.28 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12″
  • Toilet type: One-piece
  • Flush system: Dual flush
  • Seat height: 15.5″

Style. That’s what the Swiss Madison St. Tropez Toilet is all about. It looks so good that we won’t be surprised your friends will ask where you bought it. And since it has sleek and modern lines, it’s easy to keep this one-piece low-flush toilet shiny and clean.

Flush performance-wise, you won’t be disappointed because it has a modern dual flush system! Select a partial flush for liquids or use the maximum flushing power to eliminate your solid waste.  

6. American Standard 288DA114.020 Toilet

American Standard 288DA114.020 Low-Flow Toilet

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 1.1 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12″
  • Toilet type: Two-piece
  • Flush system: Single flush
  • Seat height: 15″

The American Standard 288DA114.020 Toilet is the only round bowl, water-saving toilet to make it on our list. 

But the American Standard has more going for it than that. First of all, it is small. Its round bowl takes up less space, and the seat height is lower. If you live in one of those tiny, affordable green prefab homes with a small bathroom, this will fit and will help you save water.

While this is a single flush toilet, it is an ultra high-efficient toilet — you might want to call it ultra-low flow. It only uses 1.1 GPF, so you don’t have to feel guilty when you do a full flush.

7. Kohler K-3999-0 Highline Comfort Height Toilet

Kohler K-3999-0 Highline Comfort Height Toilet

Specifications

  • Flush volume: 1.28 GPF

  • Rough-in: 12″
  • Toilet type: Two-piece
  • Flush system: Single gravity-assist
  • Seat height: 17″

Are you having a hard time getting up from the toilet? You’ll need comfortable height toilets.

The Kohler Highline Comfort Height toilet stands 17 inches tall, making it the tallest low-flow toilet we reviewed. While built for the comfort of older adults, this water-saving toilet does not come with a toilet seat. The upside is you can choose the most comfortable toilet seat for you.

But the Kohler isn’t just about comfort. It is also WaterSense Certified, assuring you that you are not flushing money down the drain — literally. This single flush toilet uses a canister flush valve system to get a powerful flush without wasting water. 

5 Things to Consider When You’re Buying a Low-Flow Toilet

When reading low-flow toilets reviews, there are several things you should be looking for. 

You want to understand flushing systems and gallons per flush to make sure you are looking at the best water-saving toilets. Top-rated low-flow toilets will have other features to examine as well, like seat height and warranties, but these features are more about your comfort than creating energy-efficient toilets.

1. Type Of Toilet: One-Piece vs Two-Piece

There are two types of toilets out there — one-piece toilets and two-piece toilets. The main difference is pretty self-explanatory, but what does it mean (because the truth is there are more than two pieces to a toilet)? The difference involves the tank.

With a one-piece toilet, the tank and base are all one unit. These toilets tend to look a little sleeker, like the Woodbridge.

One piece toilets leak less and are easier to clean.

As its name suggests, a two-piece toilet has two main components — a separate tank and base. It sometimes has a larger tank than one-piece toilets. They also can be harder to clean because of all the nooks and crannies. But they tend to be less expensive.

2. Flushing System: Gravity vs Pressure vs Dual

You’ve probably never given any thought to flushing systems until you decided to look for the best low-flow toilets. Then, suddenly you are bombarded with terms like gravity and pressure-assisted plumbing. 

What do they mean?

a. Gravity-Assisted Flush System

Gravity-assisted flushing is a tried and true method. If you think of a really old toilet, you probably imagine one with a tank way up by the ceiling. 

inside a tank of one of a gravity-assisted flush system toilet
Every time I flush the toilet… S*** goes down!

When you flush the toilet, you open a flap. This flap will then let the water leave the tank. Gravity pushes the water down and flushes the contents of the bowl out of the tube. While nowadays we don’t put our tanks up so high, the same theory applies.

b. Pressure-Assisted Flush System

Pressure systems work similarly to gravity-assisted flushing, but they add an extra step. Rather than relying on gravity alone, there is an air-filled balloon located inside a plastic tank. This balloon creates pressure that helps move the water at a higher rate than relying on gravity alone. However, it isn’t super quiet (1).

“Because of the extra force applied during the flush, pressure-assisted toilets are louder than other flushing systems.”

Think of toilets in a movie theatre or an airport. You always hear that “whoosh” sound from the pressure-assisted flush. 

c. Dual Flush System

Dual flush systems have two different flushing options, one for liquids and one for solids. The one for liquids uses significantly less water than the one for solids. Dual flush toilets like the Toto MS920CEMFG#01 Toilet are becoming more common in energy-efficient homes and are popular with people looking for the most water-efficient toilets. 

3. Gallons Per Flush (GPF)

Gallons per flush is an important detail when you are looking for the best low flush toilet. It pertains to how much water the toilet uses to create an effective flush when you push the lever (2). 

And, if a toilet has lower gallons per flush, the more water you save. This is the big difference when comparing low-flow toilets vs. regular toilets. The Niagra Stealth 2 is the most water-efficient toilet on our list, with the lowest GPF. 

One way to know your toilet will help you conserve water is to look for a WaterSense certified toilet. WaterSense is a voluntary program where the manufacturer has their toilets evaluated by an independent testing agency to meet the EPA standards (3).  

“By replacing old, inefficient toilets with WaterSense labeled models, the average family can reduce water used for toilets by 20 to 60 percent—that’s nearly 13,000 gallons of water savings for your home every year! They could also save more than $140 per year in water costs, and $2,900 over the lifetime of the toilets.”

The toilets on our list are all WaterSense Certified. So, switching from an old toilet to any of the best low-flow toilets can minimize water usage and save the Earth!

4. Installation Method And Rough-In

There are two methods to install toilets: mount them on the floor, or mount them on the wall.

a. Floor-Mounted Installation

Floor mount is the most common type of toilet installation. All the toilets we’ve found, even the expensive TOTO MS920CEMFG#01 toilet, are floor mount models. 

This method of installation is what you think of when you think of toilets. You screw the base with the toilet bowl into the floor, and you can see the tank. It is pretty easy to install a floor-mounted toilet.

If you want to make your toilet extra fancy, you can install a bidet washer during your installation. Check out this video to see how:

b. Wall-Mounted Installation

Wall-mounted toilets, on the other hand, are a bit more complicated. In this case, the tank is hidden in the wall. It is an excellent choice if space is limited but has some problems. 

a couple of man installing a wall-mounted toilet
Can you spot the tank? Probably not, huh?

One, it is much more expensive to install a wall-mounted toilet. The other issue is maintenance and repairs are much more complicated because the tank is behind the drywall.

What is a toilet’s rough-in?

Another critical component of the installation is the rough-in. You don’t have to pull your hair out understanding this detail. A toilet’s rough-in is just the distance between the wall and the center of the waste tube. The standard is 12 inches, but this can range as low as 10 inches and as high as 15 inches (4).

5. Toilet Comfort And Warranty

We spend a lot of time on the toilet — probably more than we would like to admit! So, it makes sense we would want it to be comfortable as our favorite chair! 

Give some thought to what height is more comfortable for you. Taller toilets like the Kohler Highline are better if you have trouble getting up. They are often referred to as comfort height toilets and are ADA compliant (5). Lower seat height is better if you have a problem with things going down. 

A lower seat is better if you have children in your home. But keep in mind that kids grow up, and a toilet can last a long time.

This brings us to the next point — the warranty. It takes several years for a low-flow toilet to pay off in terms of money savings. So, it’s not something you generally plan on replacing too often, just like when you purchase the best low-flow shower head, you want your toilet to last for a long time. A good warranty gives you peace of mind that you have a quality product.

FAQs

A high-efficiency toilet must flush no more than 1.3 GPF. You’ll have to consider the GPF for both the full flush and the partial flush in a dual flush toilet. You can find dual flush toilets marketed as high-efficiency toilets even if the full flush is 1.6 GPF. That’s because the GPF of a partial flush is only 0.8 GPF. The two numbers are averaged out to a GPF of less than 1.3.

Yes, low-flow toilets can clog more often, especially for models with inadequate flushing systems. But don’t worry. The best low-flow toilets on our list are highly rated to move your waste as a traditional toilet would.

A MaP rating is similar to WaterSense certification. To get a MaP Rating, an independent agency reviews the toilet based on how much solid waste a single flush can remove. While this rating measures a toilet’s efficiency, it is not based on water usage or GPF.

  1. Types of Toilet Flushing Systems. Retrieved from: https://www.southwestplumbing.biz/2017/05/types-of-toilet-flushing-systems/
  2. What Does GPF Mean Toilet. Retrieved from: https://www.rooterguard.com/2020/08/19/what-does-gpf-mean-toilet/
  3. Residential Toilets. Retrieved from: https://www.epa.gov/watersense/residential-toilets
  4. How To Measure For a Toilet. Retrieved from: https://onepointpartitions.com/blog/2018/01/05/how-to-measure-for-a-toilet/
  5. What’s the Difference Between Standard Height vs. Comfort Height Toilets? Retrieved from: https://henryplumbingco.com/2020/05/15/whats-the-difference-between-standard-height-vs-comfort-height-toilets/