Hooked on Science: Measure your toilet's water usage

Did you know your kidneys clean the waste from your blood? This waste is then deposited into your bladder and then washed away in the form of urine. Using a few items from around the house you can discover how much water your toilet uses in just a few days.

Materials

* Toilet

* Paper

* Pen or pencil

* Measuring cup

* Large container

Instructions

STEP 1: Turn off the water supply to the toilet.

STEP 2: Use the measuring cup to remove the water from the toilet tank. Place the water in the large container.

STEP 3: Record how much water you removed from the toilet tank.

STEP 4: Turn on the water supply to the toilet.

STEP 5: Place a piece of paper and pen or pencil next to the toilet. Have everyone that flushes the toilet make a mark on the piece of paper.

STEP 6: In a few days add up the marks and then multiply the number of marks by how much water you removed from the toilet.

Explanation

You just discovered how much water your toilet uses in a few days. Research shows about two-thirds of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.