Chic vs. Geek: Water Conserving Fixtures (aka WCF)

I own a single-family residential property. What are my requirements for installing water conserving plumbing fixtures, and when do they take effect?

CHIC (PEARL)

As of 2019, all owners of single family residential properties are required to replace plumbing fixtures with water conserving fixtures (or WCF), regardless of whether or not you’re making any other improvements or selling the property. Additionally, sellers are required to disclose any non-compliant fixtures. So even if you haven’t upgraded your fixtures, you’ll need to get it done if you want to do any other work on your home.

GEEK (KEVIN)

So, what qualifies as a “non-compliant” fixture? A few examples: toilets that use more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, showerheads with a flow capacity of more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute, and any interior faucet that emits more than 2.2 gallons of water per minute. But don’t worry, this only applies if your property was built on or before January 1, 1994. Here are more tips for saving water at home!