What type of energy/machine makes a toilet work?

Question

I'm an art teacher assigned to a special school science project based on Legos. Lego sponsers a sci project for elem kids where they have to build a lego replica of their research. The topic this year is "where energy comes from." Our project is to research anything, and find out where the energy comes from (ex: a clock runs on batteries, batteries work because of acid, this acid comes from. . . )

My fourth graders are dead-set on researching this info for toilets. I understand that toilets work using a siphon (what type of energy if any is that?), do all toilets use pumps? If so, where does that energy come from?

I know where our water supply comes from (a river) and where it goes after we flush (a waste treatment plant).

If you have any guidance as to where all of the energy comes from I would really appreciate it. We are SERIOUSLY in over our heads.

Answer 1

The common home toilet uses the gravitational potential of the water in its tank to flush. You push the lever and the water simply falls into the bowl, taking its contents down the drain. Some newer high-efficiency toilets use the incoming water pressure to compress a volume of air. This stores additional energy which is used to give more force to the flush, enabling the toilet to use less water.

Commercial toilet use incoming water pressure directly.

In all cases, the energy to get the water to the toilet is ultimately provided by a pump somewhere, though the actual pressure in the system is usually maintained by gravity, using an elevated water tank.

On the outbound end, the sewage is moved through the pipes by pumps. Home septic systems work by gravity.

Answer 2

There is one pump, everything else is gravity man...Check out the site below. It explains it all pretty well and should help ya'll out.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/toilet.htm (check out the "Inside this Article links)