The main testing area consists of a long bench with a 75 gallon sump of water at the base of the left side and two closet flanges mounted in the top of the right side of the bench. Having two flanges gives the tester the ability to have a head-to-head competition. ACT's testing facility is used to test various water saving devices such as commodes, flappers, ball cocks, shower heads and aerators. When a commode is flushed, the water vacates the bowl and travels down a clear acrylic tube mounted under the bench and into the sump. The tube is the standard diameter used to connect a commode to the main sewer stack. This tube also has the minimal rate of fall and the maximum length as allowed by building code.

Besides testing new commodes, we will often exchange a commode from a property that is interested in a water conservation program and test it in the lab. The best possible rebuild plan can be determined by matching the properties water pressure and trying different setups. The testing bench is also equipped with a shower head arm over the sump. The shower head's flow rate is recorded at varying water pressures by the water meter in gallons per minute (g.p.m.). We have discovered that some new shower heads that are rated at 2.5 g.p.m actually consume over 3.5 g.p.m right out of the box.

Aerators are tested in a similar fashion as the shower heads. A major concern with the shower heads and aerators, besides flow rate consistency, is their ability to resist clogging up with sediment. We test this by inserting debris in the line and then running them.