As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links.
How many refills does a full clean take?
Updated
Tank size alone does not tell you much. What matters is how many seconds the tank lasts. Type in the numbers from any listing and see how many times you would fill up for one clean.
How many tanks does a full clean take?
Estimate only. It uses the maker's own run time claim when you enter one. With no claim, it guesses at 4 ml of water per second, which is near what the cordless listings we read work out to. Higher pressure settings empty the tank faster.
What the listings we read work out to
| Flosser | Tank | Claimed run time | Water use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterpik Aquarius | 651 ml | 90+ seconds | About 7.2 ml per second or less |
| Waterpik Cordless Advanced | 207 ml | Up to 45 seconds | About 4.6 ml per second |
| Philips Power Flosser 3000 | 250 ml | 60 seconds | About 4.2 ml per second |
| Waterpik Cordless Pulse | 177 ml | Up to 45 seconds | About 3.9 ml per second |
The cordless models land near 4 ml per second. That is the figure the calculator uses when a listing gives no run time, like the COSLUS C20. At that rate its 300 ml tank would last about 75 seconds. Treat that as a rough guess, not a spec.
Why the number moves
- Pressure setting. Higher settings push more water and empty the tank sooner. "Up to" on a listing usually means the best case.
- Mode. Philips claims up to 90 seconds in its pulsing Deep Clean mode, from the same tank that gives 60 seconds in Clean mode.
- Pauses. Flossers with a pacer stop the water for a moment. The Aquarius has an on/off switch on the handle, so you can pause without wasting water.
Is a refill a big deal?
In the shower, no. You tip the tank under the water and keep going. At the sink it takes a few more seconds. If a mid-clean refill sounds like the thing that would make you quit, pick a model that covers your clean on one tank. See the picks.