What's an easy and inexpensive way to modify a toilet so that it conserves water?

Matt Hickman has some updates on the old brick-in-the-tank trick.

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Mon, Jun 21 2010 at 10:41 AM

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DIY, Water Conservation

Q: My husband and I are about to embark on a few budget-minded water- and energy-conserving home improvement projects around our home. First stop? The bathroom. Ultimately, we’re interested in replacing our antiquated toilets that use 3.5 gallons or more per flush with low-flow 1.28 gpf or dual-flush models but financially that’s not in the cards at the moment. Do you have any recommendations for temporary, DIY-friendly (we’d rather not resort to calling a plumber) ways to make our commodes more conservative while we save up for the real deal?

How low can I go?

— Sandy, Flushing, N.Y.

Hey Sandy,

Great question since I can think of about a million and one things that I’d rather spend my hard-earned money on than a shiny new porcelain throne. However, I’m glad to hear that down the line you do plan on replacing your older, water-guzzling toilets with high-efficiency models given that standard toilets are the numero uno source of household water use in the home no matter what numero you’re flushing down.

Since you’re on the lookout for a cheap and easy temporary solution, my first recommendation is a modern update on the old brick-in-the-tank trick. Although putting a plastic soda bottle in the toilet tank may seem too MacGyver meets Martha Stewart-y it can help you save in the ballpark of 10-plus gallons of water per day. All you need to do is get your hands on an old 1-liter plastic soda or water bottle, take the labels off, fill it partially with sand, marbles, or pebbles to weigh it down, and then fill the rest with water. Place the bottle in your toilet tank away from any moving parts and it will effectively displace water in the tank. The water savings from the bottle-in-the-tank trick won’t be as significant as actually replacing your toilets but since you seem to have some true dinosaurs in your house, every little action you can make will indeed help.

If you’d rather invest a few bucks in a device that does a similar job, try the Toilet Tummy. Although it has the same name as the sensation that I experience after eating cheap Mexican food, this device is easy to install and maintenance-free. Just fill the Toilet Tummy — it’s a plastic bag that looks like a hot water bottle, essentially — with water and hang from the inside of your toilet tank. If you use one, you’ll save around 80 ounces of water per flush. Or try two for double the results. The Toilet Tank Bank is also a similar, water-displacing option.

Since the toilets in your home are aged and prone to leaking, take a look around the tanks to see if the flappers — the rubber doodads that keep water sealed in the tank — are in good condition. I recommend performing a dye test to see if they’re up to snuff. Although flappers are designed to last for years, wear and tear and the use of chemical cleaning products can shorten their life and render them less effective. Replacement flappers are cheap and swapping in an old one for a new one is a relatively easy process. Toiletflapper.org (yes, that is a real website) has details on how to do so.

There are other actions you can take, Sandy, to make your commode more conservative without expensive conversions or full replacements, the most basic being abiding by the “mellow yellow” rule. I’d proceed with caution on this one … an erstwhile roommate of mine traumatized me for life by taking this phrase to the extreme. However, for a quick fix that doesn’t involve a plumber, a ton of cash, or any kind of mellowing, I’d start with the steps I described above. And when you do get around to replacing your toilets, keep an eye out for EPA-sponsored WaterSense label that guarantees that the model in question uses 20 percent less water than current federal standards. Think of WaterSense as the Energy Star of johns. Happy flushing.

— Matt

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Photo: ZUMA Press

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Comments: 7

Eric Jan 01 2012 at 11:03 PM

Do not replace your functioning toilet with one of these low flow debacles. They work poorly (do the research), and what is worse, they do not actually conserve much more water than the toilet you already have (easy to Google this.)
You have a working toilet. Don't swap it out for one that does not work, and does not come with any other benefit.

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michael Jun 03 2011 at 4:33 AM

had a landlord who had done this to 2 different toilets in hte house about 3 years prior to us moving in. twice the tank seperated at the small hole that is sits on the base at. once with my wife and a second time on the deveolpmentally disabled gentle man who we cared for. both times the merely shifted to "finish the Paperwork" on their "deposit transaction" both were on opposite ends of the wi=eight spectrum 1 approx 112lbs the other approx 225lbs. both were left sitting in a pool of water with

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a disintegrated tank behind and around them. the plumber who replaced the second one found the bottle of rocks and began chuckling. i was informed that this helpful tip accounts for the majority of his new toilet replacements. the weight on on side of the tank or the other and the fact that the tanks are not glazed inside accounts for the damage the clay slowly rehydrates overtime back to the mud that i began its life as and the weight on either side of the whole directly in the center of the bottom of the tank stretches it to the point of failure all tanks have a float and all floats can be adjusted they are usually attached to a thin copper tube which can be bent to have the float rest lower in the tank once the float rises the few degrees past the level it shuts off th water flow. in reality your not saving water your just accelerating the life of your tank and the replacement date of you toilet.

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rober Jan 12 2011 at 10:42 AM

pee in the shower can save a flush per person per day

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Scott Walker Jun 24 2010 at 1:09 PM

A problem with reducing the water in your toilet tank, either by just lowering the fill level or by putting an object in the tank, is that by reducing the amount of water in the tank you reduce the pressure available to make the toilet flush. Dual flush toilets have two flushing cycles, one that uses a relatively small amount of water (for #1), and one that uses the full tank (#2). New dual flush toilets are quite expensive, but older toilets can be converted to dual flush economically. At our

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store, Greenward, in Cambridge, MA, we sell a device called the One2Flush to convert standard toilets to dual flush (only available from us at our brick-and-mortar store at the moment, you can buy online direct from the manufacturer). There are other similar products out there as well, all much cheaper than a new toilet. They let you keep a full tank for adequate pressure, but regulate how much water is actually used per flush.

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Scott Walker Jun 24 2010 at 1:14 PM

That was supposed to say:
At our store, Greenward, in Cambridge, MA, we carry the One2Flush...

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Em-j Staples Jun 21 2010 at 11:04 PM

If your guests don't mind, stick to the ole' saying if it's yellow let it mellow, when it's brown, flush it down.... Works everytime!

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G. Ann Jun 21 2010 at 6:46 PM

I recently had to replace the float assembly in one of my toilets. The one I used helps me save water in three ways: 1) Similar to the brick-in-the-tank trick, the new float assembly allows me to set how high the float goes before the water stops. 2) I was pleased to find that you can now get one with a valve on the bowl filler line. It helps ensure that your bowl doesn't fill up before your tank - because every drop after that point just goes straight down the drain. I set mine to stop just a

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little short of full. 3) It also came with a device to prevent water loss when you are suffering one of those slow leaks at the flapper.