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.
By Matt HickmanMon, Jun 21 2010 at 9:41 AM EST
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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.
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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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Comments
Eric
01/01/2012 23:03 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.
michael
06/03/2011 04:33 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.... More
rober
01/12/2011 10:42 AM
pee in the shower can save a flush per person per day
Scott Walker
06/24/2010 13:09 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.... More
Scott Walker
06/24/2010 13:14 PM
That was supposed to say:
At our store, Greenward, in Cambridge, MA, we carry the One2Flush...
estaples
06/21/2010 23:04 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!
G. Ann
06/21/2010 18:46 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..... More
