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| BrownThumbPapa and I circa 1995--yes, he really has always worn a Giants hat. |
On cats: "Why on earth would you want a cat? We don't have a barn, so we don't need one. That's why you need a cat, to get rid of mice."
On canceling cable: "Yeah, we could also give all our stuff away and live under a bridge somewhere, but why the hell would you do that?"
Which brings us in a roundabout way to our topic: converting a "regular" toilet into a low-flow toilet. Our house was built in 1976 and the toilets have never been replaced. Papa has a curmudgeonly opinion about low-flow toilets, which I won't discuss here (let's just say it involves multiple flushes). On the other hand, I'm interested in saving water--especially since we're on a water meter now.
There are all kinds of thingys to place in your toilet tank to displace water, but I didn't know which one to choose. Thankfully, the folks at Golden State Water came to my office on Earth Day and gave me two of these nifty water savers.
It's called the "Toilet Tank Bank:
Deposit and save water and money" (wocka wocka wocka). 
It's easy to use and install--just fill up with water, seal the lid, and hang on the inside of the tank.
Yep, those are original, rusty 1976 bolts. Thank goodness there's a lid on this so nobody knows how stained it is!
Speaking of the lid, once you replace it nobody will know the displacer is in there. This is all that shows. (Don't tell my mom that I didn't paint behind the toilet.)
:Now all that remains is to see if our water usage goes down as a result! I haven't seen a difference in flushing power, so we're in good shape.
I haven't seen these in town, but you can order a Toilet Tank Bank on Amazon for about $2. Pair it up with a low-flow showerhead and you could see real savings!
P.S. In the interest of full disclosure (and staying married for another zillion years), I told BrownThumbPapa about the displacers today. He shrugged and said, "Well, I guess it doesn't make a difference then." Maybe he's not so curmudgeonly after all.
Unfortunately lots of people got turned off when municipalities started requiring/encouraging installation of low-flow toilets while the technology was still immature and in houses with piping designed for lots of water per flush (different slopes and material roughnesses matter!). I haven't knowingly tried a modern low-flush toilet but I've seen plenty of "look we've improved and we're just as good was what you are used to" demonstrations.
ReplyDeletePersonally, the toilet that I am desperately desiring to own is a dual flush toilet. I have been sold on that concept, and awaiting a home of my own in which to install one, for well over a decade, back when they were only known in Europe. Now if only we didn't need to replace the roof, the sofa, get baby furniture, dining room furniture...
What a great idea! You are just tricking your regular toilet into using less water! I be if you put a 2-liter or some other container full of water it will do the same thing - maybe I will try it!
ReplyDeleteLow flow toilets are a curse upon mankind. Been dealing with them for years in North Natomas, and yes they require multiple flushes...
ReplyDeleteI bought an American Standard Ecofusion dual flush toilet at home depot for $200 and it really does the trick. It does 1 gallon #1 flushes and 1.6 gallon #2 flushes. My old toilet used to partially flush, clog, and occasionally overflow. With no modification to the plumbing - my new toilet has never mis-flushed, fills and flushes quietly, and is rated at the highest MaP rating (a performance standard for ability of a toilet to flush a standard amount of solids). Not to be crude but I'm a large man with a healthy appetite and am more than qualified to test a toilet. I can safely say I love this toilet.
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