Reduce toilet water usage

[bokep]

For the people who think that not flushing your pee is gross: open up your toilet and put a brick or something similar in it (make sure it doesn't float). It'll at least reduce the amount of water per flush. My parents have been doing this since I was little and I was a bit surprised that my friends had never heard of this.

One concern is that brick can slowly disintegrate over time. So get creative and use other things. Use jars and fill them up with rocks and/or water. Something along those lines. It'll cost you next to nothing.

Anyway it's a good easy practice to reduce your water usage. You could buy those water dams for about $10 but this method works just as well.

[s3k]

...or you could lower the ball on the floater arm.

[eelfliw]

Or get a urinal. These use a lot less water than 6Lpf toilets.

[winks1]

or pee on a tree;)

[dark169]

just hide beer cans in there like Homer :lol:

checking your flapper for leaks will save you more water. Put a couple drops of food colouring in the tank, if it shows in the bowl (without flushing) it means water is flowing between the tank and bowl all the time.

[tottiwenjie]

why dont change your toilt with a low-flush toilet, and the toilet rated at 6 litres per flush or lower and meets the SPS requirement, and if you home already did eco-energy audit, then you can get rebate from NRcan and ontario.

[brunes]

1L ice cream or yogurt container filled with some rocks will not disintigrate and do just as good a job.

[jason9945]

1L ice cream or yogurt container filled with some rocks will not disintigrate and do just as good a job.

or Water...

[Rehan]

Even better than a brick would be an adjustable flapper. They're available in Home Depot / Rona / etc.

[jobby]

one can also use pet bottle filled with water and capped.

[Frankie3s]

You could also urinate in a bucket, take it to work and empty it there. Seriously, conservation is one of the reasons that utility rates are rapidly increasing. Just because you are reducing your costs doesn't necessarily mean that the utilities can do so as well. They still have employees to pay and capital costs and so as consumption goes down, the utility rates (or delivery costs) have to go up more rapidly than they normally would.

I agree there has to be a balance. But you are paying way, way more now for using less than before you had conserved as much. Pretty soon you won't be able to afford to flush the toilet (might have to go back to septic).

[Focus]

So when u need to do the "other thing" you take it out everytime? Mine went to a jar 1/2 the time then later went to the compost.

[pmc]

or pee on a tree;)

I just pee out my window onto the bratty kids :D

That's a good tip OP

[vipt2000]

For the low-flush toilets, I am thinking of replacing 3 in an older house (70+ years). We are getting rebates of up to $75/per in Ottawa. Can anyone recommend and experience :cheesygri with the 6L low-flush toilets that are reasonable and good that do not break your wallet?

Thank you.

[UncleSteve]

For the low-flush toilets, I am thinking of replacing 3 in an older house (70+ years). We are getting rebates of up to $75/per in Ottawa. Can anyone recommend and experience :cheesygri with the 6L low-flush toilets that are reasonable and good that do not break your wallet?

Thank you.

My father just installed 2 dual-flush toilets in his house (6 litres for solid waste and 3 litres for liquid waste). He bought American Standard and cost $200.00 each.

If the program in Ottawa is run like the one here in Halton, before purchasing, make sure the make and model is on the approved toilet list.

[wilsonm]

Actually those low flush toilets are just a scam.

Agriculture uses 90% of the freshwater for watering crops. The water you save from that low flush toilet in pretty much nothing compared to what the agriculture industry uses.

Same as bottle water. Since when does a bottle of water cost more than gasoline?

I think people enjoy getting ripped off.

[Wing Nut]

I'm always amazed that people actually spend money on bottled water. Canadian water is great. It's unnecessary, folks. And I believe that lots of people who buy bottled water are the ones who can least afford it.

[winks1]

Canadian water is great.

:rolleyes: tell that to the poeple of Walkerton, or look in your own backyard @ the oilsands and get back to us on that. This country is one of the worst polluters on the globe...drink up:!:

[winstona]

How much more can you save by installing a low flush toilet than to use a "water-safer" flapper or adjustable flapper? It appears to me that reaplacing the flapper (less than 10 bucks) is the better cost effective solution.

[don242]

I'm always amazed that people actually spend money on bottled water. Canadian water is great. It's unnecessary, folks. And I believe that lots of people who buy bottled water are the ones who can least afford it.

Agree. There is a place for bottled water but for everyday use it is a waste when you have perfectly drinkable water from your tap. Some bottled water doesn't even meet drinking waster standards. The PET bottles that bottles water comes in does leach various chemicals into the water, some of which are potential carcinogens.

[death_hawk]

I save water by using a High Flow toilet.

Low flows are useless when you have to flush 12 times.
I haven't met a low flow yet that could take care of me.

In fact, the Low Flow at work is even worse. It takes TWO flushes to get rid of liquids. I wish I was joking.

[hdom]

They sell dual flush kit that you can install on regular toilets. It is much cheaper and more environmental than buying a new toilet to replace a perfectly working one.

How much more can you save by installing a low flush toilet than to use a "water-safer" flapper or adjustable flapper? It appears to me that reaplacing the flapper (less than 10 bucks) is the better cost effective solution.

[gadgeteer.ca]

Folks, how about a sink on top of the toilet tank

search for "sink outside of the toilet tank" in Google

[monty613]

For the low-flush toilets, I am thinking of replacing 3 in an older house (70+ years). We are getting rebates of up to $75/per in Ottawa. Can anyone recommend and experience :cheesygri with the 6L low-flush toilets that are reasonable and good that do not break your wallet?


We moved into a new place in May and bought 2x of these American Standard Flowise dual flush models. They had a $75 rebate and came to just under ~$200 each all-in with taxes after the rebate (they credit the rebate to your Ottawa Water/Sewer bill).

It's a pretty good toilet and both the 3L/6L flush are powerful, which was my #1 concern. Also has an elongated bowl and sits higher than most toilets. The most surprising thing is the low water level in the bowl, but it still flushes clean every time.

See link below (bowl only, entire package inc seat was ~$259 on sale)

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=975077&Ntt=975077&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

[jjtsl]

They sell dual flush kit that you can install on regular toilets. It is much cheaper and more environmental than buying a new toilet to replace a perfectly working one.

Where can you get one of these dual flush kits?

[ShootingStars]

Omg... if you REALLY want to save $...
if its yellow keep it yellow
if its brown flush it down

toilet seats put down of course.

[SubEe]

Omg... if you REALLY want to save $...
if its yellow keep it yellow
if its brown flush it down

toilet seats put down of course.

It's supposed to be "If it's yellow let it mellow" lol :P

[death_hawk]

My toilet keeps it mellow for me, even after I try to flush it down.
Stupid crappy low flow...

[jed]

Some info on choices of low flows here (http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm)

[mbg]

Or get a urinal. These use a lot less water than 6Lpf toilets.

For gay households especially, this is a very good idea. But, the standard ones still use 1 gallon (3.8L) per flush, which is quite a lot.

[bug]

Pee in the sink :)

[mbg]

Pee in the sink :)

That would be very European.

[john widow]

For the people who think that not flushing your pee is gross: open up your toilet and put a brick or something similar in it (make sure it doesn't float). It'll at least reduce the amount of water per flush. My parents have been doing this since I was little and I was a bit surprised that my friends had never heard of this.

One concern is that brick can slowly disintegrate over time. So get creative and use other things. Use jars and fill them up with rocks and/or water. Something along those lines. It'll cost you next to nothing.

Anyway it's a good easy practice to reduce your water usage. You could buy those water dams for about $10 but this method works just as well.


Um, what if I poo on the brick? I don't think the flush is gonna flush it away. Pee in shower or bucket than recycle by using it to water your plants. If u go out somewhere to a friends etc....it's etiquette to flush. If ppl hear a flush they know ur done @ least and if they hear the tap running they know u washed ur hands. If u didn't do that they'd be upset.

[mbg]

Um, what if I poo on the brick? I don't think the flush is gonna flush it away.

The brick goes in the tank, not in the toilet. So, do a #2 in the TANK and then put in the brick! The bowl stays empty.

Pee in shower or bucket than recycle by using it to water your plants.

You should dilute it before adding to plants, else it might burn the plant. So, better to pee in the toilet and then fill your watering can from the toilet BEFORE flushing.

[codetrap]

Actually those low flush toilets are just a scam.

Agriculture uses 90% of the freshwater for watering crops. The water you save from that low flush toilet in pretty much nothing compared to what the agriculture industry uses.

Same as bottle water. Since when does a bottle of water cost more than gasoline?

I think people enjoy getting ripped off.

Wow. Pretty high ignorance factor here. You apparently don't know the difference between treated water and freshwater, or the costs associated in treating water. Also, who cares about the relative amount of water saved in a residental application vs agriculture? The entire point is to conserve everything. That means it all counts.

Oh, and I don't buy bottled water at all, and I gave those stainless steel containers to my friends as presents to help them not use bottled water as well.

[akito925]

do what truck drivers do, pee in empty bottles and just throw them out the window lol

[mbg]

do what truck drivers do, pee in empty bottles and just throw them out the window lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyrl1G6MUz0

[Blazin_Sunfire]

:rolleyes: tell that to the poeple of Walkerton, or look in your own backyard @ the oilsands and get back to us on that. This country is one of the worst polluters on the globe...drink up:!:

Most of the bottled water I see in stores comes from a canadian source anyway.

[waiting]

or pee on a tree;)

Best answer! :cheesygri