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Convert your existing toilet into a dual-flush toilet with nothing but a nylon lock nut.
Making an instructable for this was an afterthought, so I apologize for not having step-by-step photos.
This summer I decided to try and reduce our water usage in our toilets.
We have three 1.6Gpf / 6.0Lpf toilets throughout the house.
My first thought was to use the old 1/2 gallon milk jug in the tank trick. Upon opening the tank, the space was so small, I knew this wasn't going to work.
I shortly considered using a couple of bricks, which might have fit okay, but I really wanted to reduce the water usage more than that volume.
I wanted to reduce water consumption to approx 1 gallon per flush.
After studying the mechanism a bit, I thought I might be able to modify the float valve system to suit my needs.
This proved to be very easy to accomplish.
What you're trying to do is to adjust the angle of the float ball so it closes the tank fill-up valve sooner as the ball floats on the water.
This involves bending the rod and anchoring it with a lock nut.
Making an instructable for this was an afterthought, so I apologize for not having step-by-step photos.
This summer I decided to try and reduce our water usage in our toilets.
We have three 1.6Gpf / 6.0Lpf toilets throughout the house.
My first thought was to use the old 1/2 gallon milk jug in the tank trick. Upon opening the tank, the space was so small, I knew this wasn't going to work.
I shortly considered using a couple of bricks, which might have fit okay, but I really wanted to reduce the water usage more than that volume.
I wanted to reduce water consumption to approx 1 gallon per flush.
After studying the mechanism a bit, I thought I might be able to modify the float valve system to suit my needs.
This proved to be very easy to accomplish.
What you're trying to do is to adjust the angle of the float ball so it closes the tank fill-up valve sooner as the ball floats on the water.
This involves bending the rod and anchoring it with a lock nut.
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Signing UpStep 1Turn off the water to the toilet tank.
Next, flush the toilet to drain the tank.
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I molded and attached a piece of plasticine (about the size of a golf ball) on top of the flapper valve as a means to add weight to it.
So now I can flush for as long as i hold the handle down (short time or long time), and the water stops flowing as soon as I release the handle. The rest of the toilet mechanism works as usual... Very cheap and no tools needed... Hope someone finds this useful to save water.
Nice easy instructable, just found the title misleading!
The design improvements over the past three years are like moving from horse and buggy into the space age. These new toilets have been designed by engineers with computers rather than by plumbers waving their arms and guessing at the right thing to do. These new toilets flush amazing amounts of stuff with 1.6 gallons. The entire flush takes 3 seconds and with the new refill valves, it is ready to flush again in 30 seconds. The other great feature is that they are much quieter than previous toilets.
When I got my American Standard Cadet 3, there were only three toilets on the market that were of this new technology. Now there are probably 100 brands and models. The AS Cadet 3 is around $180 with seat at Lowe's and HD. Others are probably much less while the Toto brand is well over $400.
Many of the new toilets have special glazes that will not support mold or bacterial life. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Check out this website for 55 pages of results of a joint Canadian and American study on toilet flushing performance.