Yeah, aerators are a no-brainer—I swapped mine out expecting a sad trickle, but nope, still plenty of oomph. About the dual-flush kits...I spent an entire afternoon tweaking mine, and it finally cooperated. But honestly, I think my toilet was just messing with me at that point.
Greywater systems sound cool in theory, but I've seen a few DIY setups go sideways fast. One client tried routing laundry water to his garden—ended up flooding his tomatoes with sudsy water. Tomatoes weren't thrilled.
Aerators were an easy win for me too—cheap, quick, and no noticeable drop in pressure. Dual-flush kits though...ugh. I installed one thinking it'd be a simple afternoon project, but it turned into a weekend saga. The instructions made it sound straightforward, but my toilet had other plans. After multiple adjustments and a few choice words, it finally worked. Honestly, I'm still not convinced it's saving me much water compared to the hassle.
As for greywater setups, I've been tempted but haven't pulled the trigger yet. My neighbor tried routing shower water to his lawn last summer. Seemed smart at first, but he didn't factor in soap buildup or hair clogs. Ended up with a soggy patch of grass and some funky smells drifting over the fence. Not exactly inspiring confidence.
I think sustainable plumbing upgrades are great in theory, but DIY can get tricky fast if you're not careful. For now, I'm sticking to simpler stuff like aerators and low-flow showerheads—less headache, decent savings, and minimal risk of flooding my yard with shampoo runoff...
Aerators definitely hit that sweet spot for me too—low effort, decent payoff. Dual-flush kits though... yeah, I feel your pain. My first attempt ended with a flooded bathroom floor and a very unimpressed spouse. Eventually got it working, but the savings felt pretty minimal compared to the hassle.
About greywater systems: I actually went for it last year, but I kept it super simple—just laundry water to a small garden bed. So far, no weird smells or swampy messes, but I did switch to eco-friendly detergent to avoid killing my plants. Honestly, it's been pretty low-maintenance and my tomatoes seem happy enough.
Has anyone here tried rainwater harvesting setups? I've been eyeing those barrel kits online but can't decide if they're worth the trouble or just another weekend DIY nightmare waiting to happen...
Rain barrels can be great, but honestly, those kits online tend to be overpriced for what you get. I built mine from a recycled food-grade barrel and some basic hardware store fittings—took maybe half a day tops. The trickiest part was getting the overflow right so it doesn't flood your foundation. If you're comfortable with basic plumbing, it's pretty straightforward... otherwise, might be worth roping in someone handy to help out.
"Rain barrels can be great, but honestly, those kits online tend to be overpriced for what you get."
Yeah, I learned that the hard way. Bought one of those fancy kits online thinking it'd save me time—ended up spending half the day figuring out the vague instructions anyway. Wish I'd just gone your route with a recycled barrel and some fittings from the hardware store. Would've saved myself some cash and frustration.
The overflow thing is definitely tricky. I didn't think it through at first and ended up with a mini-lake around my foundation after the first big storm... rookie mistake, I know. Ended up calling my brother-in-law (he's handy) to help me rig up a better overflow pipe leading away from the house. Now it works great, but lesson learned: always plan for more rain than you think you'll get.
Next project might be tackling greywater reuse for watering plants, but honestly not sure I'm ready for that plumbing adventure yet. Anyone here tried that? Seems like a bigger step than rain barrels...
