My last water bill was a bit of a shocker, and I've narrowed down the culprit to my toilet. It's one of those older models that seems to use like half a lake every flush, you know? I'm not exactly in a position to buy a fancy new eco-friendly toilet right now, so I'm looking for some clever DIY hacks or adjustments to cut down on water usage.
I've heard about putting bricks or filled water bottles in the tank—is that actually effective or just some urban myth? And does it cause any issues with the plumbing later on? Also saw something online about adjustable flappers or float valves, but um, plumbing isn't exactly my strong suit, so if anyone's tried this stuff personally and could walk me through it in simple terms, I'd appreciate it.
Basically, I'm open to any creative ideas that won't break the bank or flood my bathroom floor. Has anyone here successfully tackled this problem?
I've actually tried the water bottle trick myself, and it does help a bit. Just make sure you use a plastic bottle filled with water or sand instead of bricks—bricks can crumble over time and mess up your plumbing (learned that one the hard way...). Also, don't go too big on the bottle size, otherwise you'll end up needing to flush twice, which kinda defeats the purpose.
Another thing I did was swap out the flapper valve—it sounds intimidating but it's honestly pretty straightforward. You just shut off the water, flush to empty the tank, unhook the old flapper, and clip in a new adjustable one from the hardware store. Took me maybe 15 minutes tops, and I'm no plumber either. It lets you control how much water drains per flush, so you can dial it back without sacrificing flushing power.
Between those two things, I noticed my bill dropped noticeably after a month or two. Definitely worth giving it a shot if you're looking for an easy fix without spending much money.
