I've been trying to lower our water bill lately and figured the toilet was a good place to start since it uses so much water. First thing I did was check if we had one of those older toilets (we did, unfortunately). Instead of replacing the whole thing right away, I tried the old trick of putting a filled plastic bottle in the tank to displace some water. It actually worked pretty well, but then I got curious and ended up buying one of those dual-flush conversion kits online. Installation was surprisingly easy—just followed a quick YouTube vid and it took maybe 20 mins tops. Now we've got two flush options, one for liquids and one for solids, and it's definitely saving water. But I'm wondering if there's other tricks or maybe better kits out there? Or maybe someone found a way to tweak their existing toilet setup without buying anything new?
Nice job with the dual-flush kit—I did something similar last year, and it's been a noticeable difference on our bill. Another thing you might consider is checking your toilet flapper. Those rubber flappers can warp or degrade over time, causing slow leaks that silently waste water (and money). I replaced ours for just a few bucks, and it made a surprising difference.
Also, if you're feeling adventurous (and don't mind a little DIY plumbing), adjusting the float level in your tank can help reduce water usage per flush without buying anything new. Just be careful not to set it too low or you'll end up double-flushing more often than you'd like... learned that one the hard way.
Lastly, don't underestimate the power of simply reminding family members about mindful flushing habits. My kids used to flush tissues and random bugs down the toilet constantly—once we had a quick chat about it, our water usage dropped noticeably. Good luck!
Good points overall, but I'm a bit skeptical about adjusting the float level.
"Just be careful not to set it too low or you'll end up double-flushing more often than you'd like... learned that one the hard way."
Yeah, that's exactly what worries me—seems like it could backfire pretty easily. Has anyone tried putting a filled water bottle or brick in the tank instead? Heard mixed things about that trick and wondering if it's actually effective or just another plumbing myth...
