Also do not do this if you live in a heavily treed area, or else you'll be snaking the drain pipes to the main twice a year.

NotGregg

Do not do this if you already have a low-flush toilet. A certain amount of force is required to get the toilet contents out of your house to the sewer. Insufficient force results in blocked drains.

winston

I think the .5 gal milk jug is a great idea. I'm going to do this chez moi very soon. I like it because it's simple enough for *anyone* to do.
Those Lowes flappers also sound good, for those who are more mechanical.
Further up the mechanical scale is a grey-water system that uses waste water from your bathroom sink to fill your toilet tank. See here: [www.watersavertech.com]

jonathan19

Most flush devices have a screw that allows the bulb to stop the water flow at a lower water level. You can also bend the rod holding the bulb (or rig something up) rather than putting stuff in the tank.

jedipunk

Ditto on the float equiped flapper valve. It's about 5 bucks at Lowes. One push on the handle empties about 1/2 the water in the tank. Holding the handle for a few seconds more empties the tank for those times you need more water in the pipes.

A great way to retro fit existing toilets.

aeronaut

I think that Australia has the right idea here. The toilets there have two levers. One is a half flush, the other is a full flush. Most of the time, the half flush is what you need. But for the heavier matter you use the full flush.

Ryan Fisher

my plumber friends support the water-filled jug idea over using a brick.

there's a risk of negating your savings by paying to have pipes clogged with flaked off brick debris repaired.

ryecob

@djheath: I went to a summer camp where this was the policy. The camp actually had giant water tanks--no water from the town. So, the rule was posted in every bathroom.

Personally, in my home, flush it. EVERY time.

I would put a brick in, but I think a gallon of water is too much too lose.

RickS

There is a flush device (chain + "flap") that you can buy at a Lowes or Home Depot that has a float on the chain that you can set to keep the toilet from completely emptying the tank when you flush. It costs all of a few dollars and takes all of five minutes to install. I installed it on all three toilets in my house and cut our water bill by a 1/5th.

TendoMentis

i got a downstairs toilet that i have filled with bricks to decrease the amount of water used. This is now pretty much used as a urianal, works a treat. The upstairs toliet is used for larger matter.

tobstar

This can backfire on you. If you reduce the amount of water being used by too much, the toilet can't flush well and you may need to double flush.

MiddleGeek

Ha! Yeh, I have heard the saying above. As for the jug DIY method, it DOES works. Growing up my Dad used to put 1-2 bricks in the tank for the very same reason. With a lot of current water shortages in the U.S. this is a good way to keep the bills low as well as consumption.

Another idea to consider is "grey water" for those with plants in need of watering. This means keeping a bucket in the shower when you wash. Then take the water and use it on your plants outside. If you bathe your children in a tub, the same applies. Use the dirty bath water for your plants. The soap does not hurt them.

Cheers, -Eric (a.k.a. WeirdGuy)

ebrown

If its yellow, let it mellow.
If its brown wash it down.

djheath

My grandma's house in Japan used to have an outhouse. NO water was used. It did stink alot in the summer time, but that was the way it used to be. That was like in the early '70s. I was scary at night going to pee. There used to be monsters that lived in the sceptic tank underneath they say... I just peed on the plants I was so scared.

akirachan

I used an open glass jar (e.g. pasta sauce). Keeping it open means it still displaces its volume in water, lowering the flush volume, but also helps moderate the water temperature. That helps cut condensation on the tank in humid weather.

verloren

@Ryan Fisher: I have one of these dual-flush toilets, although mine came from Asia. Works great! I still think it's terrible to use 3-6 gallons of water to flush down 1 cup of urine. Now I'm only using about 0.8 gallons per flush for wee, 1.4 for #2. It's also a lot quieter and somehow even with 1.4 gallons, it's able to swallow a whole roll of Charmin Ultra 2-ply without choking.

FLConsumer

Hello from someone from Australia.

I was surprised when I learned that dual flushing toilets seem to be a thing that only happens here.

Dustforeyes

Yes dual flushing toilet is ideal. I'm surprised it wasn't invented a long time ago.

LessIsMore

I sooo want a dual flusher!

Archnemesis_Goldenhair

@MiddleGeek: Yes, yes... Remember the Burritos!

whiskey

@Archnemesis_Goldenhair: The best dual-flush toilets out now are the Caroma toilets (Aussie) and Toto Aquia. I have Aquias here, very impressed with them. The flush on both the Caroma & Aquias isn't anything like the typical American toilet. There's no siphon, just straight out. So now swirling water, just gone. The whole flush takes about a second for #2, less than a second for #1. Very quiet as well.

FLConsumer

Most water companies in the UK offer free devices to put in the cistern as part of their 'save water' campaigns. Either a simple stiff open-topped plastic bag, or a plastic carton you fill with water or sand.
I've not heard of the retro-fit valve. Dual-flush would be great, and grey water is best.

muteboy

Looks like a lot of drought-experienced Californians are here. Boy was '88-'93 tough. Always had a brick in the toilet, flushed twice a day(eww). Had to learn to do everything necessary in the shower in 30 seconds.

Fortunately, the efficiency stuck, and I use less water than most still.

zingbot

I do the brick thing. But I put the bring on of those 1 gallon freezer bags first. That way I don't have to worry about the brick decomposing and ruining the toilet.

Lew

The Pursuit Online Store

doulos

Instead of adding things to your toilette that will eventually fall apart (bricks, plastic bottles) and clog up the pipes, why don't you adjust the float to not fill it up as high.

freetimecreation