Toilets are one of the worst hoarders of a precious resource — water. Flushing a toilet installed prior to 1982 can flush 5-7 gallons of water… That’s 5-7 jugs of milk worth of water! While modern toilets can flush less water, many toilets can be “tuned up” to use even less water, saving resources and even lightening your bill. Let’s talk about some ways you can tune up your toilet:
Get a New One
If your toilet was installed prior to 1982, it may be time to consider purchasing a new toilet rather than trying to make your current one more efficient. New high efficiency toilets can be as low as $80, and with a little know-how, are generally fairly simple to install.
Check for Leaks
Make sure to check your toilet for leaks in the plumbing, problems with the toilet flushing forever, or any other water wasting process. Most leaks and issues can be repaired with a simple new gasket, tightening of the plumbing, or with replacing the float. In fact, most common toilet problems are easy to fix yourself, no need for a plumber.
Clean Up Your Act
Don’t flush things down the toilet that don’t need to go down a toilet. Toilets are specifically built for human waste disposal, so when you throw other bathroom waste into the toilet, you’ll be using all of that extra water to help push it down. Keeping from flushing additional items will help you save on your water bill — and also likely save your plumbing and septic system (or help not to add to fat bergs in sewers).
Quick Efficiency Tips
- You can place plastic bottles filled with water in your toilet tanks if you can’t replace them. This helps displace water artificially and reduce the total amount of water being used.
- Some people choose to flush less (“If it’s yellow, let it mellow”), and leave waste that doesn’t smell badly in the toilet for a second go around which can save on water
- If you’re really into saving water, some people choose to reuse shower water in the toilet. All you need is a bucket to collect water and somewhere to put it.
How efficient is your toilet? What do you do to save water? Let us know in the comments below!
