How To Convert Any Toilet To A Low Flush Toilet: 6 Steps - WikiHow

Home » How To Make Toilet Water » How To Convert Any Toilet To A Low Flush Toilet: 6 Steps - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Convert Any Toilet to a Low Flush Toilet PDF download Download Article Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Questions & Answers Tips and Warnings Things You'll Need Related Articles References Co-authored by Susan Stocker

Last Updated: December 27, 2024

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This article was co-authored by Susan Stocker. Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices. This article has been viewed 488,523 times.

Toilets use the most water in our homes. Every day, Americans flush 4.8 billion gallons of water down the toilet. Reducing the amount of water that your toilet is flushing away will go a long way to saving water in your home and helping to conserve it generally. With one easy adjustment, you'll save money, water and the environment… one flush at a time.

Steps

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  1. Step 1 Fill a half gallon container. 1 Fill a half gallon container. A plastic bottle (juice/milk) is ideal. Remove any paper or plastic label on the outside of the container. Fill it at least partially with pebbles, sand, or gravel - whatever is handy. Then add water if more weight is needed. If you just fill it with water, though, the container will move around in the tank and interfere with the mechanism.
  2. Step 2 Place the container in the tank of the toilet. 2 Place the container in the tank of the toilet. Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Carefully lower it into the water. 3 Carefully lower it into the water.
  4. Step 4 Replace the lid of the tank. 4 Replace the lid of the tank.
  5. Step 5 Flush... 5 Flush away. The New York Times reported that a sealed half gallon container will save half a gallon on each flush. If you, like most Americans, flush 5 times daily, your family of 5 will save 350 gallons (1325 liters) of water every month [1] . These savings will significantly cut your water bill, too.[2]
  6. Step 6 Send this article to your friends. 6 Send this article to your friends. Such an easy answer to saving money and protecting our water supplies is something to share around!
    7. Advertisement

Community Q&A

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  • Question How do I save water per flush on a toilet? Community Answer Community Answer In addition to a low-flush toilet, you may want to consider a product called Sink Twice, which uses the soapy water from washing hands and brushing teeth in the toilet tank to flush with, and makes most toilets more efficient using fill cycle diversion. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 14 Helpful 29
  • Question Can an existing flushing mechanism be converted to low-flush without changing the toilet? Community Answer Community Answer No. It's best, easiest, and least invasive to limit the amount of water used for a flush. Messing with the flush valve can ruin the toilet's overall performance. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 6
  • Question A floating thing will not be flushed properly with a low volume of water. What should I do? Community Answer Community Answer Take the filled bottle out of the tank and let the tank fill to the proper volume before flushing. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 9
See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Tips

  • As an alternative to modifying an existing toilet, a new low flush toilet can be purchased for under $100 and cost $200 to $250 to have installed.[3] Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • When your toilet tank fills, so does the bowl. The bowl however fills faster than the tank, and gets full first. So until the tank gets full, the water sent to the toilet bowl goes down the drain. So, consider getting a fill cycle diverter. It will reduce the amount of water sent to the bowl, and thus the wasted water. Also, because you reduced the tank's volume, you reduced the amount of time the tank takes to fill, which also in turn leads to less water wasted. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Try filling the bottle with loose coins (making sure to seal the bottle completely). When the time comes that you need a few bucks, that money will always be there. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Show More Tips Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

  • Make sure the bottle does not interfere with any of the moving parts in the tank. Thanks Helpful 39 Not Helpful 12
  • Don't put a brick in the tank unless you know it's one that won't break down after a long time in the water. The brick may dissolve and particles of it can clog and possibly seal off the drain. Thanks Helpful 29 Not Helpful 13
  • If you use water to fill the container, a couple of drops of bleach added to the water will help keep it from growing gunk inside. Thanks Helpful 20 Not Helpful 18
  • If you find your toilet is not flushing properly, with waste remaining in the toilet and water ending up on the floor, take the bottle out. Not all toilets can flush properly with a reduced quantity of water. Consider installing a low flush toilet. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
  • Many plumbers do not recommend this modification. Low flush toilets are designed differently, and less water flushing in a toilet not meant to do so can mean more frequent clogs, overflows, and extra flushing to remove the same amount of waste. (Which can waste more water than you are saving) Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
  • A leaking toilet can waste up to 250 gallons (946 litres) of water a day[4] . To see if your toilet is leaking, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait for half an hour. Check the bowl - if the food coloring appears, you have a leak. Get a plumber to come and fix it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Things You'll Need

  • Plastic container with lid - juice/milk container etc.
  • Water, pebbles, sand to fill container

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References

  1. ↑ New York Times - Reducing Water Use In the Home
  2. ↑ Susan Stocker. Professional Cleaner. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ New York Times - Reducing Water Use In the Home
  4. ↑ New York Times - Reducing Water Use In the Home

About This Article

Susan Stocker Co-authored by: Susan Stocker Professional Cleaner This article was co-authored by Susan Stocker. Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices. This article has been viewed 488,523 times. 239 votes - 85% Co-authors: 42 Updated: December 27, 2024 Views: 488,523 Categories: Featured Articles | Toilets In other languages Italian Russian
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 488,523 times.

Reader Success Stories

  • Caroline West

    Caroline West

    May 21, 2017

    "To save water, as Cape Town is having water restrictions, and we want to save as much water as we can."
Share your story

Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Susan Stocker Co-authored by: Susan Stocker Professional Cleaner Co-authors: 42 Updated: December 27, 2024 Views: 488,523 85% of readers found this article helpful. 239 votes - 85% Click a star to add your vote Caroline West

Caroline West

May 21, 2017

"To save water, as Cape Town is having water restrictions, and we want to save as much water as we can." Share yours!

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