In a home, most of the water is used to flush the toilet. Every day, Americans dump nearly 20 billion liters of it into the sewers. Being able to reduce this waste is a way to save water that will serve you and the whole world. With a simple trick, you can save money, resources and do something for the environment … one drain at a time.
Steps
Step 1. Fill a one and a half liter bowl
A plastic bottle (such as juice or milk) is perfect: remove all types of labels, paper or plastic, and fill it, at least partially, with stones, sand or gravel (whatever you can find). If you need to add more weight, add water. If you only fill it with water, however, the bottle could float in the drain pan and, moving, could interfere with the flush mechanism.
Step 2. Put the bottle in the drain pan
Step 3. Gently dip it into the water
Step 4. Close the drain pan
Step 5. Flush the toilet
According to the New York Times, a 2-liter bottle saves precisely 2 liters of water at each flush. If you flush the toilet 5 times a day on average, as most Americans do, and if you live in a family of 5, you'll save 1,325 gallons of water a month. Your water bill will be much less salty.
Step 6. Share this article with your friends
Such an easy way to save money and water should be shared with everyone!
Advice
- The toilet bowl and the toilet bowl fill up at the same time, but the former does so more quickly. As long as the drain pan is not full, therefore, the excess water that continues to flow into the cup ends up directly in the drain. Try installing a flow diverter and you will reduce water waste. Furthermore, by reducing the volume of the tray, you will reduce the time it takes to fill it, which will save you even more.
- To share the new philosophy with family members, some people leave a note posted in their bathroom that says: "If it's yellow, leave it afloat, if it's brown, flush!"
- Use a 2-liter glass jug (or something similar) without closing it. Glass is a harmless material and heavy enough to remain stationary in the drain pan. Moreover, every time you flush the toilet you will have a change of water in the carafe.
- Instead of sealing the bottle, you can cut off the top and puncture the base. In this way you will not have to wash it, also avoiding the use of chemicals, and you would still save at every drain..
- If the materials you use to fill the bottle are insoluble, do not close it. The water change will ensure that the bottle always remains clean without having to use bleach.
- You can fill the bottle with coins (make sure it is perfectly closed). In case you need some money someday, you can always count on that hiding place.
- If you don't have a plastic bottle, ask your neighbor. Take the opportunity to explain to him how to save money thanks to this method.
- Check your bill to see how consumption is dropping: 1,325 liters less per month is a big difference!
- As an alternative to this method, you can always decide to buy a low-consumption toilet. You can find it for less than 70 € with installation costs of around 150/180 €.
Warnings
- Do not use a brick, it may crumble and release debris which over time will clog the drain.
- Make sure the bottle does not interfere with the mechanisms of the drain pan.
- If the drain doesn't work well, remove the bottle. Not all toilets work adequately with a reduced amount of water. Consider buying a new one.
- If you have decided to use water to fill the bottle, it might be useful to add a couple of drops of ammonia to prevent dirt from forming.
- There are many plumbers who advise against this method. Low-power toilets are built differently, and using less water, in one that would require more, could cause blockages and force you to flush multiple times (wasting more water than you save).
- A leaky toilet can waste up to 946 liters of water per day. To make sure that yours is working properly, pour a few drops of dye into the drain pan, wait half an hour and check the cup: if you notice colored water, it means that the toilet is leaking. Call the plumber and solve the problem.
