I have an old toilet. I pay for my water which is expensive so everytime I flush it costs. I cannot afford to have the old toilet replaced. Someone told me to try either putting a brick in the top of the bowl or two jars with stones in it. Will this work to help conserve water or is this an old wives tale. Thank you.
Answer:
Well, there is some truth to the ole brick in the tank notion. A toilet when flush uses anywhere from three to seven gallons which is more than sufficient. If you are looking to save on water, what you are looking to do is to place an object in the tank to displace enough water so you get the desired outcome, with less water use. A brick is probably not a good idea as the brick over time will break up and now you have sediment filled water leaking down your drain. What is better is to take a plastic bottle, filled with water. To add more weight, you can add marbles or round pebbles. Screw the top on water tight an place it in the tank, but be careful the bottle does not get lodged up with the other workings of the tank. The filled, watertight jars is also not a bad idea. If you are determined to use a brick, then put it in a strong plastic bag and find a nice resting place. Altogether, employing a tactic such as I have described should save you 10-12 gallons of water daily.