Brick In The Tank???

How many people remember the old brick in the toilet tank trick for saving water? It was a clever trick during those water shortages and droughts of the past, but never truly a great fix for those water wasting toilets. I always wondered if people considered the downside of putting a brick in a tank of water... how about the clay residue clogging pipes and the flushing mechanism? Many other ideas came throughout the years after the "brick trick"... bottles full of sand, metal such as bolts and screws, and bottles full of water.

There were all kinds of novel ideas, but many failed due to trapped air, evaporation, or too much movement causing conflict with the toilet's mechanics. Even more prevalent was the fact that a small bottle of water only displaced a small amount of water compared to the gallons flushed of all the toilets before the standard 1.6 GPF, (gallons per flush).

New low-flow and dual flush toilets have now entered the picture and become the standard for green building enthusiasts, but what about those who have a perfectly good toilet and don't want to spend or waste the money for a new toilet? How about a water displacement bag designed for toilet tanks or a conversion kit that converts your standard toilet to a dual flush toilet?

There are a lot of great products on the market these days to help folks who have water hogs for toilets. It's very important to focus on toilets when it comes to water conservation; a large amount of your home's water usage is due to flushing toilets. Current plumbing code standards call for a minimum of 1.6 GPF, but I know there are still a large number of toilets out there that are flushing at a rate of 3.75 GPF and higher... which means it's time to take action, and figure out what you can do to fix the problem and save yourself some money.

In the Sacramento Valley you can find water displacement bags and dual flush conversion kits at some large hardware stores and limited small hardware stores. The best source is to order from the internet from Amazon.com and their associates or from conservation sites like the following:

New Resources Group

http://www.nrgideas.com/ 

its easy being green

http://www.itseasybeinggreen.com/

It's also a good idea to check with your local water provider to see if they offer any incentives or free products!