Tag: Toilet

6 Ways to Keep Your Toilet Running Smoothly

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The humble toilet, a vital fixture in every household, plays a central role in our daily lives. To ensure its smooth operation and prevent unwelcome surprises, a bit of proactive maintenance can go a long way. In this guide, we’ll explore six effective ways to keep your toilet running smoothly, promoting efficiency, and minimizing the risk of common issues.

1. Regular Cleaning: The Foundation of Smooth Operation

Maintaining a clean toilet is not only essential for hygiene but also contributes to its overall performance. Regularly clean the bowl, tank, and exterior surfaces using a mild cleaner or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Avoid harsh chemicals that may damage the toilet’s components.

2. Mindful Flushing: Only the Essentials

Teach household members the importance of mindful flushing. Only toilet paper and human waste should be flushed down the toilet. Avoid flushing items like wipes, sanitary products, or excessive amounts of toilet paper, as these can contribute to clogs and strain the flushing mechanism.

3. Addressing Leaks Promptly: Preventing Water Waste

A leaking toilet can lead to water waste and increased bills. Periodically check for leaks by adding a few drops of food coloring to the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, it indicates a leak. Promptly address leaks by replacing faulty flappers, fill valves, or other components.

4. Adjusting Water Levels: Finding the Sweet Spot

Optimal water levels in the tank contribute to efficient flushing. Adjust the water level to the manufacturer’s recommended setting by tweaking the float or water fill valve. Too much water can result in unnecessary water usage, while too little may compromise the flush’s effectiveness.

5. Preventing Clogs: Gentle on the Pipes

Preventative measures can go a long way in avoiding toilet clogs. Use septic-safe toilet paper and consider keeping a wastebasket in the bathroom for items that shouldn’t be flushed. Regularly plunging small clogs can prevent them from turning into larger blockages.

6. Annual Inspections: A Proactive Approach

Make an annual habit of inspecting the various components of your toilet. Check for wear and tear on the flapper, flush valve, fill valve, and other parts. Replace any components showing signs of damage to maintain the toilet’s smooth operation.

A Serene Symphony in the Bathroom

A well-maintained toilet is not only a functional necessity but can contribute to the overall harmony of your home. By adopting these simple yet effective practices, you’ll be ensuring that your toilet operates smoothly, efficiently, and with minimal environmental impact. From mindful flushing to proactive inspections, these habits can turn your bathroom into a serene retreat where the symphony of a smoothly running toilet takes center stage. Embrace these practices, and may your toilet continue to serve you faithfully for years to come!

Back to the Toilet Technology – Part 3

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Nearly two years ago, we took a special trip to the Gadget Wisdom bathroom to discuss dual flush conversion. We came back a few months later to review the MJSI Dual Flush Converter.

At the time we commented, “The nice thing about this design is that it does not require removal of the toilet tank to install. If you have to go as far as to remove the toilet tank, you might as well buy a new toilet with integrated dual flush, which we recommend if you have a really old toilet.”

Flush with our previous successes, despite not being professional plumbers, when our toilet tank started dripping, we decided it was time to dive in again. While there are one piece toilets, most toilets are two piece, the bowl and the tank. The tank is attached to the bowl using bolts and rubber washers that secure the two together, along with a gasket. When these start to fail, they can be replaced.

The replacement parts cost us seven dollars at the local hardware store. But as we had to dismantle the toilet tank anyway, we decided it was time to replace the MJSI Hydroright Drop-In Dual Flush converter.

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The product served us well for two years, but did have two design flaws we knew from the beginning. One, the item attaches around the overflow tube with a plastic zip tie. This did not stay on, and that created problems. There were common complaints about the quality of the gasket. We also had issues with the toilet running, forcing us to press the button a few times, similar to jiggling the handle of a conventional toilet.

So, because of these two design issues, the item’s usefulness degraded over time, to the point it started to waste water, defeating the purpose. So we opened up our browser to look for a new item.

We looked at several items, and decided to give the products at Being Water a chance. Being Water is a small plumbing company based on California. They do make a drop-in converter, similar to the HydroRight. However, it contains several design improvements. Instead of zip tie, it uses a removable base that attaches to the overflow tube with a wing nut. then the unit twists and locks into the base.

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The older your toilet is, the more likely it is in need of new internals. We had discussed another MJSI product, the HydroClean fill water saving valve. This allows better adjustment of the amount of water your tank fills up with initially, as well as offering a sprayer that sits at the bottom of the tank and keeps dirt and debris from accumulating. We’ve had no issue with this product since we installed it.

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Back to Being Water, if, in our case, you have to remove your toilet tank anyway, you might as well go for the tank removal style dual flush kit. This replaces your flush valve and overflow tube. The new flush valve has the locking mechanism built in to accommodate the Being Water dual flush converter. Toilet bowl cleaners may, over time, degrade the plastic of these valves, so you may be better off with manual cleaning and the HydroClean valve we installed. Your toilet won’t have blue water though, if that is something you like.

The tank removal style is thus better in the long term. Being Water provides videos demonstrating the step by step installation, and detailed PDFs explaining the procedure. When you purchase the item, in the interest of not wasting material, there is a minimum in the box.

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The company sells a complete kit that includes their dual flush converter, a replacement water saving fill valve, and a set of replacement bolts and gasket..everything you need. We just ordered the converter, but it included a bowl fill adjustment which allows you to adjust the water usage even more. We got our bolts at the local hardware store. Their kit includes a handle. Left for full flush, right for half flush, which is an improvement over the button of the HydroRight. you can get a button style from Being Water if you wish.

In the end, we’re very happy with the Being Water unit. We did have to call in someone to help, but that was due to an issue with the way our toilet bolts were originally installed. the installation process was very easy.

 

Back to the Toilet Technology

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toilet wc
Image via Wikipedia

In June, we reviewed the MJSI HydroRight Dual Flush converter, and discussed the principles of toilet technology. Amazon has some good deals on two pieces of MJSI technology. One is, of course, the Dual Flush Converter. The other is the HydroClean Water-Saving toilet Fill Valve.

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So, we already know that the HydroRight Dual Flush converter is a drop-in converter to turn your toilet into a water-saving dual flush. Of course, you need a concentric-float toilet fill valve, and that is where the HydroClean valve comes in as a perfect pair to the HydroRight.

The water-saving advantages of the HyroClean are that it is adjustable, and allows you to not waste water in your flush, so even if you are reluctant to go Dual Flush, this will limit wasted water per flush. It even has a cleaning tube to clean the gunk off the bottom of your tank.

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We’re thinking of pairing this with our HydroRight in order to improve water efficiency, as we still think we are wasting water on our toilet. Best of all, it is not an expensive improvement.

And it is now legal in New York City, as we discovered it wasn’t when we originally installed it.

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Review: MJSI Hydroright Dual Flush Converter

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After writing about a dual flush retrofit kit, we became enthused about the idea of installing one of these ourselves. We don’t have a plumber on staff, so our intrepid editor was forced to play with his own toilet. Please excuse if our terminology falls short as we try to explain basic toilet technology.

Our toilet is a 1.6 Gallon model installed around 2000. A traditional toilet uses a simple system. The ballcock floats on top of the water. when the tank is emptied, the ballcock lowers, thus activating the fill valve until the ballcock is lifted up to the off position by the water. The fill valve on this toilet was replaced with a newer, more reliable design, the concentric-float fill valve, and thus there is no ballcock. The concentric design is required for this retrofit kit.

The model is the MJSI HYR270 HydroRight Drop-In Dual Flush Converter, purchased at a local Home Depot. The nice thing about this design is that it does not require removal of the toilet tank to install. If you have to go as far as to remove the toilet tank, you might as well buy a new toilet with integrated dual flush, which we recommend if you have a really old toilet.

If you need to replace your fill valve with a concentric float one, which as mentioned is required, MJSI makes an adjustable one that can also help you save water, and sometimes it is better to get components from the same manufacturer, as you can be reasonably certain they work together.

As you can see in the image, this toilet has a typical flapper. The flapper is a rubber stopper that is connected to the handle by a chain. When you press the handle, it pulls up, allowing water to empty from tank to bowl. For this retrofit, we will be replacing the flapper with the retrofit unit.

Installation was surprisingly easy. First we shut off the water and drained the tank. Then we removed the handle and the flapper and set them inside in case the mechanism did not work. The retrofit mechanism slips in place of the flapper and is a tall unit, so you need sufficient clearance. It is then secured with a zip tie in the back to the overflow tube. The overflow tube is next to the drain(where the flapper is normally inserted), and serves the purpose of preventing the tank from overflowing.

A button is then inserted into the hole where the handle once was, and attached to the control box, which is connected to the retrofit unit by a blue cable(as pictured)

Then, after following some calibration tests, your toilet is ready to be more water efficient. Fun, huh? The actual installation only took about twenty minutes, and we’re sure it would be faster the second time. We’ve given some time to test and the toilet is running without problem. The button mechanism has a low flush for liquid waste and a high flush for solid waste.

The only problem is making sure guest know how to properly use the new mechanism, but that is fairly easy to explain. So, for less than thirty dollars, we’ve committed to water savings, efficiency…and it makes for an interesting conversation piece.

Any questions?

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Converting Your Toilet to Dual Flush

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dual flush toilet
Image by drburtoni via Flickr

Lifehacker posted an article today about how to convert a toilet to dual flush, and we thought it was worth reposting.

We didn’t know you could retrofit an existing toilet for only a few dollars. For those of you who don’t know, a dual flush toilet offers two levels of flush. This could reduce your water bill significantly, as, to put it as succinctly as possible, liquid waste requires less flushing than solid waste. A regular toilet would use the same amount regardless.

A conversion unit could cost as low as $25-$30. Sounds like a project we might try in the future.