How to Make Your Toilet More Earth-Friendly — And Get a Rebate From the City of Calgary!
A toilet that has a too-large tank, is constantly leaking water from the tank to the bowl, or needs to be flushed multiple times to clear completely is using far more water than it needs to and could, frankly, be a lot more eco-friendly! Here are some simple ways to improve the water efficiency of your toilet.
Check for Leaks
Your toilet may be leaking without you even realizing it. We’re not talking about water on the bathroom floor — a leaky toilet runs a constant, slow feed of water from the tank to the bowl. Unless it’s a fast leak, chances are you won’t even notice it at all (if it is a fast leak, it may sound like the toilet is running all the time… because it is).
To find out for sure whether your toilet is leaking, place a few drops of food colouring into the tank, then don’t use the toilet at all for about an hour. After an hour, check the bowl — if the colour has entered the bowl at all, you have a leak.
To fix the issue, you should replace the fill valve and the flapper (you could figure out which one needs replacing but they’re both inexpensive and when one is going, the other is not far behind, so it makes the most sense to replace both at the same time). You can first try adjust the fill valve — in some older models this means bending the rod downward. By adjusting the valve you can stop the water from running, which can stop the leak.
In a dual flush toilet, you have to remove the entire contraption inside and replace it, though in older dual flush models this is more challenging.
Displace Some of the Water in the Tank
You can reduce the amount of water your toilet uses per flush by placing something like a brick (gently!) or a closed container full of water in the tank to displace some of the water and therefore decrease the amount the tank fills with each time. Keep in mind though that if you are having any issues with clear flushing, this will decrease the water pressure during the flush, potentially exacerbating the problem.
Replace it With a Better Model to Receive a Rebate
Right now is a great time to upgrade to a higher quality Watersense-rated toilet, as the City of Calgary is offering their $50 toilet rebate until August 15, 2016. Look for a model that not only uses less water, but is also fully glazed (not all toilets feature a fully-glazed passageway, meaning rough walls where waste can get caught up, causing clogs) with a wide passageway. Applying for your rebate is simple: visit the City’s website with your receipt from us in hand, and they will mail you a check! This is a great chance to use less water in your home and take advantage of the rebate program, as long as you do so before August 15. Call us now to find out how quick and easy a toilet upgrade can be!
