Saving water in loos

[Timothy Murphy]

Is there any simple modification of standard toilet cistern to allow variation in the amount of water flushed according to need?

[Steven Campbell]

Most handled cisterns operated on a short flush or long flush depending on length of time you held the handle down. My push button cistern has 2 buttons, short flush and long flush.

[Lurch]

On Tue, 15 May 2007 20:44:09 +0100, Timothy Murphy mused:

A brick\some bricks?

[Roger Mills]

Yes - that was my first thought! Problem is that you have to anticipate the type of flush required by the next person (and adjust the number of bricks accordingly) *before* it fills up from your use.

[meow2222]

Think about what ways there are to control flush size, its almost impossible.

The only way I can think of is to have a tube rising up from top of the syphon with a press-to-open valve on it. When its flushed for long eough, press the valve open and the flush stops.

Any suggestions for a suitable press to open device?

A simpler option is to put a bowl in the sink, wash hands, let the bowl top up, and use that. Much less water than the cistern, plus some of it is reused water.

NT

[Mike Halmarack]

I usually keep all flushes short and request patrons to tinkle hard on specific stubborn areas of alien matter.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yup. Put a brick in it and remove before having a crap

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, take the brick out BEFORE you drop your panties..It will fill up while you are laying a big one.

[nightjar]

Dual flush syphons work by having the flap valve close a vent hole. Hold the handle down and the valve seals the hole, so you get a full flush. Release the handle immediately after flushing and the vent breaks the syphon when the water level gets low enough, giving a partial flush.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Liquorice]

So impossible that many conventional siphon flushes have two flush sizes. You select which one by how you operate the handle. Push and let go gives a short flush, Push and hold give you a flush until the water runs out.

Done by having a hole at the top of the large diameter lift part of the siphon. With the cistern full of water when you push and let go the water level drops to the level of the hole where upon air is drawn in breaking the siphon. Push and hold and the hole is blocked by some arrangement of the lift disc/shaft so the siphon runs until the cistern is empty or the handle released (if the water level is below the hole).

Normally there is a plug supplied to block the hole and I think the default is blocked.

[Lobster]

Or you can send away for a free brick-type object from United Utilities!

not to Dubin though...

David

[Dave Fawthrop]

|!Is there any simple modification of standard toilet cistern |!to allow variation in the amount of water flushed |!according to need?

I once *saw* a modification to a standard lever toilet cistern at Cambridge University which reduced volume of water used. Looked to me like a replacement siphon. No more details, but it shows that these things exist.

[jal]

I had that problem: an old (30 years?) toilet with a big cistern (it's great -- best toilet I've experienced), but when we moved to a water meter, I wanted to limit its intake (without unduly affecting its flushing ability).

You can buy a different type of valve: the Fluidmaster Flushvalve, which flushes as long as you hold the handle down. Looked great - bought one; looked at the challenge of fitting it vis-a-vis my plumbing abilities (and my laziness): returned it to retailers.

I bought a water hippo (google it); in fact I bought a pack of three, though we only have two toilets. This reduces the flush by a litre or so.

The Water Hippo is still supplemented by the *very first* device I used for saving water: small plastic drinks bottles, filled with water and screwed tight shut, and placed in the cistern where they wouldn't interfere with the flush mechanism: much more flexible than a house brick.

hth john

[Roger Mills]

I wonder whether there's a case for bringing back the old style high level cisterns - with a chain pull. Since the water rashes down the pipe with more urge than you get with a low level jobby, maybe you can do the same job with less water?

[nafuk]

If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down i.e only flush the toilet when there is poo in it. With youngersters it usually works too well! You save an incredible amount of water and know that you are being positive to the environement.

[Lurch]

On 16 May 2007 01:58:30 -0700, nafuk mused:

You filthy lowlife scruff.

[Lurch]

On Tue, 15 May 2007 21:57:57 +0100, "Roger Mills" mused:

Get rid of the cistern and just have a tap and bucket.

[Lobster]

Why (the latter statement)?

David

[Andy Hall]

Beats me.

Walk through almost any German town or city in the summer and one can easily smell the sewers. This has been attributed to lower volumes of water being flushed through as a result of misguided water saving in toilet cisterns.

The Hameliner Zeitung has a full page ad for a woodwind player....

[Matty F]

I don't know what your "standard toilet cisterns" are like but many cisterns here have a plug at the bottom that is lifted when flushed and floats until the cistern is empty. So just putting a lead weight on that means it stops flushing when the lever is released. It is of course essential to do a full flush when that is really needed otherwise the sewer pipe blocks up. But who cares, it costs me about 3 cents NZ for a full flush.