Retrofit your toilet to dual-flush, save $100 per year
Let’s all be grown-ups here: after a big meal, night out drinking or whatever, sometimes you’re thankful your toilet has a powerful flush. This is fact.
Yet as any boater (“If it’s brown, flush it down. If it’s yellow, let it mellow.”) or home owner that pays their own water bill can attest, flushing a toilet a few thousand times each year can really add up.
So why not make the switch to a dual-flush bowl? Why not spend $30 once to save $100 every 12 months?
As you’ve probably heard, dual-flush toilets are all the rage now. And with good reason.
Using a toilet that boasts two flushing mechanisms – one, with less water, for no. 1; the other, with more water, for no. 2 – can save the average family about 100 bucks each year, as mentioned above.
But that would require buying a whole new toilet, something reasonable (this one, for example, is just $129.99 at Home Depot) but not totally necessary.
Most Canadian hardware stores sell items like the HydroRight Dual-Flush System (not the sponsor of this blog post, I promise) for about $30, a product that advertises you can “install (it) in 10 minutes without removing the tank … no tools required.”
The people over at YoungHouseLove.com retrofitted their toilet with one recently – check out the pic-by-pic, step-by-step here – and the product seems legit.
(You essentially remove the tank lid, install a new pump to offer your toilet two flushing levels and swap your old flush handle with a new dual-flush button – one for lighter, um, fluids and the other for heavier, um, solids.)
Does it work? No word on water bill savings from YoungHouseLove yet, but the reviews for the HydroRight on Canadian Tire’s product page are pretty flattering:
“They say it takes 10min (to install), it took me 5min or less,” says one buyer. “Great product, would recommend to anyone.”
“For the folks who ask if it really saves water, all I know is that the tank only empties by 1/3 when I use the ‘low flush’ button instead of the entire tank,” writes another. “So, to me, that’s a real savings.”
Anyone out there used a dual-flush retrofit like the HydroRight? Good product, bad product or somewhere in between?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Steph | May 21, 2021 2:42:59 PM
My opinion on dual-flush toilets is that the dual-flush is only as good as the toilet design. I have a 13L American Standard and dual-flush Foremost at home. The Foremost flushes better on 3L than the American Standard. I think it's the way it siphons the water.
So if I was to retro-fit a dual-flush system on my American Standard, I'd probably be dissapointed in the flushing power but would probably end up using MORE water because I'd have to flush more often.
It's only an opinion as I haven't done the retro-fit but I think in the end you get what you pay for. My Foremost cost close to 400$ and the American Standard was slightly above 125$.
If the savings are really in the 100$ per year, I think it's best to invest in a GOOD dual-flush toilet than being dissapointed in a 30$ gadget that may or may not work well with your current toilet.
PS. If you want to test the flushing power of your toilet with less water, try the brick test first: place a brick or two in the tank so that it fills up with less water and try flushing 1/2 cup of cherioos and see if any are left behind. If some cherioos are left floating behind, chances are you'll regret the 30$ dual-flush gadget.
Posted by: idads | May 24, 2021 9:24:51 PM
Dear steph
was reading your commentand as you say you have not tried
did you try the brick test
and if not on both counts how can you knock something you have not tried as yet
Posted by: Zakimar | May 24, 2021 9:42:36 PM
Most toilets have a flushing power rating (MaP). Usually anything over 550 is good, but most good toilets now are over 700. And if you want to save even more money, remember the old saying, "If it's yellow, let it mellow - if it's brown, flush it down". It works in my family with two young children, who seem to do number 1 about 10 times each, every day.
Posted by: Steph | May 25, 2021 11:15:40 AM
Hi idads,
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking anything. The product might indeed be very good. I'm just saying that in order not to be dissapointed you should first try the brick trick. If your current toilet flushes without any problems with the reduced amount of water than you're good to go with that little 30$ gadget, otherwise you might want to check alternatives like a new toilet.
Even if the new toilet costs 200-300-400 dollars, you're making up for it in a few years so it's still worth it.
Steph.
Posted by: Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog | May 26, 2021 8:32:51 AM
While this product actually looks pretty interesting, you might be able to get a new toilet for just a bit more.
If you're a Costco member, they were selling dual flush toilets recently for around $140. It works great and is a slightly more expensive way to truly upgrade your toilet. I bought one on the last day of the Home Renovation Tax Credit period to get the 15% back as well.
Posted by: Don Abrams | May 26, 2021 3:59:11 PM
I have installed the Hydroflush dual flush unit in my toilet. I have had no problems with it whatsoever, it seems to be a well designed product. Unfortunately I live in a condo tower that has one meter for the entire building so I am unable to really tell how much water I am saving. However on the multiple times that I use the "low" volume flush each day it only uses 1/3-1/2 the tank. So evenif it's not perfect it is still a saving.
For me, what it boils down to is that in a housing situation like mine, I cannot justify the cost of a new dual flush toilet, I will never see any savings from it. However I can justify to myself the cost of something like the hydroflush unit to make a small difference in water consumption.
Installation was pretty much like they advertise, 10 minutes or so.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested.
Posted by: Tony Bridgens | May 26, 2021 9:45:01 PM
A TV show indicated that with the" little" flush, the tank refilled so quickly that there wasn't enough time for the little 1/4 in tube to leave an adequate volume in the bowl to ensure a seal against sewer gas entry, which therefore called for a speciall valve to be installed on the fill line in addition to the dual flush mechanism...etc....
These things are standard on the continent, I'm amazed the kit was so long coming to the market. I suggested it to American Standard years ago but no response.
Posted by: brad | Jun 1, 2021 11:00:56 PM
Just go to home depot and buy an adjustable flapper. I have used it on 4 different toilets . it cost 10.00
Posted by: dextet | Nov 7, 2021 7:39:21 PM
Purchased atCostco.for $18. Easy to install, spent some time adjusting the settings for my 3.5 gallon tank. Took a huge dump (its all about accuracy) and used the quick flush. Quick flush handled the human waste w/no problem. The understandable downside is.the water was still a bit murky, not clean as it wasn't a full flush.