Low Flush Toilet Retrofit

Watts Up With That has a post on how to retrofit your toilet for lower water use. The retrofit is available at Amazon.

It is dual flush. So it varies the total flow according to the button you push. The manufacturer MJSI, Inc., is headquartered in Shorewood, Illinois. Here is a simplified explanation of how it works which includes a bit on how it installs (it replaces the flapper valve).

You might also wish to consider the flush unit and fill valve which is only modestly more expensive ($5) than the flush unit alone.

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Reviewer Mad Max made the following suggestions. Also read the comments to the review by clicking the “Mad Max” link and scrolling down. Also check out this review.

FIRST: THE LOW-FLUSH FEATURE ISN’T WORKING FOR YOU

Again, I totally agree – the instructions aren’t clear. I had to try 20-30 flushes before my “Ah-ha” moment.

If your low-flush doesn’t work, 99% chance the problem is water level is too low. It’s not getting enough water to flush. Do NOT hold down the flush button to get this to work – if you have to do that, it that means you’re using more water than before! And do NOT flush twice To “fix” the problem – just read on…

Solution (bottom line): You need to set the float level for the low-flush (the blue tab) 1/2″ BELOW where you want the water line (yes, below). Then, the water line has to be about 2″ ABOVE the float, so it can use roughly 2″ of water on a low flush. I know it sounds odd, but try a flush – if it doesn’t work, keep adjusting the low-flush water level up a notch. I PROMISE – this will work.

I know it sounds backwards – but to save water you will need to keep MORE water in your tank. The water is not actually used each flush – it just needs 1.5″ to 2″, which should translate to .6 gallons or less. (My low-flush setting uses .4 gallons, which is efficient and also 33% less water than national standards for even a urinal).

If you have a HydroClean installed, it may actually be getting in your way. So set the float/fill level to the near maximum setting. With my HydroClean, my previous setting was about 1.1 gallons with my toilet (I thought I was saving water this way). But with the dual converter installed, I had to add nearly 50% more water to the tank – so that the low-flush feature can work right.

Now my main flush uses 1.2 gals (about 25% less water than national standards), and my low-flush works great too.

SECOND: YOUR TOILET IS RUNNING

Some people may not even realize that their new dual flush converter is running. A running toilet will definitely waste more water than it saves – possibly wasting hundreds or thousands of gallons a month!!!

The problem is the blue “silicone” flapper gasket is CHEAP thin rubber. If it’s not perfectly straight, the rubber will fold or ripple & allow water to seep into the tank. Frankly, I would suspect 75% of all users will immediately or eventually experience this. It’s a bad design, almost a defect (it needs to be larger & sturdier).

I had to refit this 3 or 4 times, but the problem is, once the entire dual-flush contraption is fully installed, you can’t see the blue gasket to confirm it makes a good seal. You MUST listen to the toilet a few hours after install, to see if it runs (or add a blue cleaning disc or some food coloring to your tank, then check the color of the bowl later). This can waste 10-100 gallons per DAY (yes, up to 100 gallons) – so if your goal in using the dual flush is to save water, think twice.

Solution (bottom line): You will most likely need to seal it with a waterproof silicone sealant or high-grade waterproof caulk.

A third potential problem is replacing your flush handle with the new dual-flush “button”. If your handle is off to the side of your toilet tank, if you have a triangle-shaped toilet, or if your toilet is right against the wall, then you (or your guests) won’t be able to see which button to push.