Dead easy money saving if you are on a water meter

mech_2 · 20 May 2008 at 3:11PM

emweaver wrote: »

So how do you flush without using the cistern? Pouring water down the toielt doesnt flush it

It does if you pour it quickly enough, but it's not very efficient as it isn't directed the same way as when the toilet flushes. This doesn't really matter as it's recycled water anyway.

Personally I'd worry that some would miss and end up drenching the bathroom floor all the time. Cardew's cost assessment is probably pretty accurate. If I flush the toilet once a day it would save me £3 to £4 a year. But I'd have to mess about with buckets and water, and that's just a bit too much effort for so little gain.

When I think of water saving, I prefer to reduce my hot water usage rather than cold. Hot water I've paid more for.

mech_2 · 20 May 2008 at 3:31PM

Stevie01 wrote: »

saving depends on how often you flush the loo and the type of flush that the cistern has. I got a plumber in to convert the flush in my cistern from the old UK style flush to the new EU flush which I believe saves 3 litres per flush (according to the plumber who gave me the ideas listed above).

Personally I prefer the venerable British syphon to a simplistic flapper valve. Valve flushes were banned in the UK until a few years ago because they eventually start leaking and huge amounts of water can trickle away before you notice it's faulty. If a siphon fails it just stops flushing.

dun4 · 21 May 2008 at 1:41PM

I've put an ordinary household brick in both my cisterns, which must save a bit. After over 60 years of always remembering to flush the loo, I would probably do it automatically, without thinking. My memory is pretty bad at the best of times and you bet that if I HAD remembered not to flush the loo for a few 'goes' then I'd be sure to have a visitor who would inevitably want to use the loo. How embarassing!!!

Stevie01 · 17 August 2008 at 4:38PM

I flush every time I go to the loo. However things are much helped now in the I have a new flush again, 1 that offers a choice of 1/2 or full cistern flush. There is though another easier way to save water. I will be making a post on it.