Sure, you could spend $200 on a shiny, new dual-flush toilet. But it turns out that you don’t have to. Ima let David tell you why…

*            *            *            *            *

I was reading about the new 1.28 gallons per flush toilets the other day. They’ll probably become the new standard at some point. That got me thinking about how much water our original, raw-liver-colored, 1971 American Standard toilet has wasted during the three years we’ve been talking about renovations.

Since 1994, all toilets sold in the US have been limited to using 1.6 gallons per flush. Dual-flush toilets, invented in Australia in 1980, lower that usage further by using no more than .8 gallons for #1 and 1.6 gallons for #2 (some use even less).

While researching all this and looking for attractive toilets that meet our water-conservation needs as well as fit our tiny downstairs bathroom, I came across the HydroRight…

Starting at around $15, it converts any toilet into a dual-flush — in fact, it looks remarkably like the mechanism in Kohler’s dual-flush toilets.

Our upstairs toilet had been leaking last year, so I replaced the entire mechanism. That involved removing the tank from the bowl, a job I wasn’t looking forward to again. But the HydroRight doesn’t require anything so drastic to install. It simply replaces the rubber flapper that dumps water into the bowl when you flush, and it replaces the handle with a two-part button system.

If your toilet has a float controlling the water level, you’ll need to replace the fill valve. That’s the tower thing on the left inside your tank. The HydroRight folks have a number of fill valve options starting at about $10. It requires some tools and a little bit of mess to install, but it’s still manageable.

*            *            *            *            *

Thanks, honey! I just want to add that the HydroRight has picked up a number of innovation awards this year, which lends it some pretty solid street cred. If you want one, Amazon and Home Depot are just a few of the places you can find it.

• A corporate video on the product.
• A video on installation on Good Morning Arizona.

My favorite thing about HydroRight, other than the water we’re already saving: the flush button.

1 for pee. 2 for poo. Makes me smile every time.