Simple Toilet Bag Saves Water And A Lot Of Money

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Simple Toilet Bag Saves Water And A Lot Of Money

By The Author ⋅ October 7, 2009 ⋅

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Filed Under green building, water conservation

l_280

Not the most major news of the day, but since news has been slow lately I thought I’d share this clever yet simple device with readers wanting to reduce their water consumption without spending a small fortune on new fixtures and toilets. Though this device is new to me, it has been around for a while and to be honest, I can’t see why there hasn’t been a product like this out in the market earlier.

It’s called the Toilet Tank Bank by Niagara Conservation and it essentially is just a leak proof bag that you fill with water and place in your toilet’s tank. The idea is simple: the volume of the bag displaces the volume of the water in your tank causing your toilet to require less water to fill. Seeing as many older toilets use much more water than is required, the Toilet Tank Bank can make your toilet more water efficient (displacing up to .8 gallons) without the need for expensive add on devices (like Brondell’s Perfect Flush) or even more expensive dual-flush toilets.

At a little over $1, the Toilet Tank Bank certainly is the cheapest solution for instant toilet water consumption reduction, but it isn’t necessarily an end-all ideal solution. The advantage of having a dual-flush toilet or an add-on dual flush system lies in the fact that a more precise usage of water can be used depending on what is required for the business you just made (use your imagination). Also, a standard toilet was designed to clean itself and clear waste based on the amount of water it was designed to hold. When that water level is reduced, the effectiveness of the toilet to function as ‘a toilet’ could be effected; however, this could be somewhat avoided by simple trial and error using different volumes in the Toilet Tank Bank.

thanks to Liam for the heads up

The Good: A cheap and simple retrofit to an old toilet that actually saves water.

The Bad: A ‘dumb’ solution that has no ability to be adjusted for each flush. May cause some toilets to not clear waste effectively.

The Bottom-Line: The Toilet Tank Bank is an effective, simple and cheap water-saving solution for older toilets that use more water than needed when flushed.

OUR SUSTAINABILITY RATING:

YOUR SUSTAINABILITY RATING:

Rating: 3.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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View Comments for “Simple Toilet Bag Saves Water And A Lot Of Money”

elowry723

So you're saying that you're reading audience isn't industrious enough to take a ziploc bag out of the cabinet, fill it with water, and put it in the toilet tank? I think they are as they're already interested enough in being more sustainable to read your website (which I like very much). I would suggest you educate them on how to do that rather than encouraging additional consumerism. Thanks for the discussion.

elowry723

Are you kidding me? Cheap and simple? How about an empty bottle filled with water or a brick. Either is cheaper, equally as effective, and doesn't require manufacturing something new and transporting it around the world. Geeez people.

theauthor

You're right, anything that displaces water would work, but the bag is a specific volume that can be adjusted and is made to clip onto your toilet tank. The problem with a brick is the sediment and minerals it puts into your tank that could cause rust and damage. Plus, if you need more water per flush; you can't really adjust the brick. The bag comes as a part of a water saving kit that includes low-flow shower heads and fixture attachments, but can be purchased separately.

I'm certainly not saying this is the best solution, but it beats throwing out a perfectly good toilet for another one that requires much more energy, materials, and transport to produce than a waterproof bag. I also doubt that you could get either an empty plastic bottle and/or brick for under a $1, unless you went through someone else's trash :)

elowry723

Remember what sustainability is. Using our resources as effectively as possible. You're saying that creating another special plastic bag is necessary when the great majority of us are throwing away or recycling multiple bags and bottles all the time. My point is use something you already have.

theauthor

I totally agree, but as a professional in the sustainability sector I understand that in a consumer-based society most people are not that creative or industrious. They would rather buy a pre-packaged solution than exert the effort and/or thought to achieve the same end result on their own. So given the reality of the predicament, I'd say the bag isn't the worst option, environmentally speaking, seeing as the most idealistic solutions to many of our environmental problems rarely ever come close to being executed.