If I have an older toilet, what can I do to make it more efficient?

If I have an older toilet, what can I do to make it more efficient?

Dan Sharp (Green Family Expert) gives expert video advice on: What can I do to make my washer and dryer more efficient?; What can I do to make my dishwasher more efficient?; If I have an older toilet, what can I do to make it more efficient? and more...

For an older toilet, the most important thing is to make sure that it's not leaking from the tank into the bowl. The way you can test for that is by putting food coloring into the tank and seeing if that color comes out into the bowl. If that's the case, you can replace the flapper valve relatively easily and reduce water that way. Another popular thing that is not a good idea is to put a brick into the tank. Over time, that brick can degrade and actually cause problems for your toilet. A better option that produces the same effect is to put a bag of water in there. As long it doesn't interfere with the moving parts of the toilet, the water in the bag will displace some of the water in the tank and allow it to use less per flush.