Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 175 Comments

Installing A Dual Flush Button To Our Toilet

We made four little updates around here, so I thought I’d smash them all into a quick recap post for ya.

First, we have been meaning to convert our bathroom toilet to a dual flush version for a while (we already did it to the one in the hallway and the one in our first house – seriously we LOVE this upgrade!). Sadly when we attempted to use this kit that we bought on Amazon (here’s the affiliate link for ya), it turns out that our new toilet isn’t compatible. Apparently the angle/shape of the bottom of the tank kept it from attaching correctly.

Main Barth Dual Flush

So we padded down the hall to the guest room and installed it there instead. Oddly enough, that tiny toilet that is most likely original to our 60’s house worked just fine with it.

Guest Bath Dual Flush

Just follow the simple steps on the box and it goes on really fast. Ours works like a charm! Now at least we can save water when our guests come to stay (and a dual flush button helps that small outdated bathroom feel a smidge more modern – haha).

3 Things Dual Flush Toilet After

Comments

  1. danielle says

    Good for you guys for saving some water!

    Since you guys weren’t able to change your toilet to the dual flush version, you might consider putting a water bottle in your toilet tank instead. Use a 1-2 liter bottle, put some rocks in it, fill it with water and put it in the tank. Similar to the old brick in the tank trick without any damage to the plumbing (bricks can partially dissolve over time).

    You’ll of course want to try this out before making it a permanent change.

    Reply

  2. Amanda G. says

    Last weekend I bought a few items from the Patch NYC shop at Target. New pillows for the couch, a rug for in front of our entry table and the cutest animal coasters! Seriously Sherry you would love them so much. I have my eye on a few more items so we’ll see what else I add.

    Reply

  3. Captain Micah says

    Sometimes, the little things can make the biggest difference. I think that has been my favorite part of home ownership…I can do whatever I want whenever the desire happens. Since Hubby tells me that I’m not very patient, I kind of like that whole instant-gratification thing!

    Have a happy weekend. I love your blog and can’t wait for the book version to come out. Only another month and a half!

    Reply

  4. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    It’s nice when you can tackle a few projects in a little bit of time. So far we have only converted our master bathroom toilet over to your awesomely recommended Dual Flush system and have 2 more to go. What? Hello $9 water bill!!! For reals, thank you for that recommendation. We know it will just go down even more with the additional upgrades. I finally got to paint (it dried up later in the day) and wouldn’t you know it? The finish is wrong AGAIN!!!! (Hulk yell!) The 3rd times a charm I guess in this case. We just set our housewarming party date and so now the pressure is on…haha.

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  5. Jill says

    Can you share the source of your white table and chairs? I’m looking for something similar for my kitchen. Do you think the table top scratches easily?

    Reply

  6. Elise X. says

    I’ve been looking around for those hooks you used to hang your mirror, but I’ve had no luck. Where did you find them?

    Also, I didn’t realize how much water those dual-flush buttons saved! Thanks for the tip, definitely picking some up next time I’m in Home Depot.

    Reply

  7. renee says

    Feels good to get so many things done, amirite?

    Speaking of updates, some of your uber-crazed fans wait impatiently for the monthly Clara pic to be updated. And, ah, ya know, today is the 21st. Ahem. :)

    Reply

  8. kalynbrooke | Creative Savings says

    We are in the middle of an attic renovation – seems like it has been forever since we’ve been doing it. It’s been re-insultated, refloored, and now we just finished hanging the drywall. I’ll be glad when it’s done, just because it’s so massive!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That was from a thrift store about six years ago! We replaced the old square top with a 36″ round of wood from Lowe’s and primed and painted the whole thing!

      xo
      s

  11. js says

    Funny thing, when I visited a friend in England, she had a dual flush toilet. After a few days I realized that when I used the #1 button it wouldn’t flush completely, so I asked her whether I was doing something wrong. She said she didn’t know because she never uses that button; they pay the same fee regardless of how much water they use, so there is no incentive to use a dual flush or even a low flow toilet.

    Reply

  12. Jen@The Decor Scene says

    I’ve been enjoying my bouquet of flowers from my hubby that came to my place of work for my birthday yesterday. Always nice to have something colorful and pretty smelling at work. But they will come home with him tonight for the weekend. :)

    Reply

  13. Stephanie says

    Totally random but did you guys see the graphic art on One Kings Lane today? The maps made me think of you guys. I am OBSESSED.

    I want the gray one that says “EXPLORE”

    Reply

  14. Candice says

    Looking at the lovely flowers I couldn’t help but wonder how you use that little table in the family room. Do you ever sit there? There are so many other places in your house now to sit, in your kitchen and office.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oddly enough we sit here when we’re into something on TV and we want to keep watching it but are eating something too messy to sit on the sofa with (ex: saucy spaghetti). Haha!

      xo
      s

  15. Jennifer says

    You’re not alone in the ceramic animal department! I just bought two new owls at TJ Maxx today. They’re both cute, but one is so adorable with his wings covering his ears I want to name him. My 4yo asked to hug him, too. I’ve been on a shopping frenzy lately so the question is what haven’t I bought. Eek!

    Reply

  16. jessica says

    Around here, I just made some striped art and some fall decorations. Nothing like a day off of work to get it all done!

    ps…please tell me you guys have found the Pocketbooth app…it’s a photo booth for your iPhone!

    Reply

  18. katalina says

    Unrelated post question… KITCHEN cabinets

    how did you decide to paint your cabinets white versus white on top cabinets and a color/gray or gray-green on the bottom?

    I don’t have stainless steel apliance–black oven and dishwasher and white frig but the builders oak cabinets and an island. I know sometimes an island can be a different color. small kitchen that is open. I love green kitchens but have never found a nice paint green for the walls.

    I saw a home show where someone did not like white cabinets with the stark black appliances. do you think a gray green on the bottom would be better?

    any great color choices you could recommend for cabinets? I guess I could try to paint a bathroom cabinet first– they used 2 kitchen cabinets together in the master bath of that oak wood.

    also have been scared to stain cement stairs so when you decide to do your front porch — I can’t wait for the steps!

    have a nice weekend! clara’s so cute in front of door on her first day!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We just went with white since we had two tall cabinets that might have looked weird if the lowers were a different color (the cabinet around the fridge and the tall pantry on the other side of the room) so we went with all the same color. But if you have a bunch of lowers and uppers without those double-height cabinets that might muddle things it can be an awesome look. I love the idea of a gray green on the bottom! Hope it helps.

      xo
      s

  19. Jolene says

    I bounced over to the mirror post to get the back story on the duct tape (which cracked me up!). In the comments someone suggested a “houseplant tour.” I would love to see that! Did this happen yet? Plants seem so simple but really make a house a home!

    Love your work!

    Reply

  20. Noelle says

    Speaking of Real Housewives of NYC – What are your thoughts on the Aviva vs Ramonja bid-ness? Ramona is cray-cray, but Aviva fully expecting a red carpet and a parade when she arrived is a little ridiculous!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes! Ramona = crazy but she knows it (and can be quite entertaining). Aviva = haughty and entitled. I’m Team Ramona… which I never thought I’d say. Hahah!

      xo
      s

  21. Sara C says

    Question on the dual flushers….Do you know if it’s true that they don’t work well on older toilets? I considered getting one to put in our bathroom (our brick ranch was built in 1958) and the guy at Home Depot said that usually the older toilets don’t do well with dual flush systems because the pipes aren’t the right size? I’d love to put one on ours, but don’t want to have to flush multiple times since that would be defeating the purpose!

    Ooh…also, this weekend, I’m painting my living room curtains! Painted the kitchen last weekend (with paint I already had…hooray for free projects!). Here’s some pictures:

    http://inglewoodgardener.blogspot.com/2012/09/painting-kitchen.html

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no, they seem to work really well on our older toilet in the guest room (it might be original to our house) so I’d give it a shot. You can always return it to HD if it doesn’t work. Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  22. Sheridan says

    Today I start my big sun room overhaul. Hopefully it will make all the little changes I’ve been making in there look a bit more cohesive. Wish me luck! :) I’m excited it should be brilliant.

    Reply

  24. Joanna A. says

    We use the same dual flusher and had a similar issue when trying to install it in our guest bath. It’s now in our master and we love it! Hope you do too!

    Reply

  25. Erin says

    did you ever think to build a sort of “pie-piece” so the shredder sits on a downward angle in the drawer?? at least it will be a little bit more gravity then where it’s currently. :o)

    Reply

  26. Kathryn says

    We have the same flusher, and we like saving the water. Unfortunately, we always forget to tell our guests how to do it, and we often find that they’ve tried to turn the whole thing. I finally just wrote a little note and left it on top of the tank so that they don’t get stuck in there unable to flush. It seems self explanatory to me, but apparently not.

    Reply

  27. lizaanne says

    Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this yet, if so sorry for a repeat.

    While in the process of doing our bathroom, we decided to keep our older toilet because it is a 3gallon flush, and it worked perfectly fine. I asked two professional plumbers, and was told to NOT convert it to a dual flush. The reason is because the internal configuration of the toilet is built to have 3 gallons of water flush the solid waste. If you use less water than that (which the dual flush will do, even on the solid waste flush), it can cause build up inside the trap of the toilet and result in loss of functionality, and eventually failure of your toilet.

    I had actually bought the very same rebuild kit you did, and took it back, because I did not want to risk ruining my toilet — or my bathroom if I had a water issue and ended up with an overflow accident all over our new floor.

    So — I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, BUT I would much rather that you keep your bathroom functioning and safe. :-) You might want to pass it by a good trusted plumber you know and see what he thinks.

    Great job on the rest of your projects!! You are so crazy talented!!! :-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the info Lizanne! We’ve heard this although we’re not sure it’s true (a few of our pro plumber friends disagree, since when you have solid waste you get a full flush as usual – you just get a lighter flush for non-solid waste with this system) so we just go by what we personally have experienced. We had one for a few years in our first house as well as one for over a year in our current hall bath (which has an older toilet) without any issues. Thanks for the tip though! It definitely pays to consider all the info out there for anyone thinking about it!

      xo
      s

  29. Betsie says

    What are your recommendations for throw pillows for the couch? I’ve used regular stuffed pillows, the cheapo ones from Ikea and also down pillows and I’m not really happy with any of them in the long run. The down pillows are fine as far as holding shape, except that the feather poke out after a while. What do you use and how do you keep their shape? BTW, we have almost the exact same couch as you, but ours is two separate pieces. Out of all the wonderful, genius, innovative things that Ikea does, they do not offer a converter kit to make two couches into a sectional. Sigh.

    Reply

  30. Helga says

    I think placing the shredder inside the desk cabinet is a great idea. My big question is: have you put a lock on that cabinet door so Clara has no access? I lived in fear that my grandkids would stick their little fingers in the shredder slot and suffer injury to their little digits. I asked my husband to unplug the thing when not in use and to not leave it on automatic start. I’ve read that many children have accidents with shredders. BTW: I pre-ordered your book and can’t wait to get it. Love your blog and it’s the first thing I read.

    Reply

  31. Magge says

    My plans for the weekend include putting in dual flushes on two of my toliets, and painting, and changing out my shower head!

    Reply

  32. Leah says

    I took some inspiration from you and spraypainted an ugly brass lamp in our bedroom. It was way easier than I expected! I’m in the weeds with school now (first year teacher), but I’m looking forward to doing more little changes now that I have a real paycheck again.

    http://penn.typepad.com/penn/2012/09/a-little-project.html

    I really want to spray paint our doorknob, but we’re hoping maintenance will finally put in a deadbolt. So it might be a moot point. Or I might get to spray paint a deadbolt and a doorknob!

    Reply

  34. Zefi says

    Isn’t it always those little things you put off doing that make you feel wonderful when they’re done? Great idea on the shredder, and love the tulips!

    Reply

  35. Melissa says

    This is unrelating to this post (sorry) but I wanted to let you know you inspired me to do my own monthly photo project with my! I am SO glad I did and so are the relatives. I never would have done it if it weren’t for your great site. Thanks! I did post it to my blog, but I gave you credit for the idea and linked it to your site.
    :)

    Reply

  37. Bernadette @ B3HD says

    Hmm…we didn’t build out the last area between our desks (and close it out) because of (among other things) our shredder. Might have to try the on the side trick. Although we do a ton of shredding (married to a finance dude who does work from home) so we might just have too much volume for it. Worth a shot I think.

    Reply

  39. Laura P says

    This really isn’t related to your post, but have you seen the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens? I took one look at the curtains on page 67 and recognized them as the same fabric on your headboard. I just love that fabric so I think that’s why it always catches my eye.

    Reply

  44. Carolyn L says

    The photo of your mantel in the room beside the kitchen (omg, I memorized your floor plan) makes me happy for so many reasons..

    The skinny HomeGoods birds, the shadow-box.. the animals in general. <3

    Reply

  47. Diane says

    We purchased the same kit from Home Depot. Did your toilet have a ball in it? Ours does and I don’t know if it’s compatible this way. Thanks!!

    Reply

  48. Kathryn says

    My husband had to work this past Saturday, so while he was gone, I headed up to Home Depot to pick up a Duel-Flusher (and a new toilet seat to replace the ugly wooden one that came with our house). I hadn’t really thought too much about the toilet, but I’m so glad I made that change – it saves water AND makes the whole room feel more modern. Good deal. Oh, and it was fun to surprise my husband with a little unexpected home-update while he was out. Thanks for sharing the idea!

    Reply

  49. Kelsey says

    Random question, did you guys build your bull out shelves or did you buy them? I’m having a hard time finding ones that fit our shelves.

    Thanks!!

    Reply

  50. Andy says

    It was a really wise thing to do, to strengthen the hanging mechanism of that mirror. You can never be too careful.

    Right now, I’m working on lighting in our house – we put two chains of simple white LED’s around the ceiling of the living room and are using that as a general light source instead of the standard lights. It’s really wonderful! Since the light is not bright yet comes from all around, there’s very little shadow, yet it’s soothing. First we considered multicolored LEDs, but then decided against it. Another benefit of this is that we’re saving a lot of power – those two chains consume only around 5-6 watts, but the effect is equivalent to that of a 11-watt CFL.

    Oh, and I really like that tulip vase. It looks so serene.

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *