My Adventures with a Dual Flush Adapter

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This weekend, we installed a dual-flush adapter on our downstairs toilet. It works great. A dual-flush adapter is a nifty little gadget that perches in your toilet tank (not unlike an aquatic bird) and offers two flush settings: Push the handle down (like you normally would) for a half-flush; pull the handle up for a full-flush. This is genius. Most of the time, a half-flush is all you need, and since most people are flushing their toilets with drinkable water, saving a little here and there is definitely a good idea.

Is this a DIY project? Well friends, that depends entirely on how familiar you are with this:

That is the inner workings of a toilet. I'm a pretty DIY-savvy individual, (as evidenced by my writings all over this site!) and I embarked upon my dual-flush adaptation adventure with instructions and crescent wrench in hand. I shut off the water and drained the tank. I took off the lid. And then I was stuck. "Remove existing flapper and chain from the handle area," it said. I was pretty sure I knew what they were talking about, but not positive, and, you know, when you're messing with your toilet you don't want to screw anything up. The brief instructions were accompanied by a 2 x 2" black-and-white picture, which didn't help much. I called my husband.







Here's a glimpse at the instructions that were provided with the assembly.

















My husband, being a little more intimate with the inner workings of a toilet than I, had the adapter neatly installed in less than ten minutes. Pete the Cat was on-hand to supervise.



Full disclosure: My husband is not a plumber. He's flipped a couple houses, and comes from a long and proud lineage of handy men. If you don't have access to someone like this, and don't possess the knowledge yourself, you might need to call a plumber to get this thing installed correctly. Or, alternately, look online for more detailed instructions.









Now that it's installed, it works great. The directional stickers are provided with the kit, which is helpful, and the replacement handle that's included looks nice. The only weakness in the kit is the instructions-- and, I have to say, it's a big weakness. The photos should be larger, and in color. There should be arrows pointing at the important parts, and a tool list included. Since this kit is being sold to the general public, and not just to folks with plumbing know-how, it should be geared accordingly.

To order a dual-flush adapter like the one I installed, click here.

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