4 Tips To Use Waste Water To Temporarily Flush Your Toilet

There are several reasons that you may need to use general waste water to flush your toilet. For example, the water in your home may be temporarily shut off due to construction on your street. Or perhaps you have a leak and you need to turn off the water supply to your toilet until a plumber can get to your home and fix the leak. You will be happy to know that using waste water to flush your toilet is an easy process. In fact, you may even decide to continue using waste water after your water issue is resolved in order to conserve water. Below are four tips that will help you efficiently use waste water to flush your toilet. 

Turn Off the Water Supply to the Toilet 

If your toilet tank is continually running, you will want to start by shutting off the water supply to your toilet tank. This is usually done by turning the intake tap near your toilet tank clockwise until water stops flowing. Alternatively, you can find a way to secure the float handle in an upright position. This can usually be done by securing a board beneath the float handle or tying a string to the float handle and securing it to the lid of your toilet tank. 

If your toilet tank is not running or leaking, then you do not have to shut off the water supply before continuing with the following steps. 

Find Places to Collect Waste Water 

There are several places in your home where you can easily collect waste water to use to flush your toilet. For example, putting a shallow, wide bucket in the shower will allow you to collect water from your shower. You can also collect water from your sink while you are washing dishes. If you want to use the waste water from your dishwasher or washing machine, you can simply place the end of the water output hose into a bucket. You can also collect water from outside when you are washing your car or watering your lawn. 

Store Waste Water Appropriately 

Your waste water, technically called grey water, should be stored in a bucket in your bathroom. You can use a lid to cover the bucket to help keep odors down and to protect small children or animals from accessing the grey water. You should not store the grey water longer than 24-hours. After 24-hours, nutrients in the grey water will decompose and the water can begin to smell. It is a good idea to get in the habit of changing your grey water every morning, flushing excess water down your toilet. 

Let Gravity Help You Flush Your Toilet 

When using grey water to flush your toilet, you do not have to flush your toilet tank. Instead, simply hold a small bucket of water over your toilet bowl and begin pouring water into your tank. Usually, you will need about a gallon of water to flush a toilet, but you may need more if there is solid waste. 

If you notice that the toilet is not flushing, you can either pour the water into the toilet bowl faster or you can increase the height from which you are pouring. If you hold the bucket up higher, you will increase the amount of force the water creates, which can help solid waste go down your toilet. However, if you are holding the bucket too high, be aware that there may be some back splash if you hit the rim of the toilet. 

Getting in the habit of collecting grey water to flush your toilets will help ensure that you have some extra water on hand in case of a plumbing emergency. This will allow you to flush your toilet at least a few times until a plumber arrives. For more tips, speak with an experienced plumber from a company like Laroc Refrigeration-Metal Division

Share