Hydroright Dual-Flush Toilet Converter

• Manufactured by MJSI
• 815-741-9768; www.gomjsi.com
• Cost: $30

I hadn’t replaced my last remaining dinosaur of a toilet, an old American Standard that sucks away 3.5 gal. of water with every flush, but I did assuage my eco-conscience by tucking a gallon jug of Solid flush water in its tank—that is, until HydroRight offered a neater, more efficient, and more sophisticated solution.

The HydroRight dual-flush converter consists of a plastic cylindrical float tower, which, when activated by the accompanying dualflush button, limits the amount of water used during a flush. The tower and button replace the flapper and handle of most toilets, working with the existing float and fill tube. (A special HydroClean fill valve is required for ball-float-type toilets). The water level in the tank and the bowl remains as always, but the amount used in the flush is altered, with the volume dependent on whether the larger (solid waste) or smaller (liquid waste) button is pushed. Two sliding tabs on the tower let you adjust the flush level.

The makers of the HydroRight assert that it installs in just about any toilet in 10 minutes without tools—and that proved basically true for mine. Adjusting the float and the amount of water for the “light” flush took only three trial flushes. Once adjusted, the HydroRight cleared the bowl well.

The installation wasn’t completely problem-free, however. Three days later, I came home to the hiss of a toilet refilling and found that the seal between the tower and the flush-valve opening—which took repeated tweaking to get tight the first time—was leaking. One more adjustment did the trick.

While I can’t attest to the manufacturer’s claim of saving over 15,000 gal. or $100 a year, it’s easy to see that the toilet uses less water now than it did before. HydroRight bases its claim on the device’s being installed on the most frequently used toilet, and I’ve got that part covered. My teens practically lined up to check out this cool new save-the-environment-like-they-do-in-Australia technology, and they wanted to know why I hadn’t acquired it sooner. Considering the cost and the installation ease of the HydroRight, I’ve been asking myself the same thing.