How To Install A Dual-Flush Toilet Kit

Did you know you can easily convert your existing toilet to a fancy dual-flush model? It takes no plumbing experience and less than an hour to do. It’s kinda like getting a new, eco-friendly toilet without actually having to buy a new toilet. Plus, by reducing your water usage you might even save money on your water bill. Just follow these steps for a quick and easy water-saving upgrade.

What Is A Dual Flush Toilet?

Unlike traditional single-flush models, a dual-flush toilet has separate options for liquid waste vs. solid waste. This allows you to use less water when a less powerful flush is all you need. A standard toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water per flush (GPF) which can be overkill when you aren’t flushing solids. In fact, on average 4 out of 5 bathroom visits don’t need the force of a full flush. So dual-flush toilets give you to option to use less water (typically 0.8 – 1.1 GPF) in those cases. According to the EPA, dual-flush toilets can reduce household water usage up to 67%.

HydroRight Dual Flush Toilet Converter Kit On ToiletSet

You can identify dual-flush toilets because they usually have a push button on top or a split lever. Most represent the two flushing options with 1 or 2 water droplets, indicating the different amount of water they each use.

Converting A Toilet To Dual Flush

For owners of most standard toilets, it’s easy to convert them from single-flush to dual-flush models with a dual-flush conversion kit. We used this HydroRight converter that cost us $25. It took us under an hour to install ours, and required few tools. Here are the steps to convert yours:

Step 1: Remove the old flush handle

The box claimed that this installation would be tool-free. But sadly we quickly required a wrench to remove the tightly-screwed old handle. The good news is that it was still a super easy undertaking.

Step 2: Remove the toilet flapper

The next step of removing the flapper. That’s the gray thing that you can see a sliver of in the bottom-right, which was far less involved (no tools required at all). Oh and turning the water off was optional, but I did decide to do that so I didn’t have to keep sticking my hand into toilet tank water.

Removing old single flush lever from toilet

Step 3: Attach The Dual Flush Converter

With the old pieces removed, the first task was to slide the bottom part of the dual-flush tower into place where my old flapper had been. You’ll want this to have tight fit over the seal to prevent water from leaks from the tank to the toilet bowl (aka, making your toilet run).

Sliding dual flush converter onto toilet tank gasket

Then I wiggled a tight, black rubber band over the fill tube to keep the dual-flush piece in place and firmly pressed against the opening. There’s also a zip-tie at the back of the piece that I pulled tight to help keep things in place. I had accidentally cut the tie off at first, thinking it was part of the packaging, but thankfully the kit actually supplied a backup!

Placing dual flush converter into toilet tank

Step 4: Install The Flush Tower

Then it was time to set the rest of the tower. It looks like quite a beast, but it clicks into place very easily with a simple drop-and-twist motion. You can see some of the technology in this shot – the adjustable blue slider is what helps to regulate how much water should be used in the quick flush function, and the green switch does the same for the full flush.

Placing flush tower in toilet tank for dual flush conversion

Step 5: Attach The New Dual Flush Button

My next task was to put in the new button where the old handle had been. I was able to securely hand-tighten this (again, no tools required). Oh and hand-tightening is always a good approach because over-tightening things can potentially crack the porcelain of your tank or bowl. Not good.

Attaching dual flush button to toilet tank

Here you can see what the button looks like. It’s split for what we’ve been calling a “single flush” (for liquids) and “double flush” (for, as the packaging describes, “when you need more power”).

Dual flush toilet flush button on side of toilet tank

From there you just pop the button device (the white box at the other end of the blue cord) onto the back of the button. And there’s no electricity or battery involved, despite the fact that it all started to look somewhat bomb-like at this point.

Inside of toilet tank with dual flush conversion kit

It took me about 20 minutes to get this far, but my eagerness to start flushin’ was damped by the fact that the buttons didn’t work at all at first. But through a few minutes of trial and error (which is pretty much how we do everything around here at Casa ) I realized that the level of my blue slider was very important. If it was too close or too far from the water level, my button pushing wasn’t strong enough to lift the tower’s built-in flapper. Fast-forward about ten minutes and this John was happy with his john. Both buttons worked every single time once we found that magical placement of the blue slider.

Step 7: Observe Your Water Levels

To demonstrate exactly what this dual-flushing function means when it comes to saving water, check out the difference between how little water is used at the single flush setting, and how much more goes out on the full flush setting. There was definitely an obvious difference in the water level, and you could even hear the toilet working a lot quicker for the single flushing action. Score.

Watching water levels after dual flush toilet conversion

Update: We enjoyed having this dual flush converting installed on this toilet so much, we installed it two more times when we moved to our new house! Both in our guest room toilet and our hall bathroom toilet

Install A Dual Flush Toilet

If you don’t want to mess with retrofitting your existing toilet, you can also purchase a new dual-flush toilet. Costs have come down considerably on dual-flush models since they were first introduced, and now many are just as affordable as standard models. Plus, as we show in this tutorial, it’s not that hard to install a toilet yourself. Here are some options with prices as of this writing:

Project Source Dual-Flush Toilet ($99)
Glacier Bay Dual-Flush Toilet ($160)
American Standard Dual-Flush Toilet ($260)
Kohler Dual-Flush Toilet ($315)

Some dual-flush toilets always feature a wider trapway (the S-shaped pipe that connects the bowl to the sewer line) which always helps reduce clogs when using less water. We also always recommend getting a toilet with an elongated bowl and comfort or chair height. These features to be the most comfortable to use.

Other Toilet How-Tos

Now that you’ve become better acquainted with your toilet, here are some other tutorials and information you might be interested in.

Kohler Memoirs Toilet In Marble Bathroom With Wall Molding

How to Install A Toilet
Our Favorite Toilet (Yes, We Have One!)
How to Fix A Rocking Toilet
How To Unclog A Bathtub Drain Without Chemicals
Convert A Toilet To Dual Flush
Fixing A Backed Up Toilet Line

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