Tag Archives: toilet

Living a green life is about more than just saving money, it’s about minimizing as much as possible our negative impact on the environment around us. At Martell Home Builders this idea is more than just words, it’s action and we want to empower you to action as well. Besides purchasing a net-zero home (which you can definitely do!) there are other ways that you can minimize that negative impact.

In our first installment of the living green series we talked about how to live green in the way you wash laundry (check out that post here). Today, we want to talk water. In a Country covered in fresh water lakes, ponds, and streams, we often don’t fully appreciate how lucky we are to have access to clean water. By being intentional in our efforts to conserve water we are both ensuring a ‘moist’ future for our children and also expressing solidarity with those around the world that are less fortunate than we. So, without further ado, here are our top 10 tips on how to conserve water in your home!

1. Turn off that Tap! – We’ve all heard this one before (or at least should have) but turning of the tap while you’re brushing your pearly white teeth is a great step towards water conservation. You don’t need to hear a waterfall while you brush!

2. Don’t Flush Unnecessarily – Instead of flushing that kleenex away, just put it in the garbage and save water.

3. Basin, Not Tap – Wash your fruits and veggies in a basin or bowl instead of under a running tap.

4. Brick in the Tank – If you have a large toilet tank but a displacer inside of it to save water.

5. Brita in the Fridge– If you keep a jug of cold water in the fridge it will keep you from running it (until it goes cold) the next time you want a glass

6. Don’t Water the Road– Position your sprinkler so non of the water is getting wasted by watering roads, driveways, etc.

7. Big Close Drops –  Set your sprinkler or hose to dispense big close drops. A mist will likely be wasteful since a lot of it blows away!

8. Check– Check those valves and pipes for cracks and leaks

9. Long Lawn – Set your lawn mower to a high setting – longer grass = more shade = less evaporation!

10. Fish Food – Use your old fish tank water (when you’re switching it) to water your plants!

Check out more tips (100 to be exact) here!

If you are having toilet troubles – and I mean in the literal sense – there are some easy and affordable steps you can take to try to fix it yourself, before calling in a plumber.

There are an abundance of YouTube videos that illustrate how to fix a toilet; some of the videos are great, many more are crap (no pun intended). Here are a few videos that do a good job at explaining how to fix common problems. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, leave a comment to let us know what toilet troubles you’re having and we’ll do our best to help you out!

If you have a leaky toilet, this video will teach you how to replace a damaged seal:

This next YouTube video will show you how to fix a toilet that won’t stop running:

And finally, this DIY toilet repair video will teach you how to fix a toilet that has a leaky flapper valve: