I, too, love Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena. They even make a toilet bowl cleaner in that line. However, it doesn't help me avoid the BIG thing I'm trying to avoid - a toilet bowl brush (see original post). I've tried to find single use toilet bowl brushes which do not contain a cleaner, just so I could use the Mrs. Meyer's product. The closest I got was a patent application for one. Never could find that it had gotten to the marketplace. In my search, I found an hilarious bulletin board in the UK about toilet cleaning. It was much blunter about some of the ickier aspects of the job than we have been. One suggestion was to buy scrubbie-backed sponges at the dollar store, cut them up and use them with the wand like I have. I may have to give that a try. I also found where someone had taken a jar from a beauty supply place (the kind used to sanitize combs) and modified it to fit the toilet brush handle through the lid. He kept the brush in it sitting in some sort of disinfectant. Fairly ingenious, but just another thing to clean.

The website below is the City of Austin's (TX) green building program rainwater collection information. Rainwater catchment systems are very popular in Austin and the surrounding areas and in some hill country locations rainwater is the ONLY source of house water. In our current house, we have a 1200 gallon tank that catches the rainwater off a modest 1100 sq. ft. roof and it easily fills up with a couple of inches of heavy rainfalls. My husband installed it himself with lots of buried underground PVC pipe, an old galvanized metal tank, and a Ditch Witch rental. With a small pump and solar panel trickle charging a 12V battery, it works great for irrigating the garden and fruit trees. Since that was successful, we decided to put in another catchment system in the house we are in the process of remodeling prior to moving in. At this house, however, we are using a catchment system for our house water and that added another layer of complexity for various reasons; size of house, number of downspouts, length of underground PVC, gutter and downspout screening, size of tanks (2 x 3000 gal.), multiple sediment filters plus a UV light for sterilization purposes, shed to house about equipment, etc. (You won't need a UV filter if the water isn't for potable uses.) Remember that for both these systems, you absolutely need a "first flush" mini-catchment system to divert the first water off your roof BEFORE it enters your main tank/cistern. The first rain will wash your roof of all the dust, bird droppings, leaves, and other detritus and you absolutely want to keep out of your main cistern because entering a cistern through a tiny manhole opening to clean out sediment is no fun. Therefore, you want to make sure to catch that first roof "flush" in a separate, smaller tank (that you empty or clean periodically) and not allow it to go into your cistern(s). There are various kits or plans for these types of "roof washers" or "first flush containment" systems available with different diverter options. Usually they use a ball valve that rises with the water in the smaller cleanout tank that will allow the subsequent rainwater to flow into your cistern. Some cleanout traps/tanks have a valve that slowly allow the first flush water to leak out in readiness for the next rainfall, but you still must plan on physically cleaning out the debris from the first flush tanks periodically. I can say that it is truly amazing the amount of rainwater one can gain from a catchment system. I believe it is possible, theoretically, to catch about 600 gallons per inch of rain for every 1000 s.f. of roof. I say theoretically because there will always be inefficiences in the system, still, it is quite amazing to go out during a rainstorm and watch the waterfall of rain flowing into your cistern (need a flashlight and a ladder, we have above-ground tanks). By the way, your cistern does not have to be immediately adjacent to your building. You can run pipe (above or below ground) to it from your downspout collection point(s) and as long as the opening into the cistern is LOWER than your gutters, it will fill up.

Kawh- There is a reason Toto is mentioned so much here. They are good, reliable toilets. Duh. We have two. Talk to some plumbers you know... Why don't you call Toto and find out where you can sit on and flush a Toto. OR ask some friends?? We went to a local plumbing store to use their bathroom to actually see if we liked the most popular Toto toilet installed there in their restroom. Splash back...get serious. I cannot comment on how some people are configured anatomically. Never a problem I have EVER heard of. There is NO conspiracy here. A quality product rises to the top. Pick what you like. -Babka

Turn the water off to your toilet tank at the wall. Flush the toilet and the tank should not fill back up. Do you still hear running water? Turn the water back on. Let the tank fill back up. Add a few drops of food color if you wish to make it easier to see. Do you get continuously running water now? You should see some water running in the bowl. If you have a leak in the tank, it’s usually an easy fix if you’re even partway handy with a few tools. Pick up a replacement flapper valve (appropriate for your type of toilet) from your local hardware. Alternatively, it’s a simple job for a plumber.