I’ve always hated low flow shower heads, because in the past they were pretty terrible. When we put a new bathroom in our basement, we got a Delta “rain” type of shower head, like this one: Delta RP78575 5-Setting Touch-Clean Showerhead, Chrome https://amazon.com/dp/B01BUPWVAK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DEPyEbR61ETDY. It works great. If I had not bought it myself, I would not have believed it was low flow.
For toilets, we have a Kohler dual flush and a Toto low flow. Both are pretty good at flushing stuff down. One thing about low flow toilets is that, because they don’t have a swirling action, the bowls tend to be dirtier. I think the Kohler is slightly worse in this regard.
For front loading washer – a common complaint about them is that they can build up an odor, usually from the rubber door seal mildewing. We have had 2 front loaders and have never had this problem. The key, where I live, anyway, is to leave the door open when you empty it out so that it dries inside between loads. Our current washer, an LG model, has a little magnetic bar that sticks out and props the door open about an inch if the door swings closed. This is great for making sure it doesn’t get closed accidentally. (If you push the door closed with more force, it shuts all the way.)
I don’t have a video, but I’ve swapped out toilets and it’s definitely not hard as long as there are no complications.
One of the great things about shower heads is that they’re cheap, so it’s no big deal to try out a few before settling on one.
My wife says she’s heard about odor and mildew problems with front loaders. I’ll have to mention this to her. (Chances are she’ll still want a top loader, but it’s always worth a try. :))
I found videos from Home Depot and This Old House, each of which emphasized things that the other didn’t, but I think between the two I’ve got a pretty complete picture, and yeah, I can do this.
One thing that both of them did: after they’d gotten as much water out of the tank that you could flush out, they used sponges and whatnot to get the rest of the water out of the tank and the bowl. Thanks, guys, but I’m using my wet/dry vac - talk about a job that’s right in its wheelhouse!
Good suggestion! Alas, it looks like clothes washers and dishwashers aren’t among the appliances our utility, BGE, gives rebates for. But that’s ‘looks like’ - they’ve been known to be very quiet about some of the programs Maryland requires them to have, so I’ll give them a call, just to be sure.
The mildew/odor problem exists with front loaders, but can be prevented by leaving the door open after the last load until everything dries out. I just leave mine open/ajar 24/7.
Just bought a Toto 1.28 gal single flush toilet, which I would recommend. Home Depot had only dual flush “comfort height” Toto toilets and I wanted a standard height. Going to www.supply.com I could set criteria (brand/height/rough in/flush mode) and make a purchase. Free shipping and quick delivery. The reason we bought a single flush is that even though a dual flush Toto could be more water saving, we did not want the small water spot that you get with a dual flush. UPS did break the bowl unit in shipping, but supply.com just had me send a picture and they quickly shipped a replacement. UPS ground won’t let you unwrap and inspect and refuse a damaged delivery and supply.com knows this. I tried to get the UPS driver to wait for me to inspect the replacement bowl unit and he said “it does not matter, I can’t take a shipment back regardless”.
Ditto on using shop vac to empty the tank and trap, although be careful there still can be water stuck in the trap that you will miss. Have a trash bag ready to wrap around the base of the toilet so it does not drip nasty trap water as you remove the old toilet from your house.
