‘Ultra-Low’ Style Saves Water, Cash : Conservation: Watersaver styles use only 1.6 gallons per flush while standard models use up to six gallons.

To reduce domestic water consumption and relieve pressure on overtaxed sewage treatment plants, almost 100 Southland cities and communities offer rebate programs for homeowners who replace water-guzzling toilets with water-saving models.

The rebates vary, but range roughly from $75 to $100 for each toilet replaced. Some cities also offer low-cost installation of the new toilets.

A water-saving, or “ultra-low-flush,” toilet is designed to use only 1.6 gallons of water or less for each flush, compared to a standard toilet that uses up to six gallons a flush. The average family can save up to $29 a year for each toilet on their water bill, according to experts.

Under the City of Los Angeles’s $100 rebate program, which began in February, 1990, and ended Oct. 1, 1991, an estimated 220,000 toilets were replaced at a cost of $22 million, according to a Department of Water and Power spokesman, with a water saving of 3.5 million gallons a day, or enough water for 4,000 families’ daily use. Los Angeles residents may call (800) 479-3733 to place their names on a rebate waiting list in the event the program is reinstated.

The low-flush toilets are made to industry standards that define the minimum distance the waste must be carried from the toilet to prevent drain problems and double flushing.

“I was concerned at first that my new toilets would not ‘do the job,’ ” says Santa Monica resident Lynne Gerson, who recently installed two low-flush toilets in her home, “but I am very happy with how they work, and they look nice too.”

Check with the water district that serves your city or community to find out if a toilet rebate program exists or is planned. If one does, ask for a list of approved models to choose from and get instructions on how to obtain the rebate.

Most of the programs allow for do-it-yourself installation of the toilet, which can normally be completed in less than an hour even by a novice. Before starting, check with your local Building and Safety Department to determine if a permit is needed. Most cities require an on-site inspection of the installation.

The only extra supply item you will need to buy to install the toilet yourself is a “wax ring,” a large wax gasket with a plastic flange on one side that forms a seal between the toilet bowl and the “closet flange,” the flanged hole in the floor onto which the toilet is bolted. Buy the ring from the same plumbing supply or hardware store where you buy the toilet.

Begin by shutting the water supply to the toilet by turning the handle under the left side of the tank clockwise as far as possible.

Flush the tank and then use a “toilet plunger” (like a normal plunger but with a flanged cup that fits over the outlet of the bowl) to force as much water as possible from the bowl.

With a 10-inch adjustable wrench or large pair of pliers, remove the large nut from the water supply tube where it attaches under the left side of the tank. Gently pull down on the supply tube to disengage it.

Pry off the bolt caps at the base of the toilet bowl with a screwdriver to expose the hold-down bolts. With a six-inch adjustable wrench, loosen the nuts and remove them, along with the metal washers. Set the nuts and washers aside.

The toilet is now free to be lifted from the floor. In some fixtures the tank and bowl are a single entity, in others they may be separate units. Facing the tank, straddle the bowl and grab it firmly on both sides. Gently begin rocking the bowl side to side to break the floor seal.

When the toilet begins to move freely, lift it a few inches and walk backward a foot or two to clear the closet flange. Have a helper carry it with you outside, taking care to keep it level to prevent leakage.

Now, check the hold-down bolts on either side of the closet flange. Make sure they are straight and secure in their slots. Also, remove any remaining wax or plastic from the old wax ring.

Installing the new toilet may not take as much muscle as removing the old one because the tank and bowl are installed separately.

Start by turning the bowl upside down and pressing the new wax ring over the waste outlet at the bottom of the toilet bowl. Carry the bowl into position over the closet flange until you see the tops of the hold-down bolts through the bolt holes on the base of the bowl.

Gently lower the bowl down so that the bolts come up through the bolt holes. Push down with your body weight to force the bowl down as close to the floor as possible.

Look inside the box the tank is packaged in for a plastic bag with assorted parts. You will find two white plastic bolt covers and flanges onto which they attach. Place the flanges over the hold-down bolts with the proper side up (stamped on the parts).

Place the old metal washers over the flanges and then thread the nuts onto the bolts. Tighten the nuts by alternating between them a couple turns at a time to keep the bowl level. Continue tightening until the bolts are snug. Be careful not to overtighten. If the nuts are snug and the bowl does not rock when you put pressure on the left or right edges of the bowl, the nuts are tight enough.

Next comes the tank. Turn the tank upside down and note a large plastic nut surrounding the threaded outlet under the tank. In the bag of parts you will find a large sponge-rubber washer that will fit over the plastic nut and threaded outlet under the tank. This washer will compress when the tank is attached to the bowl to form a seal.

Also in the parts bag you will find two long brass bolts and black rubber washers. Slide the washers onto the bolts as far as possible and put each bolt into the holes at the bottom of the tank from the inside.

Lift the tank and put it into position over the rear of the bowl so that the bolts will drop into the small holes on either side of the large hole at the rear of the bowl. Gently let it down.

Working under the rear of the bowl, place a metal washer and thread a nut onto each of the brass bolts. Tighten the nuts and, as with the bowl, alternate a few turns between the left and right to keep the tank level.

Continue tightening until the tank contacts the bowl evenly at the front and back. Again, be careful not to overtighten.

Place a new rubber washer (from the parts bag) onto the end of the water supply tube and position the water supply tube into the threaded receptacle under the left side of the tank.

Push the large nut up onto the threads and tighten it with the same wrench or pliers you used to remove it from the old tank. Also, tighten the existing nut at the other end of the water supply tube where it attaches to the shut-off valve, as the seal commonly loosens a little when the tube is handled.

Gradually open the water shut-off valve by turning the handle counterclockwise. You will hear a rush of water and the tank will begin to fill. Check for leaks under the tank and at the shut-off valve. Tighten any fittings that leak.

The water level in the tank is preset at the factory, but sometimes needs adjustment. Turn the adjustment screw at the top of the control valve at the left inside the tank according to the arrows to raise or lower the water level to match the indicator line.

Flush the toilet and check for leaks between the tank and the bowl and at the floor. Again, tighten any fittings that leak.

Lastly, snap the new plastic bolt covers down over the hold-down bolts on the base of the bowl.

You have just successfully replaced your own toilet, reducing your impact on the environment while saving money at the same time.

To get rid of the old toilet, first contact your city’s sanitation department to find out if they offer a special pickup service for overweight refuse. Most cities will send a truck to get large items for a nominal charge or no charge at all.

Failing that, if the tank has not already been separated from the bowl, you may create two acceptably sized items for normal collection. With an adjustable wrench, remove the brass nuts from the tank bolts under the rear edge of the bowl and lift the tank off.

Where to Call About Rebates

The following is believed to be an accurate list of areas currently offering rebates but you may wish to call your local water district for verification or recent developments.

Los Angeles residents may call (800) 479-3733 to place their names on a rebate waiting list in the event the program is reinstated.

Cities and communities served by Central Basin Municipal Water District (rebate hot line, (213/310) 523-1060):

Artesia Graham Pico Rivera Bell Hawaiian Gardens Santa Fe Springs Bell Gardens Huntington Park Signal Hill Cerritos La Habra Heights South Gate Commerce Lakewood South Whittier Cudahy La Mirada Sunshine Acres Downey Los Nietos Vernon East Compton Lynwood Walnut Park East La Mirada Maywood West Compton East Los Angeles Montebello West Whittier Eastmont Norwalk Whittier Florence Paramount Willowbrook

Cities and communities served by West Basin Municipal Water District (rebate hot line, (213/310) 523-1060):

Alondra Park Inglewood Rolling Hills Angeles Mesa Ladera Heights Ross-Sexton Carson Lawndale Topanga Canyon Culver City Lennox Victor Bel-Air Lomita View Park El Nido-Clifton Malibu West Athens El Segundo Manhattan Beach West Carson Gardena Marina del Rey West Hollywood Hawthorne Palos Verdes Estates Westmont Hermosa Beach Redondo Beach Windsor Hills Howard

Cities and communities served by Calleguas Water District (rebate hot line, (800) 750-2232):

Moorpark Portions of Camarillo Thousand Oaks Portions of Simi Valley

Cities and communities served by Las Virgenes Water District (rebate hot line, (818) 880-4110):

Agoura Chatsworth (portions) West Hills (portions) Agoura Hills Hidden Hills Westlake Village Calabasas Malibu (portions) Woodland Hills (portions)

Most cities in San Diego County or served by the San Diego County Water Authority (rebate hotline, (800) 734-7099).

The following individual cities:

City of Burbank (818) 953-9612 City of Pasadena (818) 405-4727 City of Santa Barbara (805) 967-8605 City of Santa Monica (800) 423-9896 Upland (714) 982-1352 City of Ventura (805) 652-4567

Portions of Altadena, served by Lincoln Avenue Water Co., (818) 798-9101Channel Islands Beach Community Service District (805) 985-6021

Low-Flow Flush Installing a new water-saver toilet isn’t difficult--even a novice handyperson can do it in an hour or so. And about 100 cities in the Southland will help pay for the new toilet. Check with your local water district to see if it offers a rebate.

1. Shut off water by turning valve handle fully clockwise. Flush toilet and use plunger to force as much water from the bowl as possible.

2. Remove bolt caps and nuts/washers from hold-down bolts.

3. Remove large nut at end of supply tube under tank. Remove nuts on tank bolts at rear of bowl and with helper, lift off tank.

4. Grasp bowl at points indicated and gently rock toilet to break it loose then with a helper lift and carry outside.

5. Press wax ring onto bowl outlet. Note: plastic flange on wax ring faces up.

6. Make sure hold-down bolts on “closet flange” on floor are straight and secure.

7. Lift bowl and gently drop it down over the closet flange. Use your body weight to compress wax ring. Carefully tighten floor bolt nuts, alternating between then a few turns at a time. Do not over tighten. Replace caps.

8. Push tank bolts through holes in tank bottom.

9. Push “spud” washer onto large plastic nut under tank.

10. Drop tank onto bowl so tank bolts come through bolt holes on rear of bowl. Carefully tighten nuts alternating between then a few turns at a time make sure not to overtighten.

11. Resecure water supply tube to new tank. Gradually open shutoff-valve (counter-clockwise) and check for leaks. If no leaks are found, open fully and test toilet.