What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[saysfaa]

The cap is behind the siphon jet rather than in the rim channel. That probably doesn't affect the options but in case it does there is that.

This picture is a diagram of the model we have. The cap is where I put red and where we think the water goes is green. We think it goes around the right side of the bowl and the picture shows"The water also goes to the rim channel.

A minute and ten seconds into this video is the best animation that we could find of the water path in model we have.

This Old House has a good video of how a siphon toilet works.

The only shop vac I have is the smallest one they made. Do you think that might work?

I can try it in the blow mode. Dh has a thing about vacuuming water into it even though it is made for that so we won't be using it wet.

 

[saysfaa]

The next best alternative we'd thought of so far is to run a garden hose through the house to the toilet. Then plug the side jets, and the drain hole, around the end of the hose. And take the flapper off. Then turn the hose on up siphon jet.

Or run a flexible tube down the flapper hole, through the toilet, past the cap and out the siphon hole. Drain the toilet. Wait until everything is dry, dab super glue on the end of the tubing. Then try to hit the cap with the glue spot. Let that cure. Then pull the tubing out through the flapper hole.

 

[saysfaa]

I like the grabber thing if the stick part is long enough and flexible enough to reach the cap through the flapper opening.

Edit to add - the longest grabber I saw is about 19" but I don't know if that is long enough.