Water saving techniques

[narayan]

I thought it would be a good idea to share tips on water saving. Although SA hasn't really been that affected by water shortages like other states i've started trying to save water around the house.

One thing i've been doing is putting a bucket in the shower with me by my feet while i'm showering and to collect the water while i'm waiting for it to warm up. I then use this water to refil the cistern after I flush the toilet.

Another thing is i've been putting buckets outside to collect water when it rains then using this water for various things (mainly drinking which is a nice change from the swimming pool water that comes out of our taps). If anyone has ever tasted adelaides tap water then they will know what I mean

[Amulte]

if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down

[Anodyne]

One thing i've been doing is putting a bucket in the shower with me by my feet while i'm showering and to collect the water while i'm waiting for it to warm up. I then use this water to refil the cistern after I flush the toilet.

If your shower is over a bath, just put in the plug while showering, then scoop the water out in buckets to water the garden. Or if you can't do that, then stand in a bucket while showering - if you have tiny feet like me - for the bigger folks, you could use something like a recycling tub or laundry basin/baby bath. You get to be much more conservative with your showers if you have to carry every litre of water outside afterwards.

Ditto for washing machine - the wash water goes down the sink, but the cleaner part of the rinse water goes on the yard.

Another thing I do is have a "slops bucket" beside the kitchen sink. Every time I use water, but not soap, in the kitchen, it goes in the bucket. So when I'm washing potatoes, for instance, I do it over the bucket - also tea/coffee dregs, and any water from just rinsing out cups or whatever.

Also, the washing-up water is used to soak the next lot of dishes, rather than using fresh water for that.

When I had a bigger yard I used to take my washing out there (no washing machine in those days), and wash everything in tubs on the grass, so all the splash-water went on the grass rather than on the laundry floor or down the sink.

[wisemonkey]

if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down

if its yellow I go outside

[Big George]

While I agree that we should conserve as much water as possible the fact remains that installing a $few,000 rainwater tank only captures and holds a couple of dollars worth of water at a time.

Prices do vary a lot, so be fair the 27,000 litre units cost $4000 and will hold approximately $30 worth of water.

A $500 tank holds 60 cents worth.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense really, unless you are just happy to pay a premium for the idea of doing a good thing, or prefer the taste of drinking rain water to stale, chlorinated, fluoride water.

Personally, I have a heavy duty filter installed in my kitchen and fill up all my mount franklin / lithgow valley springs bottles for .13 of a cent per litre from the filtered town supply.

Found an interesting link tho to shoot down my argument over tank price vs water cost.

Catchment calculator

With 5mm rainfall a month, I could empty and refill a 900 litre tank each month on a sustainable basis. If that is the case then I will pay for the cost of a tank in 1000 months....

[Guest Øskorei]

I don't know about using all the shower water on the garden if you use regular soap (if you use regular soap you should probably reconsider anyway, for your own health). But for the start-up water, its great.

With the washing machine, when washing with a powde, the Ø machine uses Ark-endorsed phosphate free stuff, and washes are timed with cleaning around the house so the first cycle water can be used on the floors of the kitchen/bathroom and toilet bowls. With the second cycle of water it would use it on the garden.

What amazes me is the sheer amount of water that a washing machine uses. Until you divert it into containers, its quite difficult to fathom exactly how bloody much is being wasted.

And the mellow yellow concept id a great one if your household are all OK with the idea. Ive even got visitors onto the idea !

[ThunderIdeal]

we have a little rule here in Springfield.. if it's brown drink it down, if it's black send it back.