Water Conservation Question

[bluemtnrunner]

How can I keep from wasting water when trying to get HOT water? Doing dishes or taking a shower can waste so much water. I don't want to crank the hot water heater too much due to 1) fear of scalding everyone and 2) wasting energy.
If you leave the water on while brushing your teeth you can waste 3 gallons each brushing. For a family of four that is 12,000 gallons a year. I'll be I waste that much waiting for my shower to get hot.:bang:

[jdarg]

fill pet water bowls
fill watering cans for plants
turn off the water while brushing your teeth

[John R]

fill pet water bowls
fill watering cans for plants
turn off the water while brushing your teeth

agreed, i have three juice pitchers that move between my shower and my plants. if you get a backlog of water, you could always add it to these (http://www.aridsolutionsinc.com/page/page/1117909.htm)
when there's been a dry spell. whatever you do, don't let that paid for water go down the drain.

[bluemtnrunner]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am the water nazi around here, definitely no water running during teeth brushing. I wish there were a way to divert the clean water. It will be interesting to see how many jugs I can fill in a week while waiting for hot water.

[Rita]

BMR,

We had a problem with it taking so long to get hot water for our dishwasher that the dishes didn't seem to get clean enough. (The water heater is on the opposite side of the house - too far away) We gave up some space in the pantry and installed a 6 gallon hot water heater. No more waiting! Works great!



.

[carmen]

You can set up a gray water reclamation tank on sinks and probably showers also. www.watersavertech.com shows the Aqus water saver works. They cost $295 or so.

[greenroomsurfer]

Get an On Demand water heater gas or electric. They only heat water when the hot water is turned on. So you don't have a water heater wasting away 24-7. They make small ones for individual sinks etc. Oh yea, you never run out of hot water. I have even put them on a toilet if you can believe that. This crazy lady wanted hot water to run through the toilet to sanitize it.:idontno:I have an out door shower and the water is directed into the plants. Save water and shower with a friend! :cool:

[NoHall]

Blessed are all of you for caring about water! Save Lake Lanier...

[greenroomsurfer]

NoHall you should get one of these. when the lake is full or dried up ya can still use it.8817

[NoHall]

NoHall you should get one of these. when the lake is full or dried up ya can still use it.8817


:whack: Not funny.

I hope that all of our lake water that is being wasted down there brings a plague of mosquitoes to your yard.

[ckhagen]

I was going to suggest the on-demand heater, they're awesome!
Isn't grey-water reclamation illegal in some areas? Just wondering, I think it's a great thing, but I remember a friend whose husband worked for a city water dept, saying that reclaiming grey water was illegal in their town.

eta: I might be thinking of a different kind of grey water reclamation...

[greenroomsurfer]

Sorry Nohall. I will however take Mosquito's over Yellow Flies any day of the week. It's all Mrs. Greenrooms brothers fault. He bought this big ars obnoxious boat and since then Lake Lanier has been going down. First time out on that lake he ran hard aground a screwed it up big time.:idontno:

[greenroomsurfer]

I was going to suggest the on-demand heater, they're awesome!
Isn't grey-water reclamation illegal in some areas? Just wondering, I think it's a great thing, but I remember a friend whose husband worked for a city water dept, saying that reclaiming grey water was illegal in their town.
Totally illegal but the phosphates are like steroids for plants!!!!

[ckhagen]

So... why is it illegal. I mean, it makes perfect sense from a layman perspective, but what would be so scary about it that it would be proposed as illegal? I'm all for doing illegal stuff if it makes sense though ;)

[NoHall]

So... why is it illegal. I mean, it makes perfect sense from a layman perspective, but what would be so scary about it that it would be proposed as illegal? I'm all for doing illegal stuff if it makes sense though ;)

If you let it sit and collect for any length of time, it becomes a nasty bacterial soup.

But if, for instance, your washing machine hose runs out into a place where it can soak into the ground and water your plants, it would not collect and stagnate.

You don't want to use it to water lawns, though. The soap residue on the blades of grass does more harm than good.

[ckhagen]

Ah, makes sense. We don't use many scary chems and soaps in this house (no SLS's, no bleach, no phosphates, etc...) so sometimes I forget how dangerous semi-used water can be. But using it to flush my toilets makes total sense, watering the plants, maybe not.

[Sand Angel]

So... why is it illegal. I mean, it makes perfect sense from a layman perspective, but what would be so scary about it that it would be proposed as illegal? I'm all for doing illegal stuff if it makes sense though ;)

The current public health laws are largely based on levels of fecal coliforms & e. coli present in gray water, particularly a problem with waste water from bathtubs & washing machines. The laws are in place to reduce exposure to these harmful bacteria.

[ASH]

Get an On Demand water heater gas or electric. I have even put them on a toilet if you can believe that. This crazy lady wanted hot water to run through the toilet to sanitize it.

Greenroomsurfer, be careful with hot water in a toilet. Do you know what seals the toilet to the floor? A wax ring that hot water will melt.
And yes, I did learn this the hard way many years ago when I had frozen pipes back in MN. Poured scalding hot water down the toilets hoping to warm up the pipes headed to the septic system and ended up making a quick trip to town for three new wax rings. :lol:

Great ideas on catching the water and using on plants. We are implementing this one today. Thanks

[Mermaid]

I grew up with an artesian well in the yard so we never ever wasted water! If you google "how to save water in your house" you will come up with several ideas, like these:


http://greenhome.huddler.com/image_repo_1/thumbs/f/fc/brush-teeth.jpg/201x201px-LL-brush-teeth.jpgDon’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth (or shave, wash your face, etc). Turning off the water during teeth-brushing can save up to two gallons of water every time you brush.

Fix leaks – this can save up to 10 gallons of water a day from one faucet. Fixing a leaky toilet can save about 200 gallons of water daily.

Install low-flow showerheads (http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/category/showerheads) and faucet aerators (http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/category/faucets). This can save both hot and cold water (aerators can save up to 40%).

Take showers instead of baths. A bath typically requires 70 gallons of water, while a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.

When you need to run the washing machine or dishwasher, make sure the machines are full (and when you need to replace them, go for high efficiency).

When you need to water your lawn or garden, do not water between 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. Some estimates say that more than 50 percent of landscape water is wasted through evaporation or runoff caused by over-watering.

If you pour yourself a glass of water and don’t finish it, instead of pouring it down the drain, find another use for it such as watering a plant.

Avoid flushing the toilet when you don’t have to – throw tissues, insects, and dental floss away in the trash instead of the toilet.

When you wash dishes by hand, fill one sink/basin with soapy water followed by a quick rinse under a mild drip from the faucet.
http://greenhome.huddler.com/image_repo_1/thumbs/9/91/pitcher.jpg/156x156px-LL-pitcher.jpg
Don’t wait for the water from the faucet get warm before you wash your hands.

Instead of waiting for the tap to run cold when you want a glass of water, store a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator.

Don’t use running water to thaw frozen food. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or use your microwave’s defrost setting.

Don’t pre-wash dishes before you put them into the dishwasher. Scrape off residual food but then load them directly into the washer.

[greenroomsurfer]

I didn't make that mistake, I surf and we use wax for traction. Not all toilets have wax rings. Some work on vacuum systems and the big money ones have totally different connections like bodays ( spelling ?) and they have hot and cold running water. I lived over seas till I was 16 and the US is way behind when it comes to house hold engineering ( France, Germany and Japan made it an art form) They have had on demand water heaters for 30+ years. Believe it or not in Seville Spain there is an Old Roman archaeologist site called Italica they had flushing toilets and running water 3000 years ago and the town there now doesn't even have that. Oh yea and paved roads an aqueducts. maybe we should learn from the past Romans.:idontno:

[greenroomsurfer]

Hey mermaid ya forgot one. Don't spill your Cosmo.

[Mermaid]

Hey mermaid ya forgot one. Don't spill your Cosmo.

You think there's any chance of that happening? :floor:

[Smiling JOe]

The on-demand (aka - tankless) water heaters will do the trick, but only if you install it close to the faucet. If you simply replace your existing water heater, the water will still be wasted as you wait for the hot water, and you will be wasting the energy used to heat the water which remains in the pipe when you turn off the water. A well-designed, energy efficient home would be designed with location of water heaters in mind -- a rare find in our over-sized homes being built, today.

[NoHall]

Ah, makes sense. We don't use many scary chems and soaps in this house (no SLS's, no bleach, no phosphates, etc...) so sometimes I forget how dangerous semi-used water can be. But using it to flush my toilets makes total sense, watering the plants, maybe not.


Last summer when the lake was almost empty and my well was getting low, I started using the water out of the tub for toilet flushing. My lavender bubble bath kept the bowl nice and clean.

I ran the washing machine into a rain barrel (we don't have a law against gray water in Georgia) and the water went out a spigot onto my trees. I filled up milk jugs with water and put them in the bottom of the barrel to force most of the water out, and it didn't get too icky in there. I don't use fabric softener, though.

I'm thinking of doing it again. My stupid septic system likes it better without the washing machine, anyway--it floods out too much water too quickly.

[ASH]

Up North, I routed my water conditioner and wash machine to a separate drain field to help the situation of overfilling a septic tank.
Four kids were very tough on the old system until I did this.

[sowalgayboi]

I didn't make that mistake, I surf and we use wax for traction. Not all toilets have wax rings. Some work on vacuum systems and the big money ones have totally different connections like bodays ( spelling ?) and they have hot and cold running water. I lived over seas till I was 16 and the US is way behind when it comes to house hold engineering ( France, Germany and Japan made it an art form) They have had on demand water heaters for 30+ years. Believe it or not in Seville Spain there is an Old Roman archaeologist site called Italica they had flushing toilets and running water 3000 years ago and the town there now doesn't even have that. Oh yea and paved roads an aqueducts. maybe we should learn from the past Romans.:idontno:

I don't think the Romans are the best example. Those flushing toilets were like the urinals in large arenas. Long tub with constantly running water.

[greenroomsurfer]

And your point is?

[organicmama]

In countries/islands like Curacao, Netherlands Antilles the locals don't have hot water heaters. Obviously, the hotels do, but even the well-to-do locals generally didn't have hot water & I learned to take showers when the pipes were most likely to be warmed up by the sun. Still froze my tushie off & it really cut my shower length down to nil. That also mean that the washing machine always washed on cold. I don't remember a dishwasher. I think it was rarely used, if there was one in the house.

[scooterbug44]

I spent the week feeling guilty whenever I ran my shower to get warm water! :blush:

Then decided this morning I will not feel guilty about my warm water until people stop watering the sidewalks, planting lawns, and building a million gallon a day waterparks in drought stricken areas. :wave:

[NoHall]

I spent the week feeling guilty whenever I ran my shower to get warm water! :blush:

Then decided this morning I will not feel guilty about my warm water until people stop watering the sidewalks, planting lawns, and building a million gallon a day waterparks in drought stricken areas. :wave:

Why don't you just kick me in the head, Scooterbug? :angry:

[scooterbug44]

Sorry, I just meant that it's AWFUL hard to justify a cold shower on a Monday morning when I'll see people wasting water all day. :blush:

I try to do my part, but find it hard to get TOO extreme! Do I get let out of the doghouse a little if I don't have a lawn and rarely wash my car? :wave:

[NoHall]

Sorry, I just meant that it's AWFUL hard to justify a cold shower on a Monday morning when I'll see people wasting water all day. :blush:

I try to do my part, but find it hard to get TOO extreme! Do I get let out of the doghouse a little if I don't have a lawn and rarely wash my car? :wave:

Put a bucket under the spigot until it heats up and use it somewhere worthwhile. Or bring it back to Lake Lanier where it belongs.

You are welcome to wash your car at a facility that recycles its own water, like we have to do up here...

We are about to go to the Supreme Court with the water war because Florida and Alabama think Atlanta wastes water...and yet, like you say, y'all are down there watering the sidewalks. We haven't been allowed to wash our cars at home in over a year.

[Rita]

Put a bucket under the spigot until it heats up and use it somewhere worthwhile. Or bring it back to Lake Lanier where it belongs.

You are welcome to wash your car at a facility that recycles its own water, like we have to do up here...

We are about to go to the Supreme Court with the water war because Florida and Alabama think Atlanta wastes water...and yet, like you say, y'all are down there watering the sidewalks. We haven't been allowed to wash our cars at home in over a year.

.
Really? Keep us posted on that.


.

[organicmama]

Sorry, I just meant that it's AWFUL hard to justify a cold shower on a Monday morning when I'll see people wasting water all day. :blush:

I try to do my part, but find it hard to get TOO extreme! Do I get let out of the doghouse a little if I don't have a lawn and rarely wash my car? :wave:

I am working on cutting my shower time down, among other water conserving things.

Thanks, NoHall, for your info, as many times we do not realize that our actions affect not only us, but others, even far away geographically.

I've realized a lot lately that until there's shortages that affect a community, people generally don't start conserving anything. In chatting with various people lately, especially with our family making active changes in our lives to live with less "impact" on the world, it's funny to hear some of the responses. Most are very supportive, but I actually had a family member today tell me that I was crazy to want to implement some of the things that we're doing.

[DuneLaker]

I hear you NoHall. Turn off the dang sprinklers. It drives me crazy when I see my neighbors sprinkler hitting into the dune lake. It drives me crazy when I see the runoff from 30A going all over the road. It drives me crazy when school children can't walk on the sidewalks in the morning because the sprinklers are going all over the sidewalks!!!! It drives me crazy when I can't see the traffic coming down 30A because of the mist from the sprinklers. It drives me crazy when the sprinkler hits my windshield when I drive down 30A. Your plants and grass will live. Turn them off!!!

[NoHall]

MAY I PLEASE VENT?!?!?

I just returned from my merry vacation at the gulf, in a state whose authorities want all our mismanaged water from north of Atlanta. Part of our "mismanagement" involves watering restrictions that would make your tongue dry up and fall out, yet I saw a veritable plethora of folk who think that driveways and streets need to be watered--in the middle of the freakin' day!!! Most of the offenders were commercial properties/subdivisions. I saw one business who had left a hose on so long that there was literally a pond in the yard. Bat turds.

So, once again, NoHall's lessons on irrigation for grownups:

First of all, watering your grass every day is bad for it. You make it dependent on water. Water less frequently, but deeply. Your grass will develop deeper roots and will actually become drought tolerant.

Water just before dawn. If you water in the evening, the excess water sets up fungi, which is not what you want in your grass. If you water in the middle of the day, you're losing a lot of the water to evaporation AND you're damaging the plants. The droplets act like little magnifying glasses on the leaves and will actually burn them. If you water before dawn, the fungi-causing excess will evaporate before it has time to burn.

Adjust your dad-gummed sprinkler heads. You shouldn't be watering driveways and streets.

I'm going to organize a protest if this doesn't improve. Instead of having a standoff at the Buford Dam, I'm going to invite 10,000 of my best friends to the state line and encourage them to all pee in the Chattahoochee...that will provide y'all plenty of "water," right?

[DuneLaker]

Most of the turf grass needs to eliminated in Georgia and Florida. I think the trend for so much turf grass started around the 1950s so people could show off to their neighbors that they had enough leisure time and money to have a lawn. Trying to keep up with the Vanderbilts. Turf grass is quite harmful to the environment and to our water issues. I am concerned that the Apalachicola oysters are in danger because someone in Georgia wants to overwater their lawn or pansies. Likewise, people in Georgia shouldn't suffer needlessly because some Floridians water the roads and sidewalks with reckless abandon.

[NoHall]

Most of the turf grass needs to eliminated in Georgia and Florida. I think the trend for so much turf grass started around the 1950s so people could show off to their neighbors that they had enough leisure time and money to have a lawn. Trying to keep up with the Vanderbilts. Turf grass is quite harmful to the environment and to our water issues. I am concerned that the Apalachicola oysters are in danger because someone in Georgia wants to overwater their lawn or pansies. Likewise, people in Georgia shouldn't suffer needlessly because some Floridians water the roads and sidewalks with reckless abandon.

Lake Lanier's mussels have been dying for quite some time. The Apalachicola oysters can be moved to deeper water. When Apalachicola has drained Lake Lanier, the oysters are going to die...Florida can point fingers up here all day long, but once the water is gone we all lose.

Georgians haven't been allowed to water lawns or pansies for a year, and before that we were under heavy restrictions. But I agree with your statement about turf. The funny part is that the Vanderbilts didn't have a yard full of Yard Bird sprinkler heads...

[greenroomsurfer]

Wait a minute there Ms. Nohall, we had to bring in special clean green water for western lake this weekend just for you!!!!!:funn::funn::funn:

[NoHall]

Wait a minute there Ms. Nohall, we had to bring in special clean green water for western lake this weekend just for you!!!!!:funn::funn::funn:
That was very sweet, and I told all my friends!

[organicmama]

My neighbor across the street from us got in trouble last week for watering his lawn in the middle of the day with a hose. The water meter person was polite to him, but the homeowner got kind of rude & I heard him say it was his right to do what he wants with his lawn. I think he got a ticket and I haven't seen him out watering since then.:idontno::biggrin:

He's not a permanent resident, BTW. He and his wife are from a neighboring state and come down every 2-3 months for a couple of weeks. Just so y'all know I'm not busting any locals!

[NoHall]

My neighbor across the street from us got in trouble last week for watering his lawn in the middle of the day with a hose. The water meter person was polite to him, but the homeowner got kind of rude & I heard him say it was his right to do what he wants with his lawn. I think he got a ticket and I haven't seen him out watering since then.:idontno::biggrin:

He's not a permanent resident, BTW. He and his wife are from a neighboring state and come down every 2-3 months for a couple of weeks. Just so y'all know I'm not busting any locals!

He is absolutely right. He can do what he wants with whatever water he can manufacture himself. Jerk. Give me the address--I have a few extra Round-Up grenades I want to launch...:angry:

[greenroomsurfer]

Nohall ya get rye grass seed and ya write something in the yard and in the winter when it pops all at the same time-------walla!!!!

[NoHall]

Nohall ya get rye grass seed and ya write something in the yard and in the winter when it pops all at the same time-------walla!!!!

I like the way you think. :biggrin:

[organicmama]

He is absolutely right. He can do what he wants with whatever water he can manufacture himself. Jerk. Give me the address--I have a few extra Round-Up grenades I want to launch...:angry:

Don't want that crap near my house! :shock:

I cannot imagine what Lanier looks like right now. I have not seen it in 2 years. Nor can I fathom the restrictions y'all have been under.

[NoHall]

I cannot imagine what Lanier looks like right now. I have not seen it in 2 years. Nor can I fathom the restrictions y'all have been under.

Typical view from shore:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m254/benzo411/drought_2.jpg

This one is about a mile from my house:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m254/benzo411/lanier12108sm.jpg

Lovely red clay shorelines:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m254/benzo411/lanier_levels_from_tondees_tavern.jpg

We are 13' below pool right now (I think it was about 18' down at the worst) but are about to head out of the wet season into summer, so it will only get worse from here until winter.

We pray for big fat hurricanes that tear up through the Gulf and rampage to North Georgia when it gets like this. That's the only kind of rain that can save us now. Just sayin'.

[organicmama]

:yikes:Holy sh__!!!! Thanks for the post! That's insane.

Mom& dad are on Lake Oconee & have it bad but NOT like that.

Typical view from shore:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m254/benzo411/drought_2.jpg

This one is about a mile from my house:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m254/benzo411/lanier12108sm.jpg

Lovely red clay shorelines:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m254/benzo411/lanier_levels_from_tondees_tavern.jpg

We are 13' below pool right now (I think it was about 18' down at the worst) but are about to head out of the wet season into summer, so it will only get worse from here until winter.

We pray for big fat hurricanes that tear up through the Gulf and rampage to North Georgia when it gets like this. That's the only kind of rain that can save us now. Just sayin'.