Hosepipe Ban - Tips on how to wash your car....

[Spinal]

No it doesn't - that's a myth. Modern cars aren't affected in the slightest.

Thats only true if your paintwork is forming an immaculate seal around your steel... How many people here can state that they are 100% sure that there isn't the tiniest stone chip on their car? A microscopic chip won't be noticed until it rusts... and salt will accelerate that process...

Or are all modern cars galvanised? If so, I didn't know...

 

[stats007]

I know exactly where all the stone chips were on my car! Besides, they are easily rectified - it's not like it's the 80s with FIATs rusting from the inside out.

 

[big x]

No it doesn't - that's a myth. Modern cars aren't affected in the slightest.

You cannot be serious ! If only it were true. In countries like Japan you won't find the following ( 4 different W210's shown).They have more rain and in the north tons more snow than the UK but no road salt.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=5824

 

[Birdman]

the hosepipe ban is residential for now.

What you need is a farm with a well and then no worries about water rates/domestic restrictions.

Not that our farmers ever worry about these things. Or clean the earth off their tractor wheels judging from the mud on the local roads.

Is it Singapore where you can be fined for driving around in an unwashed car?

 

[SimonsMerc]

Not being funny, but why can't everyone just accept that it is being done for the good of everyone ?

The EA and water companies don't all get up one morning and think ' right lets really piss everyone off today'

Actually if they'd just invest the money into repairing leaks, we wouldn't have this problem. They really do get up and think "right, let's piss off our customers today" - because they only care about their shareholders. These are private companies, and they are in it to make money.

They recently lowered our mains pressure from 2bar to 1bar, as this is their "legally required minimum". My power shower and finnish spa bath no longer work. I wrote them a letter asking why, they said that it's to lessen the amount of water lost through leakage. I wrote back and asked them if they will be repairing the leaks, and I have not yet had an answer (three months so far, letter sent by special delivery so I know they got it).

Class action anyone?

-simon

 

[Ashley]

Clean tractor wheels, yeah right.

Just told my son to clean the tractor tomorrow when he knocks off with a serious face, I will not repeat his response.

We use a lot of water around £150 a week on top of self maintained supplies. Including winter but we are not affected by bans if they come this far north.

 

[Birdman]

Clean tractor wheels, yeah right.

Just told my son to clean the tractor tomorrow when he knocks off with a serious face, I will not repeat his response.

We use a lot of water around £150 a week on top of self maintained supplies. Including winter but we are not affected by bans if they come this far north.

Met some heavy mud deposits on the road the other day as I came round a bend in the road and was glad I wasn't on the motorbike as it could have been very tricky.

A local doctor's wife was killed down here when her car skidded out of control on mud left on the road by heavy plant leaving a ploughed field. Police prosecuted the farmer for manslaughter as it's his statutory duty not to endanger other road users lives.

I live on a farm too!

 

[jeremytaylor]

Actually if they'd just invest the money into repairing leaks, we wouldn't have this problem. They really do get up and think "right, let's piss off our customers today" - because they only care about their shareholders. These are private companies, and they are in it to make money.

They recently lowered our mains pressure from 2bar to 1bar, as this is their "legally required minimum". My power shower and finnish spa bath no longer work. I wrote them a letter asking why, they said that it's to lessen the amount of water lost through leakage. I wrote back and asked them if they will be repairing the leaks, and I have not yet had an answer (three months so far, letter sent by special delivery so I know they got it).

Class action anyone?

-simon

You think that's bad.

Most flats in London now have mains-fed combination boiler for their heating and hot water. Thames Water want to turn down the pressure to reduce leaks, which means that most flats above 2nd floor won't have enough pressure to run their combi boilers, meaning no heating/hot water. Now that is serious!

 

[Spinal]

You think that's bad.

Most flats in London now have mains-fed combination boiler for their heating and hot water. Thames Water want to turn down the pressure to reduce leaks, which means that most flats above 2nd floor won't have enough pressure to run their combi boilers, meaning no heating/hot water. Now that is serious!

LMAO! Sorry to all those affected but this is moving from the pathetic to the ridiculous! That REALLY reminds me of Gambia, where every house higher that one floor would need watertanks on the top floor and pumps to get water to the whole house (even when there WAS water being pumped from the mains).

Add that to the amazing NHS (sorry to those that work in it) (I've had to wait 6+ hours with a broken ankle at a hospital...) and this really makes me wonder, what is the process by which a country/region can apply for third world (oops, sorry, developing world, better be PC here) status? I'm sure the EU would give some subsidies to help us "develop"?

Michele

 

[dagd]

Well, I got my annual water rates bill the other day, didn't notice any reduction for restricting my usage during the comming year, now, if I use less gas or electicity, because of a fault or leaky gas pipe in the road, I pay less. I know these are metered and I pay for what is used. I love to have my water metered but they can't supply them quick enough due to demand.

 

[fuzzer]

I'm going to get up early at the crack of dawn i.e. 4.45AM and get around it that way as not many people/neighbours up around then...

Step 1: Rinse entire vehicle with hose pipe... (quickly as possible)
Step 2: Turn hose pipe off and wash car with shampoo as per normal
Step 3: Quickly rinse shampoo off vehilce with house pipe when done

If a neighbour grasses/reports you then insist that the pipe was used to fill the bucket with water and was immediataly swicthed off when bucket was filled!!!. Only way they will be able to successfully prosecute you is if your neigbours are sad enough to video/photograph you in the act...

does dawn know?

 

[Dieselman]

I'm not sure if this is of interest to anyone but it shows that we are just not recieving the normal amount of rain, hence the water companies have a probem they don't normally have.

I personally don't see the problem regarding leaking pipes as all the water drains back into the ground and is then reused. I appreciate it can be an annoyance if the pressure is low.

Here is a map showing the rainfall. You will see that 2005 was significantly below the normal amount, hence the need to conserve water.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2004_2005dryspell.html

 

[Wezzel]

This is what winds me up:

I use a flash car wash thingy. I turn the gadget on and off in short bursts and wash a panel at a time. I doubt very much if I use more than 50 litres per wash (it's probably more like 25 - 30 litres).

My neighbour has a 12' diameter freestanding swimming pool which holds about 12,500 litres which he is allowed to fill without restrictions.

The amount of water needed to fill his pool would let me wash my car every week for at least 5 years!

How fair is that.

 

[nigel cross]

Im confused now, but can somebody explain what happens to water that goes down the drains? If i was washing my car the water would run down the drains and then it vanishes? Or does it get pumped out to sea? If it rains how does thames water collect the rain water ? from the drains? cant do!

 

[nigel cross]

This is crazy, after looking at thames water web site it doesnt mention pressure washers. So i phoned up the hot line to enquire. Yes you can use your pressue washer to wash your patio or paving, but you cant use it to wash the car. On further questioning he replied its a health and safety issue, you may want to clean up your paths due to a spillage and so you can use your pressue washer, but you cant fill up your water butts with it !!

 

[dagd]

This is crazy, after looking at thames water web site it doesnt mention pressure washers. So i phoned up the hot line to enquire. Yes you can use your pressue washer to wash your patio or paving, but you cant use it to wash the car. On further questioning he replied its a health and safety issue, you may want to clean up your paths due to a spillage and so you can use your pressue washer, but you cant fill up your water butts with it !!

What if I direct the drain off water from my raised patio into a bucket, can I use that? Or do I just let it soak into the ground (which is what it will do anyway after washing car anyway!)

 

[nigel cross]

The issue is that you cannot use a hose pipe connected to the mains to wash the car, buckets are fine. But you can fill a bucket up from a 'short hose'. Not quite sure at what lenght a short hose becomes a normal one.

 

[aka$h]

Just found a loophole, so Im sorted for washing my cars. The ban is only residential, and commercial properties are uneffected. I have just called thames water, and asked as a commercial unit, am I effected in any way?
"No Sir, if your using a hosepipe on your property you are not effected" :bannana:

 

[nigel cross]

In theory if i was next to a commerical unit using their hose but on my property , would i be ok?

 

[dagd]

Great, We've an outside tap in our car park at work, just by the back door:bannana: