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

[GrahamC230K]

This IS a motoring forum.....

 

[Howard]

LOL

So subtle Graham ........

 

[Wezzel]

Yep, it's really starting to annoy me too. I'm not arguing about saving water. I think we should all do it.

And what's the point in people shopping their neighbours for filling a pool if it is not against the rules? That's the whole point I am trying to make. You can have a thousand helicopters flying overhead spotting pools but until it is illegal to fill them what's the point.

Let the water companies clamp down by all means but do it in a sensible and fair minded way without fudging it using outdated laws which are not really fit for the job in hand.

In my experience, people who do fill pools are more likely to do it because of the "pester power" of kids - not to brag about it down the pub.


Incidentally, I'm trying to make a point of principle here. I don't appreciate you using the fact that I display my home region on this site to imply threats against my neighbours who may be carrying out a lawful (even if it is selfish) action

Sorry folks, this is my last word on the subject.

 

[Howard]

Yawn, i display mine too, its no secret ......

Might not be lawful , its not a permanent structure, you youself said its not assembled yet ....

Get an injunction against me and my 'threats' if you want ..... i'm just fed up with people taking the piss ... i have to deal with it ...

 

[BTB 500]

I just don't understand why people with pools are still allowed to empty and re-fill them as many times as they fancy. As already mentioned, if theirs is likely to collapse when empty then presumably it's already full ... so emptying and re-filling can hardly be classed as 'essential'!

 

[Howard]

I think its probably refilling in terms of circulating water , i don't know really...

I can't imagine you would ever drain it down anyway .... i've never heard of anyone draining their pool down for the winter .....

Perhaps it's for people who have just had them built ? i don't know

 

[pineer35]

WHATS UP FOLKS ???

Fill bucket with water from tpa or butt ???.
Stand bucket on roof of car,after cleaning grit from bottom.
Secure short peice of hose enough to cover vehicle.in the bucket.
Syphon

 

[richard]

I think its probably refilling in terms of circulating water , i don't know really...

I can't imagine you would ever drain it down anyway .... i've never heard of anyone draining their pool down for the winter .....

Perhaps it's for people who have just had them built ? i don't know

You normally drop the level a few inches for winter - I dont know why -, but in the summer, every week you backwash the filter, which involves pumping water from the pool through the filter backwards, and into the drain - this takes the dirt out of the filter and into the drain. The hotter/dirtier the pool is (i.e if its rained its dirty), the longer you have to do that before the exiting water is clear again - and, yes, that takes water. If you dont do that, then you have to close the pool, which basically means hiking the chlorine level up high, turning off the heat, and covering it so the chlorine doesnt evaporate (and presumably dumping more chlorine in regularly) - or else it turns into a stagnant pond with all kinds of wildlife and bad stuff living in it.

Certain pools can be drained, but they always leave some water in it, otherwise if the water table rises too high it bursts through the bottom of the pool ... I think most pools are "liner" pools, i.e thin walls, plastic liner for waterpoofing, as opposed to concrete with tiles and grout for water-proofing - and liner pools will not fare well without a lot of water in them

R

 

[bangerman]

I live in West Wales and like Yorkshire, Rain... we've seen enough.
I was outside yesterday digging trenches as i have so much surface water running off the back yard it is flooding my driveway. ( and it hadn't rained for 3 days ).

It's been so wet i haven't washed the car in over a month ( cry cry ).

Typical W202, all the rust spots are running..

Sell you some water £ 1 a pint..

 

[Howard]

Thames Water have plenty - all Thames reservoirs are full .....

They are anticipating a dry summer with incresed demand and have implemented a hosepipe ban almost pre-emptively .....

 

[Dieselman]

Andy,

I think you'll find that most of the comments are tongue in cheek and a wind up (including mine). I've never used a hose for cleaning my car. I've just purchased a second 'space saver' water butt to cach the run off from my garage. However, I do find it ironic that because the water pressure has been reduced, I can no longer use my efficient power shower, which heats the water immediately. Instead, I have to use shower downstairs which is gravity fed from the tank. Why is it irononc? Because I have to run the shower for about three minutes to get any hot water through, that's about the same amount of water that I'd use in the power shower (wasted ).

It sounds like your electric shower is simply that an electric shower but not a power shower.
If you shop around you can purchase very good gravity showers. I have two that will deliver 10 litres a minute with 1 metre of head. I get very good showers without any energy input due to having 2.5 metres of head.

On a tanked system if you lag your pipes and use a flow and return circuit you can have instant hot water at any outlet.

 

[Dieselman]

PS I have a power shower, and although it's probably true that they use more water than people think ... mine definitely uses less water than the bath (because filling the bath to a comfortable depth requires all the hot water in the cylinder plus some cold, and I've never run out of hot water while having a shower).

Because your shower is blending hot and cold together. Have you tried a shower in 60 degC water?? Err no.

As you are supposed to be on a meter to have a power shower you can easily see how much water it consumes. It will be in the region of 20-25 litres per minute. This is why plumbers generally install twin header tanks, one can't keep up.

 

[Dieselman]

A hosepipe ban does not stop people who are inherently wasteful (for example putting the washing machine on every day for just a few items or running the dishwasher every day with half a dozen dirty plates inside).

Odd how a water meter seems to wake most wasters up.

The ban is ludicrously unfair and unbalanced. I can legally pour tens of thousands of litres into a swimming pool but I can't use 30 (or so) to wash my car. I can wash my entire house, paths and patio with a jet washer but if I turn round and aim a cupful on my roses I can be fined.

Get a good sized water butt. The plants much prefer rain water as it is untreated.

If we are to save water consumption we need to do it by education and not by way of biased laws such as this.

 

[BTB 500]

Because your shower is blending hot and cold together. Have you tried a shower in 60 degC water?? Err no.

Err I blend hot and cold water to have a bath too, except that requires all the hot water plus cold ... and the shower doesn't

As you are supposed to be on a meter to have a power shower.

Really, when did that become a requirement? Not mentioned by the company that did my bathroom, mind you I'm moving house tomorrow so I won't lose too much sleep over it

 

[Howard]

I think Dieselman is right actually , you are meant to be metered if you have a proper power shower installed ....

 

[BTB 500]

I think Dieselman is right actually , you are meant to be metered if you have a proper power shower installed ....

Sorry, no.

Water companies have the right to insist you install a meter if you have a power shower (or various other things, including a bath that holds more than 230 litres for example). Whether they do or not depends on the individual company. I'm with Three Valleys Water, whose rules for compulsory meters are here:

http://www.3valleys.co.uk/home/ah_wm_compulsory.shtml

So I can move house tomorrow with a clear conscience

 

[Howard]

Every day you learn something new is never a day wasted .....

cheers Bill

 

[BTB 500]

No power shower in the rented house I'm going to

Or internet connection (yet), so I'll be quiet till back at work next Tuesday!

 

[Goldfish11]

Water butts, Quick detailer, Polish and moving house

I have just logged on from France, spending Easter out here.

Anyway, washed car with my brother, he has a great system. Two water butts collecting water off the roof of the house. I have refused to let "Eco Wifey" (I must stop her reading these Eco books!) have these things as it makes a big mess round my house but I have just discovered a major benefit.

Washing cars with collected rain water results in ZERO water mark problems

So when I get home my project is to instal a few of these on various gutters.

Now for the next trick which we are working on. Connecting a hose system to connect to a pressure washer! This will need a small filter, but now we can use our rain water, pressure wash (gently and sparingly, as I dont want to empty my tank in 30minutes with the Karcher). But also like that Flash car wash system that softens water (and costs a fortune). The car ends up spotless.

Here in France they sell special rain water tanks in the DIY places that can be put in your loft so you can run all the house on collected rain water. Everyone is on a meter and if water gets short the price goes up.

So in summary, install a water butt and have a super clean car, water mark free car. (Only problem is you need a little rain!)

Now for tip number 2.

If the car is not too bad, a bit dusty but nothing major. Use "quick detailing" spray and microfibre cloths. I have used these and you can get a great finish. Meguiars do this type of product, you spray it on and then use the microfibre to wipe off. If there is not much rain on the roads you can get away with doing this once a week and then give the car a good wash every month.

Tip 3
Polish the car with high quality polish, you use lots less water to wash the car if they car surface is beading well. Dirt does not stick to the surface and if it rains hard the car becomes self cleaning.

Tip 4
Move North, its much nicer anyway, houses are cheaper, quality of life is better, roads are less crowded and we have loads of water

 

[Dieselman]

Anyway, washed car with my brother, he has a great system. Two water butts collecting water off the roof of the house. I have refused to let "Eco Wifey" (I must stop her reading these Eco books!) have these things as it makes a big mess round my house but I have just discovered a major benefit.

Washing cars with collected rain water results in ZERO water mark problems

So when I get home my project is to instal a few of these on various gutters.

Now for the next trick which we are working on. Connecting a hose system to connect to a pressure washer! This will need a small filter, but now we can use our rain water, pressure wash (gently and sparingly, as I dont want to empty my tank in 30minutes with the Karcher). But also like that Flash car wash system that softens water (and costs a fortune). The car ends up spotless.

Goldfish, with all your detailing I am suprised you have only just learnt this. Water marks are due to limescale and chemicals drying on the car.

Rainwater is also very good for washing your self, hair and flushing the loo as it's scale less.
The plants also like it as it is nitrogen rich.

For the pressure washer just use a floating filter or a submersible pump with floating filter. This ensures clean water from the top of the container.
Also you can buy downpipe diverters that allow particles and leaves to pass down the downright and collect the water by means of it straining through a mesh in the side walls of the unit.

Yesterday I purchased a 630 litre tank to replace my two butts and may well plumb it to the header tank for domestic use.

Yes the neighbours do think I'm a bit odd...oh well.

Tell wifey she is actually doing the right thing reading the Eco books, R.E.S.P.E.C.T.