To ask you all to save water?

[BareBums]

I haven't seen a thread on this so thought I'd start one.
I don't usually care much for things like this tbh but I think when the situation could reach as serious as it did in 1975/76 it makes me want to do my bit.

So AIBU to ask you all to consider the water shortage and save water? Put a brick in your cistern, turn off the tap when brushing teeth, share baths or take quick showers, don't leave the tap running for washing up or washing hands, instead fill the sink with some water?

I'm not one for preaching where it's not wanted but it does effect us all so instead if thinking "well they won't bother so why should I?" can we think "They don't bother and that is why I should!"

Thanks for reading, hope I change at least one persons mind to save water! :)

can I add... keep the boy away from the tap. he takes after his dad and you would think that using as much water as possible was imperative.

Excellent idea for a thread- BES is he a water sign?

Instead of running the hot tap to do washing up I ran it into a jug yesterday-was shocked to see it was a good 2.5 litres I was wasting every time

I now feel very virtuous & use it to water the plants or throw on the lawn's brown bits.

Have got 2 water butts & just need to get them installed for when we DO get some rain.

Anyone got experience of collecting grey (ex bath) water ?

Do I get a badge? I feel we need badges to encourage us BB!

YABU.

There has never been a water shortage where I live, and using less water here would make no difference at all to the areas with the shortage problem.

Sorry YANBU either!

YABU. No water shortages here either. Could sell you some though?

Whilst Iike what you say (I already do most if that) I can't help but think the water companies should be doing more. Spending some of their money to fix the pipes, I'm sure one of their many leaks wastes more water than I ever could.

Rain? I'm jealous. It's snowing here ( and no, I'm not joking)

Ooh perfect timing for thread. I have a couple of questions.
Can I use washing up water (no dishwasher) to water the plants? I have been for the past week so am hoping it is ok.
What about water that is left in the steamer or saucepans from cooking veg? Can that be used for the garden too? What water shouldn't we be using on our garden?
In the last 3 days I have decided to fill my watering can from the hot tap, I mean waiting for the hot water to come through. It has amazed me how much water I have collected loads, it amazed me how much water I was wasting just from running the hot water tap.
I too am interested in grey water - bathroom window is above my side alley so do I just suck on a hosepipe and pour it into a bucket below?

YANBU but water shortages are as much to do with private company mismanagement as lack of rain.

and in Brazil there is a campaign to pee in the shower as a national duty :)

That's the thing, Syd and Its...what we really need is the infrastructure to move the water from where you and I live, where shortages are not and never have been an issue, to where they are.

Plenty of places move water hundreds of miles. I don't really understand why the UK doesn't, other than cost of laying pipe, etc.

I agree ifeelloved I think the water companies should be doing more. But when I think I think of how much water I waste use from baths and running the hot tap I am hoping that if I can recycle my water my water bill might go down even if only by a few £s a month probably naive

We use 40% less water than the average household of the same size according to our meter/water company so are doing ok I think. YANBU but I'm afraid you will get responses such as "I'll worry about it when it stops coming out of the tap" as on the shower thread.

Tee2072 I think there is alot more involved in moving water than just laying a few pipes! It won't flow South of its own accord it would have to be pumped and that would take an enormous amount of energy. Moving water has always been difficult hence most settlements tend to be where there is some.

I suspect the long term answer is more reservoirs in the places where so many people live. Perhaps the answer is with the water companies to invest in the infrastructure instead of patchin up what they inherited from pre-privatisation days.

Anyway - good luck and all that but we are pretty OK for water round here. Reservoirs looked quite healthily full last time I looked.

We need to get some of those things that fit onto the tap and make the flow into a spray....what are they called?

to those who ask: yes it is ok to use bathwater and dishwater to water the plants. but not the water from the dishwater because the detergents for them are quite nasty.

Where I live the is no water shortage. In fact it's bucketing it down now. But YANBU

I think we all have a duty to conserve water. Just because we have it, that is not a reason to waste it. We don't pay water rates, but are careful with what we use. It's a natural resource that's not unlimited. We ALL need to do our bit.

YABU-Who made you water monitor?

No water shortage here but I am always mindful not to waste water when we visits pils in the se of England.

I find it really scary that something so vital to life is in short supply in some parts of the country. I agree absolutely about investing in infrastructure to move and store water, the shortages are only going to get worse.

I did a thread last week because I was very pleased with myself at figuring out a way of diverting the bath water into the water butt. It's a bit fiddly but I've attached a length of hose to an old funnel which I've hooked over the bit where all the sink/bath/gutter drainage pipes merge into one downpipe. I can then hook the bath outlet pipe over the funnel. As long as I empty the bath very slowly (putting a plastic duck over the plug hole so that the water just trickles out!), it goes smoothly down the funnel and either into the water butt or straight onto my garden. You do have to be careful with the speed of emptying the bath, though. Too fast and it just floods over the top of the funnel.

You can just stick a hose through your bathroom window, into the bath and siphon it out that way but our window is very high up so this wasn't very easy.

I'm feeling very smug about this because, as well as conserving water, I'm on a water meter so I'll be saving a fortune this summer, not having to pay for water to water the plants.

Similar thread here

Useful link for people who doubt the rainfall shortage in many parts of England:
rainfall anomaly map
If you scroll down the months til you get annual, select 2011 and rainfall stats you can see where has had more than average rain for that region and where has had less.

If you are doing your bathroom up you can get super low flush eco toilets. We got this one It is dual flush that uses less than most other toilets on the market. We have found that just the little flush is sufficient for poo. So that is one thing.

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1437724-Hosepipe-ban-or-not-I-WILL-be-watering-my-garden-everyday this mn thread has some good suggestions on how to use less water in the garden.

x-post with mummydoit :)

this thread grrr.

btw - rain (or snow) tomorrow. For those of you in drought areas, today would be a good day for connecting those water butts up! (my 3 are empty already)