Water saving tips
*Easy water
saving during water shortage*
Global warming and rising sea levels,
yet a water shortage !
As the earth heats up and the ice caps melt, the sea levels start to rise
- and what do we have - hose-pipe bans and a situation of "water,
water everywhere and not a drop to drink"!
After every long winter, the warm and sunny weather finally arrives -
together with hose-pipe bans for many of us. I am lucky to live in an
area that has not banned the use of hose-pipes, but because I have a water
meter, I am very conscious of how much water I use. I would like to be
able to say that my concern is only for the environment, and that does
matter to me, but the amount of my bills is a factor that is rather more
important at the moment. I already have three water-butts and 2 plastic
dustbins for storing rain water, but they do not last very long when you
are watering thirsty runner beans. So I have started to save my shower
water! Any recycled water is known as "grey water" and can be
bath or shower water, washing up water or water from your washing machine.
You can use this water in your garden for plants and shrubs, but it is
not a good idea to water your fruit and vegetables with this water
saving method because of the chemicals used in the various soap products.
Also, if you want to save the water from your washing machine, then you
need to change to non-bio washing powder or liquid. Washing up water needs
to be filtered first - but this can be done by pouring the saved water
into a watering can or bucket through an old pair of tights (is there
no end to the use of old tights?)
So, my shower water is now collected & saved instead of going straight
down the drain. My next door neighbour has been very helpful and put an
extension piece onto the pipe that is connected to the outlet from my
bath so it now empties into a large container. But he has done it in a
way that means I can re-divert back to the drains during the winter. I
should add that I live in a bungalow, so this has not been too big a job.
The container was given to me and my neighbour had a piece of plumbing
pipe in his garage, so there has been no cost involved in saving
this water. I am managing to save about 50 litres of water per
shower, which is enough to water my shrubs and plants that are not established
and whose roots have not yet grown down far enough to obtain enough moisture
by themselves. I have never thought it worth watering the lawn, although
I realise some people want their grass to be green, not patchy and brown
like mine.
If your drains are situated in a place that means you cannot put a container
nearby, and you don't want to carry watering cans through your home, there
is a gadget now available from many gardening stores and on the
internet. It is called a "drought
buster" and is, basically, a length of hose-pipe with a "bulb"
near one end and uses atmospheric pressure to draw the water up from the
bath and through the hose pipe. A few squeezes of the bulb will start
the water flowing and, if the pipe is long enough, you can put the other
end out through a window into a container. The hose can be lengthened
by using standard hose pipe connectors.
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DroughtBuster. Water Recycler DroughtBuster is a simple legal way of using your garden hose during the hosepipe ban. By reusing bath, shower or sink water, you can make sure your garden is always green and your car is clean.DroughtBuster uses natural atmospheric pressure to move used water from your bath or sink to your garden or water butt. It is incredibly simple and has no mechanical parts that can break down. Just high quality, robust, uncomplicated components that have been rigorously tested. More...
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I know you can also purify water with certain plants, so after I've watered
the garden with the saved water i think I'll look up my books to see which
reeds will clean up the water from my washing machine - then I'll be able
to top up the pond!
Author: Heather Rudge 26/06/06
Part-time researcher with a specific interest in the older generation.
To contact me, Just click here
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