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Frugal Water Saving Tips

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  • 18-01-2014 9:05pm
    #1
    Davy
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 19,340 CMod ✭✭✭✭


    To make tips easier to find, use a different thread for each topic.

    So any Water saving tips can go here................ :)
    Tagged:


«134

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    #2
    Scortho
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,876 ✭✭✭Scortho


    Davy wrote: »
    To make tips easier to find, use a different thread for each topic.

    So any Water saving tips can go here................ :)

    If it's yellow let it mellow


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    #3
    MarkR
    Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators Posts: 11,054 Mod ✭✭✭✭MarkR


    Scortho wrote: »
    If it's yellow let it mellow

    If it's brown, flush it down.


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    #4
    RebelButtMunch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭RebelButtMunch


    Put a brick in the cistern.


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    #5
    Roselm
    Registered Users Posts: 753 ✭✭✭Roselm


    If you dont drink the entirety of a glass of water pour in on houseplants rather than down the sink.


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    #6
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    RebelButtMunch wrote: »
    Put a brick in the cistern.

    Does nothing on any recent toilets other than cause you to have to flush twice.


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    #7
    Pang
    Registered Users Posts: 2,251 ✭✭✭Pang


    Put an inch of sand or pebbles into a plastic bottle or two and out it into the toilet cistern. Should reduce the amount of water you use when you flush.

    Don't flush anything down the toilet apart from your excrement and urine, especially cotton wool, sanitary waster etc...

    Fill the sink when shaving in order to rinse the razor. Don't do it under a running tap.


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    #8
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Pang wrote: »
    Put an inch of sand or pebbles into a plastic bottle or two and out it into the toilet cistern. Should reduce the amount of water you use when you flush.

    Again, DON'T do this on a new toilet.

    New toilets are designed to use the amount of water they actually need to flush. Putting stuff in the cistern will result in a huge increase in the amount of times you need to flush more than once to clear it.


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    #9
    Pang
    Registered Users Posts: 2,251 ✭✭✭Pang


    MYOB wrote: »
    Again, DON'T do this on a new toilet.

    New toilets are designed to use the amount of water they actually need to flush. Putting stuff in the cistern will result in a huge increase in the amount of times you need to flush more than once to clear it.

    Thanks for adding that about new toilets. Never thought to add it in.


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    #10
    slave1
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,693 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    No need for sand or pebbles, just use water! (on older toilets of course)

    My stuff for sale on Adverts inc. outdoor furniture, roof box and EDDI

    My Active Ads (adverts.ie)



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    #11
    livinsane
    Registered Users Posts: 1,090 ✭✭✭livinsane


    Get into the habit of putting the stopper in the kitchen sink so when you empty clean water from the kettle/drinking glasses it will go towards washing the ware.

    When washing up, start with the glasses and cleaner stuff and work towards the dirtiest so you get more time out of the water.


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    #12
    RebelButtMunch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭RebelButtMunch


    Select mixer taps when your re-fitting your sink


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    #13
    RebelButtMunch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭RebelButtMunch


    The power shower be just as efficient at cleaning when its not at 100% power.


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    #14
    YourName
    Registered Users Posts: 728 ✭✭✭YourName


    Get a gym membership, get fit and shower at the gym, win win ! !!


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    #15
    allthedoyles
    Registered Users Posts: 6,893 ✭✭✭allthedoyles


    With water charges just around the corner , would it be wise to buy an electric shaver , instead of shaving with razor every morning .

    Of course , one still needs to wash each morning , so may not be water saving there .

    Is there shower heads on the market that reduces water consumption during shower ?

    Would it be wise to collect buckets of rain-water and use in house for various chores .?

    Is it going to be cheaper to buy water in Lidl/Aldi rather than use metered water.?


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    #16
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,832 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    folks, if its anything like you have in Germany, the water will cost next to nothing rather than currently being "free" (except the billion euro a year it costs to provide it, on top of the 15billion a year "free" medical service etc etc....)

    Munich water is €1.53 per 1000L (0.153c/L) so your half litre of water to shave yourself with if priced the same would cost 0.076c.
    If you shave every single day in the year you will have the sum total of 27c of water used .

    To be honest, its not going to pay to buy an electric rasor if you are looking to save 27c a year on water.

    http://www.swm.de/privatkunden/m-wasser/preise.html


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    #17
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    allthedoyles wrote: »
    With water charges just around the corner , would it be wise to buy an electric shaver , instead of shaving with razor every morning .

    No, you'll never pay back the cost before it needs replacement.
    allthedoyles wrote: »
    Is there shower heads on the market that reduces water consumption during shower ?

    Yes, but you need hotter water and they carry a risk of legionella, pseudomonas and other nasty stuff. Not worth it.
    allthedoyles wrote: »
    Would it be wise to collect buckets of rain-water and use in house for various chores .

    In-house? Not a hope unless you want everything stained horribly. Garden use? Yes.
    allthedoyles wrote: »
    Is it going to be cheaper to buy water in Lidl/Aldi rather than use metered water.?

    Not ever. You seem to be expecting water to cost somewhere in the region of a thousand times what it will I think.


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    #18
    RebelButtMunch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭RebelButtMunch


    allthedoyles wrote: »
    With water charges just around the corner , would it be wise to buy an electric shaver , instead of shaving with razor every morning .

    Of course , one still needs to wash each morning , so may not be water saving there .

    Is there shower heads on the market that reduces water consumption during shower ?

    Would it be wise to collect buckets of rain-water and use in house for various chores .?

    Is it going to be cheaper to buy water in Lidl/Aldi rather than use metered water.?

    I thought I heard that the water will be free up to a limit? Meaning that as long as your not wasting a lot of water it shouldn't matter. Please let that be so.

    Why not just turn your shower power down a notch?
    Grow a beard :)

    I will be purchasing a water butt though. My neighbour has a nice one that looks like a big clay vase and has flowers growing in a depression on the top.


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    #19
    miamee
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 11,995 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    Why not put a timer in your shower? Relatives in both Australia and USA have these installed. One was a simple timer for 4 minutes so that you knew how long you were taking. The other was an actual cut off that stopped hot water after X amount of minutes...that was in a house of 4 teenagers so I guess needs must :D I'm sure a simple egg-timer type thing to keep an eye on how long you were in there would be helpful.


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    #20
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,832 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    RebelButtMunch wrote: »
    I thought I heard that the water will be free up to a limit? Meaning that as long as your not wasting a lot of water it shouldn't matter. Please let that be so.
    <snip>
    thats the way it is with group schemes which are metered and they have a heap of allowance, 225 cubic metres aparantly, which is 225,000 litres.
    http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/water_services/water_charges.html

    So, if you use 500ml of water to shave, you can shave yourself (and every animal and creature in the district should you need something to make sure you use what you're "entitled" to) 450,000 times before you exceed the yearly allowance!


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    #21
    allthedoyles
    Registered Users Posts: 6,893 ✭✭✭allthedoyles


    As far as I know the price of water per cubic metre has not been decided yet , but it is expected that the average monthly bill will be in the region of €40 per month for the average household , when Irish Water is up and running with metered usage .


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    #22
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,373 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    munchkin_utd wrote: »
    To be honest, its not going to pay to buy an electric rasor if you are looking to save 27c a year on water.
    Besides price many people just do not like being needlessly wasteful.

    My tip would be to shower like most people would wash their hands. You wet your hands, and lather up and then rinse off. So do the same in a shower, get wet and then soap up and then turn the water back on to rinse off, can be cold in this weather though. Saves water and soap.


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    #23
    RebelButtMunch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭RebelButtMunch


    allthedoyles wrote: »
    As far as I know the price of water per cubic metre has not been decided yet , but it is expected that the average monthly bill will be in the region of €40 per month for the average household , when Irish Water is up and running with metered usage .
    I wonder will that include meter rental or whatever other charges. It's pricey enough I think.


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    #24
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    rubadub wrote: »
    Besides price many people just do not like being needlessly wasteful.

    My tip would be to shower like most people would wash their hands. You wet your hands, and lather up and then rinse off. So do the same in a shower, get wet and then soap up and then turn the water back on to rinse off, can be cold in this weather though. Saves water and soap.

    May give people flashbacks of being in the military ;)

    Depending on how long it takes people to lather up this can save a huge amount of water and it is pretty much standard on any setup where you've limited water, such as military installations. I seem to remember my mother encountering it on an older cruise ship too.


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    #25
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    Has anyone got one of those yokes for making the water from the tap instantly hot? Just wondering would it be expensive to run. I find I have to wait ages to get the tap water to change from cold to hot when I want to wash up just a few dishes. I can only save so much for watering plants and I don't have that many plants anyway.


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    #26
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    They consume rather a lot of power; meaning that if your water is heated as an incidental to your domestic heating in winter you will almost inevitably end up spending more on the power to heat them than you save on the water.

    Kitchen tap consumption really isn't that high a percentage of the usage in an average house; its baths, showers, toilets and leaks.


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    #27
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    Thanks MYOB. Yes I'm aware that the water would be already hot over the winter period, its just coming into the summer I was wondering about. Thanks for the info you've put my mind at rest.


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    #28
    mfceiling
    Registered Users Posts: 12,774 ✭✭✭✭mfceiling


    http://www.pulseecoshower.com/HowitWorks.aspx


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    #29
    Markcheese
    Registered Users Posts: 8,428 ✭✭✭Markcheese


    People are losing the run of them selves , planning on spending thousands to save a few euros ,which is grand if they can afford it and know what they're spending/saving...
    I'm putting in a rain water harvesting system,it won't save me much(if anything) but I've wanted one for years (it'll be a cheapo system based around IBC tanks) but when i 'm replacing stuff in future I'll be looking at water usage
    ,taps,Showers, washing machines dish washers etc...
    The big quick saving will be dripping taps,leaky pipes,dodgy ball valves etc..
    Then it's habit ,not running taps needlessly ...

    Slava ukraini 🇺🇦



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    #30
    cambasque
    Registered Users Posts: 116 ✭✭cambasque


    a good saver on water is don't run the tap when brushing your teeth., just for rinsing....if you collect rain water and it's reasonably "fresh" , perfect for flushing the loo, think the loo takes 60% of a house's water.


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    #31
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,373 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    Jellybaby1 wrote: »
    Has anyone got one of those yokes for making the water from the tap instantly hot? Just wondering would it be expensive to run.
    Same price as using an electric kettle.

    I just boil or heat up some water that I need to wash up, then dump it all into the basin. The one on TV in the morning uses a plug top, this means the max power and therefore heating rate is the same as a high power kettle.
    Jellybaby1 wrote: »
    I can only save so much for watering plants.
    You are also wasting energy heating up all that pipework.

    I often do my cleaning straight away, as the food is often too hot to eat. So you can put some water in a baking tray or frying pan and put it back in the oven or on the stove and it warms up.


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