What to do during hosepipe ban?

Cyrus

Perhaps a stupid qn but is there anything that can be done to try help a garden when the hosepipe ban is in force and you can’t water ?

evolving_doors

Grey water... Put a few buckets under yer shower in the morning.

Happy4all

My grass is yellow. Just going to bear it.
It will rain again in Ireland and all will return to normal.

I'd let it suffer / go brown. It'll be grand again in a few weeks. Anything that requires more than a gallon or two out of a watering can at night cant be done much for Imo

Cyrus

Yes that’s fair enough we spent a lot getting the garden done last year I’m just loath to let things die !

Roen

Few water butts of rain water.
They come up cheap on Aldi from time to time. I think I have 500l between the two off a small shed roof.
They don't be long filling up when there's a shower.

I won't last long if you're watering a lawn (grass is remarkably resilient anyway) but for the fruit and veg it's a life saver without going near a tap.

standardg60

To be honest I think it's great news, there's way too much water being wasted hosing down a garden which does very little to benefit plants anyway. All established lawns and plants will recover anyway, and newly planted plants are much better served by applying a full watering can (rose removed) directly to the roots two or three times a week.

Pauliedragon

I don't care what they say. I'll play with my hosepipe anytime I feel like it l.

standardg60

standardg60 wrote: »

To be honest I think it's great news, there's way too much water being wasted hosing down a garden which does very little to benefit plants anyway. All established lawns and plants will recover anyway, and newly planted plants are much better served by applying a full watering can (rose removed) directly to the roots two or three times a week.

Good advice there. Also you should consider a couple of water butts for the future. We’ve got 2 and are still using them for vulnerable plants especially those in tubs.

Wanderer78

Grass is a very resilient plant, a few weeks of little or no rain will be fine, don't waste expensively treated water on it

Frynge

I have an automatic watering system for all the hanging baskets and pots. Does this have to be turned off during the hosepipe ban?

Wheety

I've used about half my water butt. Could have done with a second one but this weather is not normal.

OldMrBrennan83

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Wanderer78

Frynge wrote:

I have an automatic watering system for all the hanging baskets and pots. Does this have to be turned off during the hosepipe ban?

Technically, probably yes

standardg60

Frynge wrote: »

I have an automatic watering system for all the hanging baskets and pots. Does this have to be turned off during the hosepipe ban?

If you have those little drip feed spikes inserted in the compost I would call that very sensible water management

standardg60

Pauliedragon wrote: »

I don't care what they say. I'll play with my hosepipe anytime I feel like it l.

I'll put you in the same bracket as the woman I saw power hosing the public path outside her house for at least an hour the other day. Some people will never understand the concept of social responsibility no matter what.

KaneToad

standardg60 wrote: »

I'll put you in the same bracket as the woman I saw power hosing the public path outside her house for at least an hour the other day. Some people will never understand the concept of social responsibility no matter what.

Whoosh...

OldMrBrennan83

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salmocab

Patww79 wrote: »

Fill a watering can repeatedly in the kitchen. That's what I'll be doing for my herbs, lawn, and flowers anyway.

Hose pipe ban isn’t literal it means you can’t use water for non essential uses, you’d still be breaking the law.

OldMrBrennan83

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salmocab

Patww79 wrote: »

Cheers, didn't know the exact wording. If that's the case I may just replace what dies after so.

Don’t know the technical terms but they were talking about it on the radio yesterday

magicbastarder

if you need to water pots outdoors, stand them in an inch of water for half an hour, instead of watering from above. far less likely to waste water that way.

emeldc

I washed the van last night using the power hose and water from the water butt. In Kilkenny the rain water from the butt is cleaner than the tap water anyway. But so as to not 'waste' any water I drove the van onto to the lawn

Lockheed

As a kitchen porter/dishwasher I kinda laugh at the prospect of a hosepipe ban. I'd say we use more water in a day then most houses would in a week. The hosepipe ban is unnecessary and only serves to remove more personal freedoms

august12

emeldc wrote:

I washed the van last night using the power hose and water from the water butt. In Kilkenny the rain water from the butt is cleaner than the tap water anyway. But so as to not 'waste' any water I drove the van onto to the lawn

I love it, fair play.

Pugzilla

salmocab wrote: »

Hose pipe ban isn’t literal it means you can’t use water for non essential uses, you’d still be breaking the law.

No, using a watering can is allowed according to a spokesperson from Irish Water who was on The Last Word Today FM yesterday. Same goes for using a bucket of water and a sponge to clean your car.

Frynge

standardg60 wrote: »

If you have those little drip feed spikes inserted in the compost I would call that very sensible water management

That's exactly what I have and I can turn off any points that aren't currently in a pot or basket.

Pawwed Rig

A hosepipe ban is virtually unenforceable from what I can see. It is up to people to be socially responsible. For example if I am using grey water from my kids bath I would be likely to use a hosepipe to spread it thereby looking like a gouger to the casual observer.

Ol' Donie

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

A hosepipe ban is vitually unenforceable from what I can see. It is up to people to be socially responsible. For example if I am using grey water from my kids bath I would be likely to use a hosepipe to spread it thereby looking like a gouger to the casual observer.

I have no intention of breaking this ban, but I don't quite understand - did Irish Water make a new law here? Are they allowed make laws? How can anyone tell if I'm hosing the lawn or not? If a neighbour is watching out the back to see if I am doing it - which itself raises many questions - is it not his word against mine?

All a bit mental.

magicbastarder

Ol' Donie wrote: »

I have no intention of breaking this ban, but I don't quite understand - did Irish Water make a new law here? Are they allowed make laws?

no, they did not make a new law, and they are not allowed make laws. the law they are basing the hosepipe ban on already exists.

section 56 (16) of the water services 2007 act:

(16) Where a water services authority is of the opinion that a serious deficiency of water available for distribution exists or is likely to exist in all or part of its functional area, either by itself or by another provider of water services, then it may by order, for a specified period, prohibit or restrict such class or classes of use, including use at specified times of the day, of any water supplied by it or the other provider of water services. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, an order under this subsection may so prohibit or restrict the use of water—

(a) drawn through a hosepipe or similar apparatus for the purpose of—

(i) watering a garden,

(ii) watering recreational parks or sports grounds, either generally or any particular type of such park or ground,

(iii) irrigating or spraying crops, either generally or any particular type of crop, or

(iv) washing a mechanically propelled vehicle or a trailer,

(b) used for the provision of a commercial washing service for a vehicle or trailer, or

(c) used for filling or replenishing a swimming pool, artificial pond, lake or similar application.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2007/act/30/section/56/enacted/en/html#sec56

Dial Hard

Patww79 wrote:

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Ban or not she was being an irresponsible twat.

OldMrBrennan83

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Pawwed Rig

That bit of legislation would seem to prohibit the use of grey water via hosepipe too although I doubt that this was intentional.

Dial Hard

Patww79 wrote:

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The concerns about the water supply have been all over the news for a week with Irish Water asking people to conserve as much as possible. Just because there was no official restriction in place doesn't make her any less of a twat.

magicbastarder

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

That bit of legislation would seem to prohibit the use of grey water via hosepipe too although I doubt that this was intentional.

would hinge on the interpretation of this:

prohibit or restrict such class or classes of use, including use at specified times of the day, of any water supplied by it or the other provider of water services.

if you were willing to argue in front of a judge that you were using water you'd already showered in, i suspect IW would not push it.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

salmocab wrote: »

Hose pipe ban isn’t literal it means you can’t use water for non essential uses, you’d still be breaking the law.

According to Irish Water it is quite literal. They said you can fill a paddling pool with buckets from the tap but not with a hose. Bonkers.

Mooooo

For lawns i wouldn't bother watering as it would take a lot of water to match rainfall. I guess the issue is if people don't conserve water the water pressure will end up being dropped in order to conserve it so no point in breaking the ban

OldMrBrennan83

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standardg60

Frynge wrote: »

That's exactly what I have and I can turn off any points that aren't currently in a pot or basket.

Then I would commend you and say work away. If you've already been morally responsible, before there was any requirement to do so, at your own expense then I don't see why you should suffer due to the irresponsibility of others who somehow equate state provided (ie. taxpayer) benefits to personal rights and freedoms.

There's nothing that makes something more worthless than giving it for free.

Dial Hard

Patww79 wrote:

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Perhaps they wouldn't have needed to if people behaved with a modicum of cop on and civic responsibility when they first asked them to.

Wanderer78

Patww79 wrote: »

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there was no harm in asking the public first before enforcing bans, its important all citizens play their role in conserving water, it doesnt always need to be via stick methods.

OldMrBrennan83

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Wanderer78

Patww79 wrote: »

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i do, do you speak for all citizens now? i see plenty of people breaking laws here all the time, sometimes rules and hitting pockets works, but sometimes it just doesnt, its nice to try include all citizens in decisions that are good for all, we hardly need some authoritarian rule now do we?

OldMrBrennan83

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Wanderer78

Patww79 wrote: »

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i will partly agree, the water authorities probably should have been a little quicker off the mark here, its been obvious for some time now that we d run into this problem, but to be fair, only those that have access to the data really know the details, so they do deserve some credit, its just up to all of us now to try help them in their objectives. unfortunately, it doesnt matter what rules are now enforced, some will simply never obey, its hard to know what to do about those, but you d be surprised at the amount of people that do care and will obey, and have in fact already started conserving

standardg60

Patww79 wrote: »

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The only people who needed clear instruction are the ones who will ignore it anyway.

Most people didn't even need the carrot..the rest will see the stick as a challenge.

OldMrBrennan83

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magicbastarder

Wanderer78 wrote: »

there was no harm in asking the public first before enforcing bans, its important all citizens play their role in conserving water, it doesnt always need to be via stick methods.

you obviously haven't been listening to the radio - there's been talk of a possible hosepipe ban and requests to the public to be sensible with water usage for several days now.

Wanderer78

magicbastarder wrote:

you obviously haven't been listening to the radio - there's been talk of a possible hosepipe ban and requests to the public to be sensible with water usage for several days now.

Don't listen to a whole lot of radio, but since I've an interest in environmentally matters, it's been obvious to me for at least a week or so, that water shortages were inevitable, I've also been lucky enough to have visited some of Ireland's most critical water infrastructure facilities, and have been well aware of how seriously underfunded our systems have been for years, in particular, in the Dublin region

OldMrBrennan83

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nthclare

It's complete nonsense here, we could farm water, I can make up a system in my head....

Have you ever seen the amount of water running off a pollytunnel in the winter ?

Hilly Polly tunnel type structures running off into tanks below the ground.

Tank it and filtrate it... sell it off to someone else to treat it properly...

Like taking candy from a puppy...

Im sure its covered in red tape.

We could sell water to the middle east ffs