Lowering household water consumption

[Ryland]

I've also replaced all of the hot water lines in my house with PEX, the plastic doesn't cool the water in the same way that metal water pipe does and even tho it's slightly smaller inside for the rated size it has a high flow rate due to the lack of elbows so you get hotter water and you get it quicker.

[mnmarcus]

If you are purchasing a dishwasher or clothes dryer, there are units that use far less water: Bosch dishwashers for example heat their own water, and use about 1/3 as much, and do not have electrical heating elements inside the washer, so you can wash plastics, and there is about 2" more height inside them. Front loading clothes washers also use about 1/3 the water, and they clean better and spin better and use a lot less electricity, too.

We have a bosch, for a few weeks I couldn't figure out how to get it to clean the dishes. First, avoid powder detergent, our top spinner thing got gunked up. Also it is no good at dried on crap, run it every night. Also seems like rinsing doesn't help so don't waste the water. I heard they use less water than washing dishes by hand, only ours is small so not much room for pots or pans. We got the entry level and I hate the layout, the only places to put pans and cookie sheets are right in front of the "drying vent" or the soap and rinse dispenser. Doing either of these effects the wash quality. ie Bosch should have moved the silverware tray to the other corner.

Sorry for the rant. I wish someone had said it to me before I bought one. Knowing what I know now, I'd buy it again (100 bucks off sale). Wish I didn't have to learn the hard way... I might upgrade to the next level and a different layout if I could do it again.

[mnmarcus]

Originally Posted by Ryland

I've also replaced all of the hot water lines in my house with PEX, the plastic doesn't cool the water in the same way that metal water pipe does and even tho it's slightly smaller inside for the rated size it has a high flow rate due to the lack of elbows so you get hotter water and you get it quicker.

Never thought about that. Smaller inside diameter=less volume of water to cool, and less cool water before the hot h2o comes through. No elbows is a faster flow rate over a shorter distance too!

[NeilBlanchard]

Yeah, we use the Seventh Generation gel in our Bosch. I think it cleans as well as any dishwasher can -- none are perfect. Bosch was the first really quiet dishwasher, too -- now others may have gotten theirs as quiet. The stainless steel interior is also a plus.

[Piwoslaw]

Redpoint5: Is using rainwater, or reusing grey water, an option for you?

Originally Posted by mnmarcus

Plus saving all that toilet paper allows me to buy the most expensive luxury toilet paper and still save money and trees.

Imagine how many trees you'd save if you switched to toilet paper made from recycled paper (should we call it 'post consumer toilet paper'?)...

Originally Posted by bestclimb

(just remember that stinking is rude)

Say wha??

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Ryland

Low flow shower heads are going to be the way to go... You can also get sink aerators that reduce the water flow while adding air to it to make it look like more water...

If you really want to drop the water pressure you can get pressure regulators that go on the water main, but using the proper low flow fixture is going to keep your room mates happier.

I purchased some shower heads from Costco recently and today found out they are rated at 2gpm. I'd really like to go lower if I can find it in a wand type. Having a hose makes it easier to keep the shower clean.

Roommate happiness is important, and the trick is getting things that they will actually use.

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

You can also try to convert your toilet to dual flush.
HydroRight Dual Flush Toilet Conversion - EcoRenovator.org

I like this idea the best, and didn't even know they make conversion kits. I had purchased a dual flush toilet from Costco but took it back before installing because I wasn't happy with the low seat height and shallow bowl.

After reading the provided link, it appears there is another product designed to only supply the amount of water needed to fill your bowl (apparently most every toilet supplies more water than needed to fill the bowl).

product link

I'm going to buy a dual flush kit and hydro-clean and see how it works out.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Ryland

The problem with displacing the water in your toilet tank is that alot of toilets end up not having the power to flush at that point...

This is particularly problematic for me. The previous place I rented from had a success rate around 5%. Very annoying.

Originally Posted by mnmarcus

A few years ago I heard that people were either "bunchers" or "folders" with toilet paper. I was really suprised as I thought everyone was a "buncher", like me...

Funny, I thought everyone was a folder. As a child I bunched, but then realized folding is a better use of resources.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by bestclimb

If it's yellow keep it mellow, brown flush it down...

I have also seen toilet lids that are also a sink. water filling the tank is routed up for you to wash your hands with then fills the tank.

two layers of clothing, a thin close to the body layer that is washed every time worn, and an outer layer that is washed when dirty.

I don't think I'll do the mellow yellow thing because of the smell. I will admit that I prefer to do #1 outside and take every opportunity to do so. It's a messy affair for a man to do his business into a bowl of water, so that is one of the reasons my preference is outside. Also, I was raised on a lot of property, so naturally I relieved myself wherever I happened to be at the moment.

I wear white tee shirts as an undershirt for most everything. These I use once before washing, and the outer shirt I will wear 2 or 3 times before washing. My method is to hang freshly cleaned cloths on a white hanger, and already worn cloths on a blue hanger. After wearing the garment from the blue hanger, I toss it in the hamper to be washed. So far no complaints of smell, but then again my odors are relatively tame compared to most.

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Insulating hot water pipes helps reduce the amount of time it takes to get hot water flowing.

Or, you can install a brass pump that recirculates the tepid water from the hot pipes back through the cold water pipes...

If you are purchasing a dishwasher or clothes dryer, there are units that use far less water:

I will look at my insulation next time I crawl under the house, but the pump idea sounds spendy and would waste more heat overall than just allowing the water to go tepid. I would not conserve water at the cost of having to spend more on heating.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Ryland

I've also replaced all of the hot water lines in my house with PEX, the plastic doesn't cool the water in the same way that metal water pipe does and even tho it's slightly smaller inside for the rated size it has a high flow rate due to the lack of elbows so you get hotter water and you get it quicker.

Brilliant idea. I'll have to figure out how much materials would cost to replace my pipes...

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Redpoint5: Is using rainwater, or reusing grey water, an option for you?


Imagine how many trees you'd save if you switched to toilet paper made from recycled paper (should we call it 'post consumer toilet paper'?)...

Now where would I get rainwater in Oregon???

It's an interesting idea, but I'll put that on the back burner for now as it seems time consuming.

As far as paper goes, I'll use whatever is cheapest. If that happens to be recycled, then that is what I'll use. If recycled is more expensive, then I couldn't see how it is environmentally advantageous, as expense is often related to energy expenditure. At any rate, most paper comes from tree farms which are continually replanted as they are harvested. I'm not too concerned with using this renewable resource.

[hondo434]

You can place a shutoff valve on the showerhead. Just start shower, get wet,shut off shower valve,lather up, turn shower back on rinse off.
I've been able to put a gallon milk jug in my 3.5gl/flush toilet and it works most of the time.