Yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Nov 15 2007, 12:24 PM) [snapback]540037[/snapback]</div>

We've been conserving. We've been reducing use because we have tiered water use (just like the tiered electricity use) and the less you use the less you pay. We use less because the cost has continued to increase and is increasing again. Now we're being asked to cut use by another 20%. I've got a recycling washing machine which is more than others have. Most of my yard is now brick. I have my plants on drippers with timers (except for the driveway which is on microsprinklers.) The sprinklers go off in the winter and don't go on again until the rains are over the it really heats up.

We can't keep cutting use forever so that the developers can put up another high rise condo unit downtown and another MacMansion subdivision in the county. We need a source and there is NO provision for alternate water sources. Just raising rates so we can buy more expensive water from whoever is willing to sell it to us.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NoMoShocks @ Nov 15 2007, 05:07 PM) [snapback]540214[/snapback]</div>

dingdingding. We have a winner.

Yes. Those that have dubbed it 'toilet to tap' are against recycling. They have dubbed it so exactly so it will not be implemented.

 

This would save a lot of water along with intelegent planting in gardens and low flow showers (6L/minute)

When you flush water comes through an outlet into a handbasin for hand washing then flows into the sistern ready for the next flush so reusing handwash water for flushing. These use only 3 litres for number ones and 4.5 litres for number twos.

From Caroma Australia. http://www.caroma.com.au/products/data/tsu/profile/main.html
BTW water doesn't swirl down the toilet any way in Australia, it happens to fast and violently to swirl one way or the other.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Nov 19 2007, 07:31 PM) [snapback]541717[/snapback]</div>

Wow, this is so smart!! I wonder if your toilets would work here in America.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriuStorm @ Nov 20 2007, 03:00 AM) [snapback]541873[/snapback]</div>

www.caromausa.com

But they don't have that toilet.

Kohler has dual flush toilets too.

 

i am VERY embarrassed to even talk about our water consumption. i lived in So Cal for 10 years so have always conserved water. then i come to water-rich (we will get to that later) WA state and shacked up with a young Wa native, and she wastes water like you would not believe.

she nearly completely washes the dishes in running hot water before putting them in the dishwasher (granted ours is old not a good one so it does not do a real good job) but worst of all, she will leave the HOT water run while she retreives dishes and glasses from living room, dining room etc (she is good at leaving things lying around and she never reuses her same glass)

her bad conservation habits, i could go on and on... but now with large growth, even water rich western WA has started to feel the water pinch. the aquifer that Thurston County uses was up until 10 yeas ago, looked at as indestructible. it was an underground river fed by mountain glaciers, filtered by thousands of feet of find volcanic sand. it clean, pure and delicious... and plentiful. many cities are impressed with feeder pipes 20 feet in diameter and if they have a half dozen they feel they got it made, well our aquifer was like a pipe a HALF MILE in diameter...more water than we would ever use...

well, in the past few years, that aquifer's size had begun to shrink. for the first time in 80 years, a reduction in volume has been detected. we are now looking at major water conservation measures by the year 2020 if we dont start doing something about it now.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 20 2007, 03:14 AM) [snapback]541875[/snapback]</div>

I think I looked at Kohler online, too... Get ready for $550 fork over -- ouch!

Here in the U.S., toilets are eco friendly when they flush 'as little' as 1.4 gallons. Looks like the Australian toilet does less than that on it's high flush (4.5liter/3liter). One of the Kohler's is more closely inline with what's overseas, but it's the low profile... too low for me.

 

One of the downsides of a toilet that doesn't use much water to flush is the cost of having to have the plumber come out and flush out your sewer line periodically. Plumbers just love those low flow toilets.

 

I think these are designed to surge water through very quickly to prevent pipe blockages. I haven't had any trouble in 18 years.

Most of Australia is under water restrictions so low consumption is a priority. There are government rebates for purchasing low water consumption shower roses (<6 litres per minute) and washing machines.

Washing machines are a high user. My work friend captures the water from his top loader, about 150L per wash cycle to use on his lawns. When I did the same with my front loader it puts out between 60 and 70 litres per wash cycle.

We have restrictions on when we can water gardens, only 1 day per week for no more than 3 hours a day and no sprinklers, hose must have a trigger nozzle and be held in your hand the whole time or you can water with buckets any time. There are much tighter restrictions in other parts of the country.

 

I think it probably varies with the size, age and condition of the sewer pipes. I have to flush mine out every year or two with a pressure balloon on my garden hose. Nasty job but I've avoided the roto-rooter man so far.

I've got a recycling washer. I have a double sink in the garage. I plug up the one side and the water is saved. Then on the next load it sucks it back in. Consumer Reports said they tested it and it didn't effect the cleanliness of the clothes. I checked before I bought it. Bought it in the 80s. I've had no problems yet but I'll spend whatever it takes in repairs to keep the thing working.

I've got my yard on drip irrigation and microsprinklers. They only go for a max of 15-20 min. 3 times a week in the summer. Less in the winter. I'll be shutting them off completely once the rainy season starts. I don't understand the hose nozzle requirement. I thought that was a wasteful way to water. Maybe less wasteful than a conventional sprinkler system but more than drippers. I've got my drip on timers that I can shut off manually. They also have a "rain" button I can use to disable them until the rainy season is over, then resume the normal times.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 21 2007, 01:21 AM) [snapback]542347[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, but then you have to REALLY want green stuff if you have to stand outside and do it yourself. With drip systems you don't have to do much. So perhaps it's a level of effort thing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Nov 28 2007, 03:05 PM) [snapback]545337[/snapback]</div>

Very true. If I had to stand there and water anything with a hose, the only thing growing in my yards would be bricks and weeds. A few things could survive on only the dew and rainfall (roses and geraniums) but not much.

Of course when all you have is weeds, it's called BLIGHT and then they eminent domain your property away from you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 29 2007, 12:27 AM) [snapback]545562[/snapback]</div>

Ground Clear will take care of that. Of course, it'd be quite a while before you could get anything to grow there again.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 29 2007, 02:27 AM) [snapback]545562[/snapback]</div>

Well, just trim it down a little and call it 'native landscaping'..

 

If you are driving a Prius then yes. Fossil fuel burning is only one small piece of the ecosystem health puzzle.