Water saving - keep bucket near kitchen sink!

RainbowsInTheSpray

I don't know how many of you have an old fashioned boiler system like me - where it takes ages for the hot water from the upstairs cylinder to reach the kitchen tap and start 'running warm'.

Since having a water meter installed, I've become ever so conscious of any water being wasted. Now I keep a bucket/watering can near my kitchen sink to which I can simply transfer the initial 'cold run' and I use this to top up the toilet cistern!

ivyleaf

That's a good idea!:T

csarina

we have been doing this all summer, we use the water to flush the toilet, OH also saves the water we draw before the hot water runs in the kitchen, we use it to make tea with or steam veg..........

RainbowsInTheSpray

csarina wrote:

we have been doing this all summer, we use the water to flush the toilet, OH also saves the water we draw before the hot water runs in the kitchen, we use it to make tea with or steam veg..........

I was always told that water from the hot tap isn't the best idea for kettles or cooking.

lil_me

My hot waters that hot when it comes through I let the colder stuff that it takes to get there into the sink. On lowest setting but it's scorching. If it wasn't I would use it for watering plants etc like OP.

csarina

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

I was always told that water from the hot tap isn't the best idea for kettles or cooking.

Our water is not stored in a tank, but comes direct from the main and through the boiler, which then heats it, no drinking water is stored in it. I do not cook in water any way, I use a steamer. It does not seem to have done us any harm. The only water stored in the boiler is for the central heating which is a sealed system, filled by a tap when the water pressure drops.

cordial

lil_me wrote:

My hot waters that hot when it comes through I let the colder stuff that it takes to get there into the sink. On lowest setting but it's scorching. If it wasn't I would use it for watering plants etc like OP.

Maybe time to turn down the boiler a notch?

lil_me

We've had it turned down as far as we can, old system in a rented property so it's not an option to change it, it's either that or off, we've tried everything more because of safety reasons if one of the boys put their hand under it.

tawnyowls

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

I was always told that water from the hot tap isn't the best idea for kettles or cooking.

It'll have more lime dissolved in it, that's all, so you'll get more scale.

Asgard

You may have heard this before, but putting something in your toilet cistern (a brick , or a 500ml plastic pop bottle full of water) reduces the volume of water in the tank. Save half a litre every flush :-))