2023 Frugal Living Challenge

Glittering_M

Hi @2Scratters,. I can't remember if I've asked before, but logistically, how does it work? Our taps take a long time to heat up so we lose a lot of water but I'm not sure how physically to save this water? 

In the summer during the draught last year we saved the water from showers by putting the plug in and bailing water out with a bucket for using down the toilet or flower (not veg) beds but I wouldn't want to be doing that regularly, particularly as with our sink design it would be difficult to get a container underneath the tap. 

Any tips welcome on saving water this way 

Greenqueen_2

I use the two litre coke bottles. Our cold water draw off in the kitchen sink is around one and a half of these bottles before it becomes hot enough to wash the dishes.  (Wash up just once a day). The water bottles then are used throughout the day for plants, soaking pans, rinsing tins to recycle etc. 
There are 3 of us in the house and our monthly metered water bill is £23

Glittering_M

Thanks @Greenqueen_2 , unfortunately I wouldn't be able to get a 2l bottle under my tap in my kitchen or bathroom sinks. That is useful to know though!

2Scratters

@Glittering_M for collecting the water from the kitchen sink tap we have a ceramic 1980s 2 pint milk jug. I have obtained an older and bigger model from my parents house with a style that suits the kitchen too. It has become a useful ornament. 
Have you tried a 2 litre milk bottle they are a bit shorter, a pan (one that's due to be washed too as it will get an early rinse out too) do you use a basin? If so, empty it of pots waiting and collect the water in there and tip into a bucket for the bathroom/garden. A picture of the sink may help with some other suggestions to help you.
 Are you running the water at a mid pace? If you have it running too fast it will waste more water and take longer for the heat to come through. Do you have a water butt outside for the garden?
If you have a lawn I would also throw the washing up water onto there in the summer. We don't worry about the tiny bits of scraps we have plenty of ground feeding birds that visit us. Helps with keeping the worms fresh too 

@Greenqueen_2 your monthly DD is a good number.

I am currently looking at another water storage vessel, I thought what we had would be sufficient, it has already paid for itself in less than a year. It was pre owned. This time I am looking at adding another it is potentially a new one, as the size I am after needs to be slim style for where we are planning on putting it. The cost effective pre owned ones are at the other end of the country for us. 

2 Scratters xx

cw18

2Scratters said:

 Are you running the water at a mid pace? If you have it running too fast it will waste more water and take longer for the heat to come through.

From what my OH says, I believe that's the case for combi-boilers, as the boiler takes a while to fully kick in with the water heating.

But I still have a hot water cylinder and find that running the tap faster gets the hot to me sooner as mine is purely emptying the cold from the pipes.  If I run the tap at a slower pace, then the hot gets to mix with the cold in the pipes, so it's barely tepid for a while once it starts appearing.

I have a tall mixer tap in the kitchen, so could get any container under that one.   But my basin taps are mostly 'low level' with the spouts within the bowl (but above the overflowgap).    I can't get much under them apart from a small glass or bowl.   I can't even fill my water bottle from basins if we're going out - that has to be done from the sink.

willow_loulou

Glittering_M 

Any tips welcome on saving water this way 

You can buy very cheaply a plastic pump / hopefully I’m uploading an explanatory picture! 

I’ve used mine for 6yrs and it’s just split so good value. It’s demonstrates the use of gravity but honestly once it’s going it doesn’t need to be as reliant on it as it suggests. You can of course get a plain pipe and suck it up. 

willow_loulou

‘Does a happy dance at managing to get a picture uploaded!’ I forgot to say they’re available on the usual bidding site and in aquarium shops though dear in those comparatively 

Swayingseaweed

We use one of these when our water butts are empty (usually in the summer) to siphon bath water into buckets to water the garden (bath products are environmentally friendly).
Seaweedx

Glittering_M

Thanks @willow_loulou , the diagram is helpful. Do you know roughly what they are called I have no idea what to search for at present!

willow_loulou

They’re vacuum syphons for aquariums - that brings up lots of choice on E*ay