are car washes open during hosepipe ban
are car washes open during hosepipe ban
Author
Discussion

lornemalvo

Original Poster:

5,250 posts

99 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
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We currently have a hosepipe ban in force. Are car washes, both automatic and hand wash, allowed to operate during a hosepipe ban? I would not use either unless desperate, but I'm curious

vaud

59,803 posts

186 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
Automatic car washes recycle the water so yes, open.

Hand car washes are exempt from the bans (at least in our area)

CraigyMc

18,372 posts

267 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
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lornemalvo said:
We currently have a hosepipe ban in force. Are car washes, both automatic and hand wash, allowed to operate during a hosepipe ban? I would not use either unless desperate, but I'm curious
Even during a hosepipe ban you are allowed to wash your own car with the two bucket method anyway.

Commercial use of hosepipes (eg. garden centres and car washes) usually aren't impacted by hosepipe bans anyway.

vikingaero

13,483 posts

200 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
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Hand washes that are businesses can currently continue to operate in most areas subject to a drought order. That could change in future and their activities could be curtailed.

tog

4,967 posts

259 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
Hand washes that are businesses can currently continue to operate in most areas subject to a drought order. That could change in future and their activities could be curtailed.
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!

vaud

59,803 posts

186 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?

CraigyMc

18,372 posts

267 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
vaud said:
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?
Sounds similar to the current arrangement tbh. Does she have to pay in money?

Cold

16,737 posts

121 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
CraigyMc said:
vaud said:
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?
Sounds similar to the current arrangement tbh. Does she have to pay in money?
Not necessarily, but be careful as it might lead to the requirement to have her vat inspected.

anonymous-user

85 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
CraigyMc said:
vaud said:
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?
Sounds similar to the current arrangement tbh. Does she have to pay in money?
I only accept money wink

Crumpet

5,466 posts

211 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
Sure I read somewhere that some pressure washers can operate with a hose fed from a bucket of water. So instead of connecting the end of your hose to the tap you plonk it in a bucket which is sat under the tap with the tap running. Not tried mine yet but if it works it’s a somewhat ridiculous get-around.

thelostboy

4,700 posts

256 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
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Car washes are permitted.


CraigyMc

18,372 posts

267 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
Crumpet said:
Sure I read somewhere that some pressure washers can operate with a hose fed from a bucket of water. So instead of connecting the end of your hose to the tap you plonk it in a bucket which is sat under the tap with the tap running. Not tried mine yet but if it works it’s a somewhat ridiculous get-around.
If you have a water butt of collected rainwater from a roof, and assuming it's not horrid (algae or whatever), it will be cleaner from a mineral point of view than water from a tap, in lots of the UK. Certainly where I am, the water is mostly from an aquifer, and it's very chalky.

A longwinded way of saying you might want to look into doing that as a rule rather than an exception. No limescale = no water spots!

My nilfisk has no problems with this, but I'd also say don't run dirty water through it, or you could break the pump.

vikingaero

13,483 posts

200 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
Crumpet said:
Sure I read somewhere that some pressure washers can operate with a hose fed from a bucket of water. So instead of connecting the end of your hose to the tap you plonk it in a bucket which is sat under the tap with the tap running. Not tried mine yet but if it works it’s a somewhat ridiculous get-around.
It is, but you'll be far more careful with water if you have to lug it around. biggrin

Cleaning my cars is one of my hobbies - I don'r watch TV, and find cleaning therapeutic! To get around the hosepipe ban I use my Worx Hyrdoshot with a 25 litre water container that I have to lug from the garden tap at the rear of the house. Then I realised I could have used a water feed pipe from the water container to my Karcher or Nilfisk. But the Karcher would drain the water container really quickly. Using the Worx, it takes about 20 litres to clean a large car. At a rough guesstimate, I would use 50-100 litres with the Karcher or Nilfisk.

Another advantage of the Worx/water container set up is that you don't have to move the cars around to clean them - just pick up the Worx and water container and place it by the next car to be cleaned.

CraigyMc

18,372 posts

267 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
Crumpet said:
Sure I read somewhere that some pressure washers can operate with a hose fed from a bucket of water. So instead of connecting the end of your hose to the tap you plonk it in a bucket which is sat under the tap with the tap running. Not tried mine yet but if it works it’s a somewhat ridiculous get-around.
It is, but you'll be far more careful with water if you have to lug it around. biggrin

Cleaning my cars is one of my hobbies - I don'r watch TV, and find cleaning therapeutic! To get around the hosepipe ban I use my Worx Hyrdoshot with a 25 litre water container that I have to lug from the garden tap at the rear of the house. Then I realised I could have used a water feed pipe from the water container to my Karcher or Nilfisk. But the Karcher would drain the water container really quickly. Using the Worx, it takes about 20 litres to clean a large car. At a rough guesstimate, I would use 50-100 litres with the Karcher or Nilfisk.

Another advantage of the Worx/water container set up is that you don't have to move the cars around to clean them - just pick up the Worx and water container and place it by the next car to be cleaned.
FWIW, Nilfisks generally use quite a lot more than Karchers do, for the same size/pressure rating (which is not the same pressure anyway!). I've tried both.

I have 3x 200L water butts so running out would be a matter of me being a moron, which is to say, not impossible! smile

fido

18,921 posts

286 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
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I have two buckets which I switch around - by the time the pressure washer has emptied the first bucket the second bucket has filled. Also wash a section at a time - top first and then sides, back and front. And then a final rinse with a bucket of filtered water.

CRA1G

7,251 posts

226 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
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Hand Car Washes "don't" actually need Water to launder thier Money........rolleyes

geeks

11,819 posts

170 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
Cold said:
CraigyMc said:
vaud said:
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?
Sounds similar to the current arrangement tbh. Does she have to pay in money?
Not necessarily, but be careful as it might lead to the requirement to have her vat inspected.

vikingaero

13,483 posts

200 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
geeks said:
Cold said:
CraigyMc said:
vaud said:
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?
Sounds similar to the current arrangement tbh. Does she have to pay in money?
Not necessarily, but be careful as it might lead to the requirement to have her vat inspected.
biggrin

Is the typo meant to be a g?

CraigyMc

18,372 posts

267 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
Another advantage of the Worx/water container set up is that you don't have to move the cars around to clean them - just pick up the Worx and water container and place it by the next car to be cleaned.
Longer, er, pipework, is available.

How did this thread get so fnarr?

cobra kid

5,613 posts

271 months

Tuesday 6th September 2022
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
geeks said:
Cold said:
CraigyMc said:
vaud said:
tog said:
That includes mobile businesses - so people who come to your house to wash your car as part of their business can use the hosepipe that you can't!
Yes, providing you are paying for the service.

I guess technically you could set up as a sole trader and have your wife pay you to wash your car?
Sounds similar to the current arrangement tbh. Does she have to pay in money?
Not necessarily, but be careful as it might lead to the requirement to have her vat inspected.
biggrin

Is the typo meant to be a g?
That's the joke!