Car washing - plan B

[loonycat]

So our incompetent friends at Thames Water have decided the answer to their leaking pipes is to ban washing cars with a hosepipe. Yes that should solve the problem. I expect next they will tell us the solution for world peace will be to hand out smiley badges....

Anyway in preparation for the hose ban I'm trying to work out how to replicate water pressure from a bucket. Short of throwing the bucket at the car does anyone have any ideas on what we can use? My short short list so far is:

1. Some sort of hand pump that allows you to pump water from a bucket. Anyone found one that does this?
2. Electric or petrol pressure pump. I am not sure if pressure washers are allowed (probably not) but is there a way of pressurising water from a bucket with a pump?

The mobile car wash guys have huge tanks of water in their vans that must use some sort of artificial pressure mechanism - any ideas what they use?

So hopefully between us we can come up with an effective solution. After that we can turn our attention to world peace.

Cheers!
Loony

[ripton]

I would have thought to get round the regulations you will need a source of water not related to the mains - so no good pumping water from a bucket.

If you've got a water butt(sp) you could rig up a power shower type pump for the pressure.

Chris

[nervous]

a gravity fed tank would create a fair amount of pressure i reckon. try one of those water/ rain tank things that my grandad used to have to catch the rain. with a outlet at the lowest possible point. and try a low diameter hose.

[dougc]

What about modifying one of those mobile tanks that people used to water plants. Don't know what they're called I'm afraid. Fill 'em up with water from the tap/water butt, pump up the pressure and bingo, hose pressure from a bucket....

One of these

Edit for pic

>> Edited by dougc on Monday 20th March 11:08

[nervous]

just out of interest, how is it being suggested this is policed?

and if theyre watching us, who hoses the hosemen?

[bobfrance]

nervous said:

just out of interest, how is it being suggested this is policed? and if theyre watching us, who hoses the hosemen?

The usual way I suppose.
Self-righteous puritanistic snitches. Every street has one.

>> Edited by bobfrance on Monday 20th March 11:14

[shadowninja]

1/ Get hold of plastic water bottles from work,
2/ fill them up in the house,
3/ bring them outside,
4/ pretend you're lavishing your pride and joy with filtered mineral water from the highlands.

I didn't write that, btw.

[softinthehead]

the stupidity of such a ban is that it invariably excludes commercial use. I just went to my OPC for some new tyres - a new expeience seeing that lovely showroom - and they did a lovely job of cleaning the car inside and out. unexpected and delighted! you will just have to visit yours for some bits and bobs more frequently

[ripton]

Was going to use the swimming pool rock and roll style but that might be pushing it if my local water company follows suit with kent.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=LDVC01ZJJ4XWFQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2006/03/20/uwater.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/03/20/ixportaltop.html

[roygarth]

I've just had a borehole sunk at my house in Norfolk.....lashings of water at ridiculous pressure - and no more water bills....if I live till 80 I might get the £10K investment back!

[ripton]

roygarth said:

I've just had a borehole sunk at my house in Norfolk.....lashings of water at ridiculous pressure - and no more water bills....if I live till 80 I might get the £10K investment back!

You could always recoup the investment by hooking it up to your domestic supply and running the meter backwards

[nel]

I seem to recall that the manual for my pressure washer (make of Kranzle) states that the machine can suck water from a bucket. The same might apply to all Karcher types - check the manual.

Alternatively, if you want a bit of head, and let's face it who doesn't, fill the bath upstairs, one end of hose in bath, the other end out the window feeding pressure washer. Might not get past the hose nazis, but a way around lack of mains pressure.

[maxxuk]

I'm still stunned that for a country surrounded by water, and a planet that 3/4 of it's surface is covered with the stuff, we still manage to have a shortage.

[The Londoner]

maxxuk said:

I'm still stunned that for a country surrounded by water, and a planet that 3/4 of it's surface is covered with the stuff, we still manage to have a shortage.

and can someone explain the issue of recycling, especially in London? Hasn't our water here been recycled 7 or 8 times before it gets to us

[Merritt]

loonycat said:

the answer to their leaking pipes is to ban washing cars with a hosepipe.

They also fail to remember that building tens of thousands of new homes and connecting them to the same water supply is of course going to use more water....

I realise that desalination is expensive but we have surely got to reach that point soon?

It sounds to me like a lack of investment in new technology etc is finally catching up.

Steve

[mtbr]

Pop down the Garden centre for one of those "pump up" weed sprayers, the more "industrial" ones are more than a match for a half inch garden hose.

M

[gfreeman]

Why do you need pressure??? Just fill a bucket and use a mitt to rinse off the soapy stuff.

Alternatively we all form a queue at Roygarth's house.

[bluesatin]

Riparian rights allow 20 cubic meters to extracted from a waterway bodering property. Watch the Thames go down and people complain as the pump powers three hoses!

>> Edited by bluesatin on Monday 20th March 18:26

[shoestring7]

Watering can? You know the ones with the rose that old boys use in their greenhouse.

I'd have thought a couple of those would be enough to wet and then rinse a car.

Just a thought,

SS7

[loonycat]

mtbr said:

Pop down the Garden centre for one of those "pump up" weed sprayers, the more "industrial" ones are more than a match for a half inch garden hose. M

And we have a winner!!!

As much as I appreciate the effort, some of the previous suggestions weren't too practical when you live in a flat in central London!

This is what I need, preferably one with a decent litre capacity. I'll see what I can find and if any good will post details.

Cheers!
Loony