Hose pipe ban

[RichB]

mattmoxon said:

Tried today without the hosepipe <clip> got the pressure washer out filled a standard 1 gallon watering can with water and put a hose from the pressure washer into the watering can....

Worked a treat...

I guess that shows a pressure washer doesn't require mains pressure in the feed hose. I am quite surprised. I might try that!

[martin84]

mattmoxon said:

No because it is still using a mains hose to feed it. However, using a watering can or bucket as a supply vessle it remains legal and it seems that you do use less water with a pressure washer too.

They use a surprisingly low amount of water and you dont need it on for very long. I've found them very effective.

[mollymoo]

Jimbo. said:

martin84 said:

This ban is pathetic considering water companies lose 3 billion litres a day due to finding fines more affordable than fixing the leak problems. There's nothing to stop me filling up 150 buckets and pouring it all over the place though, as theres no hose involved.

That 3Bn litres ends up back in the groundwater, so isn't "lost" as such.

It's lost from the supply system - which is where the problem is. There is absolutely no shortage of fresh water in this country, it falls out of the sky in abundance frequently. The only issue is that our supply system is inadequate.

If Las Vegas can have green golf courses and hundred foot high fountains in the middle of a fking desert then we should be able to wash our cars as we please on our damp little island.

[martin84]

mollymoo said:

It's lost from the supply system - which is where the problem is. There is absolutely no shortage of fresh water in this country, it falls out of the sky in abundance frequently. The only issue is that our supply system is inadequate.

If Las Vegas can have green golf courses and hundred foot high fountains in the middle of a fking desert then we should be able to wash our cars as we please on our damp little island.

Thats the hilarious thing isn't it. If you put the British in charge of Las Vegas it'd never work. We live in a rainy island and have water shortages. No wonder the rest of the world laughs at us.

[Mermaid]

martin84 said:

mattmoxon said:

No because it is still using a mains hose to feed it. However, using a watering can or bucket as a supply vessle it remains legal and it seems that you do use less water with a pressure washer too.

They use a surprisingly low amount of water and you dont need it on for very long. I've found them very effective.

I have a 25 litre vessel. So if I fill that up using buckets, and then connect a pressure washer to that, is that permissible. I expect 25 litres will be plenty to wash a car

[Willy Nilly]

martin84 said:

mollymoo said:

It's lost from the supply system - which is where the problem is. There is absolutely no shortage of fresh water in this country, it falls out of the sky in abundance frequently. The only issue is that our supply system is inadequate.

If Las Vegas can have green golf courses and hundred foot high fountains in the middle of a fking desert then we should be able to wash our cars as we please on our damp little island.

Thats the hilarious thing isn't it. If you put the British in charge of Las Vegas it'd never work. We live in a rainy island and have water shortages. No wonder the rest of the world laughs at us.

Las Vegas gets its water supply from the Hoover Dam, which was quite a large catchment area, most of it is melt water out of the Rocky Mountains.

[martin84]

Willy Nilly said:

Las Vegas gets its water supply from the Hoover Dam, which was quite a large catchment area, most of it is melt water out of the Rocky Mountains.

Yet 70% of the earth is underwater and we cannot rustle up enough to wash a car with?

[Willy Nilly]

martin84 said:

Yet 70% of the earth is underwater and we cannot rustle up enough to wash a car with?

most if it is salt water though. We have already discussed desalination and if you want to wash a car in salty water, knock yourself out.

Whether this is a car forum or not, doesn't detract from washing cars in the summer being not very important.

[martin84]

Willy Nilly said:

most if it is salt water though. We have already discussed desalination and if you want to wash a car in salty water, knock yourself out.

Whether this is a car forum or not, doesn't detract from washing cars in the summer being not very important.

We shouldn't be having this discussion because there should be no ban. It wont save water companies any water, one burst pipe and the saving is wiped out so its pretty pointless.

I only get the hose out 2-3 times a year anyway.

[anonymous-user]

I got around the last hose pipe ban by running the inlet from my pressure washer into a bucket. I then just filled the bucket from the tap.

Funnily enough, one reasonable size bucket run through a pressure washer goes a long way. They don't use as much water as you might imagine!

[Jimbo.]

mollymoo said:

It's lost from the supply system - which is where the problem is. There is absolutely no shortage of fresh water in this country, it falls out of the sky in abundance frequently. The only issue is that our supply system is inadequate.

If Las Vegas can have green golf courses and hundred foot high fountains in the middle of a fking desert then we should be able to wash our cars as we please on our damp little island.

There *is* a shortage! Wet winter = groundwater reserves not recharged when they normally would be. For two years running. There's simply not enough of it for what we'd like, and that's nothing to do with the water companies, leaks etc. Yes, in theory you could send some down from the North and/or Wales, but who's going to pay for that? Do those areas have enough to spare without bringing them to the brink of drought? What happens if they get a little dry?

re. Vegas. Lake Mead and the Colorado River, and those in the downstream reaches of the latter are non-too-happy about it...

[manitou]

I understand the hosepipe ban is inevitable but hey look on the brightside ive heard bob geldofs going to organise a concert for us!

[Silver]

If you're desperate to spend a couple of hours washing your car yourself using a hose to prove some kind of point then knock yourself out. Personally, I'll be taking mine to the nearest hand car wash and paying a fiver every few weeks so I can do more interesting things with my life than making a point of using a hose to wash my car.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Skodasupercar said:

I got around the last hose pipe ban by running the inlet from my pressure washer into a bucket. I then just filled the bucket from the tap.

Funnily enough, one reasonable size bucket run through a pressure washer goes a long way. They don't use as much water as you might imagine!

Not legal this time around.
You can use your pressure washer - but the water supply must not come from the tap.
Your only supply option is a water butt filled by the rain, a pond or river, or recycled water from the bath/shower.
You cannot simply fill a bucket from the tap.

[wst]

Those hand car washes serve a dual purpose. They clean your car for a fiver, and they also provide you with a parking space often right in the centre when everywhere else is full.

[Mermaid]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

Not legal this time around.
You can use your pressure washer - but the water supply must not come from the tap.
You cannot simply fill a bucket from the tap.

Where does it say that?

[Silver]

Here are Thames Valley Water's restrictions. Hopefully you can work out if they apply to you or not.

http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hs....

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Mermaid said:

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

Not legal this time around.
You can use your pressure washer - but the water supply must not come from the tap.
You cannot simply fill a bucket from the tap.

Where does it say that?

http://www.karcher.co.uk/uk/about_karcher/Karcher_UK_news/Hosepipe_Ban.htm
Quote:
Q: Can I use a suction hose to draw water from an alternative water source?
A: Yes you can as long as the alternative source is not in any way connected or replenished by
mains water
Since most people connect a pressure washer to a tap via a hosepipe connected to the mains
water supply, a pressure washer is prohibited for the list of uses detailed above. There are 2
exceptions to this ruling:
If the pressure washer is able to draw water from an alternative source e.g. water butt, pond etc. that has not been filled or is not connected to the mains water supply

[martin84]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

Not legal this time around.
You can use your pressure washer - but the water supply must not come from the tap.
Your only supply option is a water butt filled by the rain, a pond or river, or recycled water from the bath/shower.
You cannot simply fill a bucket from the tap.

How can they prove where it has or has not come from after you've used it?

[Thankyou4calling]

The rainfall in the uk is not actually all that high despite what we might think and we do use an awful lot more than we used to so that'll cause a shortage I guess.