While we are on the subject of saving water, when we had our house built, the GC installed a low flow orifice at the main water valve. On the east coast, no less. Those without it might consider installing one. The only time it is a problem is when we water the lawn.
"the General Contractor installed a low flow orifice at the main water valve.I would remove it. What if one wants to use their garden hose on a fire or to wash snow off their high leafed-out tree branches to prevent weight breakage? We limit our water consumption as much as possible: - shower instead of bath tub - turning shower way down when lathering - my using the toilet after wife, then flushing.
I went to a consolidated school out in the middle of the country that housed grades 1 through 12 (we didn’t have kindergarten) and we had about 250 students. The building was built in 1924. The toilets in the restrooms were self-flushing. The seat was spring loaded and when you sat on the seat, it actuated a valve that filled a tank. When you got off the seat, the toilet flushed. There was a big supply tank for the urinals. When the tank was full, the float tripped a flush mechanism and the urinals were flushed. The valve handles on the lavatory were spring loaded–you had to hold the handle for the water to flow. When you released the handle, the water flow stopped. Now, when the building was built, a lot of people in the school district did not have indoor plumbing and I suppose the kids would not think to flush an indoor toilet as you don’t have to flush an outhouse. I am also sure that many of the kids had to pump water by hand. Even when I started attending the school in 1948, I had classmates that didn’t have indoor plumbing. The school was on a well, so it was important that valves not be left open to cause the pump to run more than necessary.
What amazes me today with most people having grown up with indoor plumbing, that many public facilities have self-flushing toilets and urinals activated by a photocell and the water in the lavatories is automatically controlled. I either have to hold my hands under the hand drier for it to start, or wave my hand in front of a towel dispenser for a towel to be dispensed. I think we have taken a step backward in not expecting people to do this simplest things.
We country boys may have been baffled by a flush toilet, but we knew the importance of lubrication for equipment and knew enough to check the oil frequently and to change the oil on a schedule to keep the equipment from being damaged by oil sludge.
We limit our water consumption as much as possible: - shower instead of bath tub - turning shower way down when lathering - my using the toilet after wife, then flushing.
When I was growing up our trailer was on the site of an old farm house with a hand dug well. During the drought of 1988 we had a saying, if its brown flush it down, if its yellow let it mellow.
Generally if I could I urinated outside by the tree. Water was tight that summer.
Now I live like a king and my well runs deep, so deep I don’t worry about running it dry. Now that doesn’t mean I wast water, but im not afraid to use it during a drought. I flush my toilet every time now, but I live in the country so its not uncommon for me to just water the trees if outside when the need arises, or to step out on the front porch and water the flowers. Drives my wife nuts.
@WheresRick: “Its a Glacier Bay installed in 2009. If you just push the lever and let go it will only use a gallon or so, if you have solids you hold the handle down longer and it uses a full 1.6 gallons. It works -perfectly- I have never taken a plunger too it and I am known for my ability to clog toilets.”
That’s what I have in my apartment, although I don’t know the brand.
As far as the differing attitudes about water conservation go, unlike most environmental issues, this one should depend on where you live. If you live somewhere that has a fresh water source that far exceeds what your community can consume, you have little reason to conserve water, at least until a Fortune 500 corporation sets up shop in your community and starts trucking your water away to sell in plastic bottles. However, in many parts of Florida, we can experience frequent droughts, so we have an incentive to conserve our aquifer supply even when we’re getting plenty of rain, and in places like Utah and Arizona, conserving water is pretty important for obvious reasons.
^ Even when water is plentiful, there are co$ts to filter and treat it, have chemicals like chlorine added to it and constantly test it.
Cody, Wyoming has a separate non potable water system for watering lawns. It delivers water from a reservoir by gravity.
^ Thank you. Co$t?
I just don’t like the BREAK-IN oil change being so late.
@psd, forgive me if I’m wrong, but are you here to promote this product? I see you just registered this morning.
^ Certainly looks like an advertisement.
Love their “precisely balanced additive component system”