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#31
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
In article ,
"David W.E. Roberts" writes: Hi, cross posted to gardening and DIY as probably relevant to both :-) My plans to power wash the flags at the back of my Berkshire property have been thwarted by the hosepipe ban. As far as I can tell, power washers don't use that much water. So is it feasible to put a pump in a rain water butt to feed water to the power washer? Has anyone tried this? Yes -- I connect a pressure washer up to my water butt with a long hose. The only feed pressure is the height of water in the butt. Actually, my cheap pressure washer has only ever been used from the water butt. I did wonder if sand might get into it and wreck the pump, but it's lasted about 5 years now with no problems. In practice, the sand tends to have sunk to the dead area in the bottom of the butt, and doesn't come out of the tap which is a few inches above that. I was washing my car this way the first weekend of the hose pipe ban, and got lots of dirty looks from passers by, who could only see the hose and pressure washer. I kind of felt guilty, even though I was doing nothing wrong. -- Andrew Gabriel |
#32
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
Mike wrote:
Being true for Thames Water doesn't make it true for other water companies, though. Same for Southern Water :-)) Move North. We have water to spare :.( -- BigEgg Hack to size. Hammer to fit. Weld to join. Grind to shape. Paint to cover. http://www.workshop-projects.com - Books, Articles & Plans http://www.stores.ebay.co.uk/honyaservices - Tools & Miscellanea |
#33
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
In article , Bob Eager
wrote: On Wed, 3 May 2006 09:14:01 UTC, wrote: David W.E. Roberts wrote: Hi, cross posted to gardening and DIY as probably relevant to both :-) My plans to power wash the flags at the back of my Berkshire property have been thwarted by the hosepipe ban. As far as I can tell, power washers don't use that much water. I heard on the radio that you can actually use a hosepipe and as much water as you like to clean your patio, but not to water the garden or wash the car. It was a "isn't this ban stupid" type stories. Rules vary with water company. Take care. No they don't. All water compnaies have to abide by the law which is the Temporary Hosepipe Ban provision in Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991. Using a hosepipe from the mains to drive a pressure washer for any non-vehicle cleaning purpose is legitimate under a "hosepipe ban" and none of the water companies say otherwise, nor can they. |
#34
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
In article , michael adams
wrote: "Chris Bacon" wrote in message ... michael adams wrote: "Chris Bacon" wrote... Water companies do not make the law. Nope. So long as they don't exceed the powers granted to them by the privatisiation legislation, they're as allowed to be as selective as they wish, in which particular provisions they choose to enact. As far as I know the only things that are banned are washing the car with a hosepipe, and watering the garden. If you've a pointer to a legal resource that says different, I'd like to read it, for interest. Right now under the 1999 legistlation Water Companies can apply to introduce compulsory water metering to restrict demand. And at least one - Dover if not more, has already done so. If things got really bad Water Companies are empowered to cut off domestic supplies altogether and install stand pipes. If there was any evidence that the use of hosepipes for supposedly innocent use was being abused, there's no doubt whatsover that the use of all hosepipes would be banned forthwith. And that such an eventuality was anticipated in the legislation, by a catch-all clause if nowhere else. The water companies have no power at all to ban all uses of domestic hosepipes. They do have the power to make exemptions from the proscribed prohibitions but they don't have the power to add new prohibitions even in an emergency. If they need to save more water they _must_ apply for a drought order to ban so-called non-essential uses which include window washing, irrigation of parks and sportsgrounds, filling ornamental ponds, etc. This process takes some weeks - the Secretary of State has to agree and there has to be a public enquiry. Three water companies applied for such a drought order a month or so ago but none has yet been granted or implemented. The next and final step thereafter would be to apply for an Emergency Drought Order which does give the water compnaies blanket powers to prohibit any use of water they want - and to make people queue up at standpipes to collect their water by the bucketfull. To put things in perspective, the outside tap uses 4% annually of all water supplied to households. Loo flushing uses 35%. Dishwashers, washing machines and power showers waste far more water than is ever put on the garden via a hosepipe. But the water companies don't have the power - except under an Emergency Drought Order - to ban uses of water inside the home. That's because it is classified as essential domestic use and it is their statutory obligation to supply it, even if most householders waste gallons of the stuff every day. Because the outside tap is not classified as 'domestic use' it is a soft target - indeed the only target for the water companies. But it isn't an effective one. Hosepipe bans don't save much water. Research by some of the water companies during the last drought showed that many households' water consumption _increased_ after a hosepipe ban. |
#35
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
The message
from bigegg contains these words: Move North. We have water to spare :.( I was digging around in a concrete post-hole today, trying to get the remains of a rotten gatepost out. It was sopping wet despite being open at the bottom to drain. Ah, Slopshire - not for nothing is where we live called the Wet Mudlands. -- Skipweasel Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. |
#36
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
In article , Andrew Gabriel
wrote: In article , "David W.E. Roberts" writes: Hi, cross posted to gardening and DIY as probably relevant to both :-) My plans to power wash the flags at the back of my Berkshire property have been thwarted by the hosepipe ban. As far as I can tell, power washers don't use that much water. So is it feasible to put a pump in a rain water butt to feed water to the power washer? Has anyone tried this? Yes -- I connect a pressure washer up to my water butt with a long hose. The only feed pressure is the height of water in the butt. Actually, my cheap pressure washer has only ever been used from the water butt. I did wonder if sand might get into it and wreck the pump, but it's lasted about 5 years now with no problems. In practice, the sand tends to have sunk to the dead area in the bottom of the butt, and doesn't come out of the tap which is a few inches above that. I was washing my car this way the first weekend of the hose pipe ban, and got lots of dirty looks from passers by, who could only see the hose and pressure washer. I kind of felt guilty, even though I was doing nothing wrong. You have highlighted the main reason why prosecutions under this legislation won't happen. It's almost impossible to prove that someone watering his plants with a hose was connected to the mains rather than a reservoir. Nothing new there -- there have been no prosecutions under the hosepipe ban legislation for 40 years. The legislation is bad and the water companies just make a lot of noise about £1000 fines in the hope that the publicity will deter people. |
#37
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
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#38
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
nightjar .uk.com nightjar@insert my surname here wrote in message ... http://www.thameswater.co.uk/UK/regi...FAQ_000051.jsp Washing flags is not explicitly banned, so you wouldn't be prosecuted. It's a question of conscience. Being true for Thames Water doesn't make it true for other water companies, though. The relevant Act only gives the Water Suppliers the power to prohibit the use of hose pipes for watering of domestic gardens and for the washing of private cars. They do not have the powers to impose greater restrictions, until they get Until they are granted a drought order. - |
#39
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
The Invalid wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote: Water companies do not make the law. Water Companies can make their own rules for usage. There doesn't need to be any law imposed Please explain. |
#40
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
"The Invalid" wrote in message ... On a slight tangent, maybe the forced imposition of standpipes might alleviate a lot of friction on some estates? That would simply generate bad PR for the water companies, and the possibility of nationwide payment strikes. Many of the water companies are already foreign owned, are heavily diversified, have leaking pipes, and have a terrible image as it is. This is the sort of story which could keep the likes of the Sun and the Mail in headlines for months on end. The idea of trying to gouge even higher prices out of people as they queue to draw water out of standpipes in the street, simply doesn't bear thinking about. Possible water shortages which are probably a result of higher per capita consumption and building programmes as much as anything, are simply the first taste of reality that consumers are going to have to face up to. Spiralling oil, gas, and electricity prices won't be that far behind. IMO, any government that wants to maintain social cohesion in such circumstances will need to do something to dampen demand across the board. Don't forget now, you read it here first. michael adams |
#41
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
Don't need a pump provided there is at least 3 feet of height for gravity feed. Did this with brother-in-laws Commercial Steam Cleaner (45 gal plastic butt on top of 45 gal drum) for washing his artic lorries. will was 3 lorries WITH trailers before running close to dry. You MUST filter it though - preferrably twice - as it goes into the butt to stop big leaves, twigs, dead birds etc, and the mesh from an old kitchen sieve (or even a cheap new one) over the outlet from the butt that feeds the washer. Don't have hosepipe ban problem in sunny??? NE Scotland - just commercial water meters and charges to remrtgage for!! |
#43
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
"David Hansen" wrote in message ... Having a little wind-genny to drive the pump is also all very well - but the amount of power consumed by the pump must be pretty small - as the genny wouldn't have been much more than 200 - 300watts. OK - so it was all very good on camera - but whether it was cost-effective.... dunno..... Like many things of this sort, the simple payback period is probably a number of years at current prices. However, that is not the only reason for doing things, if it was few would create flower gardens. On the program he said it cost less than a 1/4's water charges to set up the system. Ian |
#44
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
HI Ian
On Thu, 04 May 2006 10:26:42 GMT, "Ian" wrote: "David Hansen" wrote in message .. . Having a little wind-genny to drive the pump is also all very well - but the amount of power consumed by the pump must be pretty small - as the genny wouldn't have been much more than 200 - 300watts. OK - so it was all very good on camera - but whether it was cost-effective.... dunno..... Like many things of this sort, the simple payback period is probably a number of years at current prices. However, that is not the only reason for doing things, if it was few would create flower gardens. On the program he said it cost less than a 1/4's water charges to set up the system. Ian Yes - I think I remember that. I was with him all the way until the wind genny bit - but I guess it does make for a good bit of TV "all the water and the electricity to power it is from renewable sources".. Bit like that lovely water-wheel he built - which appeared to be used to run only the lighting in the house... Not knocking the fellow - but, like so many of these programmes, there's a strong 'directorial' influence - and the entertainment part always seems to win over the informative.... - or perhaps I'm getting old and cynical g Regards Adrian Suffolk UK ======return email munged================= take out the papers and the trash to reply |
#45
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Hosepipe ban, power washer, water butt, pump - X-post
The message
from David Hansen contains these words: On Wed, 03 May 2006 18:42:08 +0100 someone who may be Adrian Brentnall adrian-the papers and the wrote this:- Ah well - I suppose it makes good telly..... g That seems to partly be the idea and there is nothing wrong with that. There wouldn't be anything wrong with it, except for the hilarious degree of Marie Antoinette pretence by the Strawbridges. Changing their gas-guzzler vehicles might do far more to save the planet and its resources . It's made very clear that they have a great deal of money which effortlessly fills and conceals every pitfall and reality gap. Just a couple of examples; "We've been thinking about buying our own wood to fuel the stoves". Meanwhile they burned a huge stack of free heat for fun. Someone else has already pointed out that their use of three stoves is inefficient.. Heating a far smaller house on one highly efficient woodfired system, we used between 15 and 20 tons of wood per year The load they took delivery of, was (at a guess) less than two tons, supposedly to feed 3 stoves "until Christmas". If that unseasoned wet wood was fit for burning (ie, giving out optimal heat) , Mrs would not be crouched shivering in sweaters and scarf beside a stove on full burn, and upstairs would be roasting, even without the silly air pipes. They will have burned the lot (for little heat output) long before winter comes. Planning regs (which a redevelopment like that can't evade) insist that a domestic home has a tested potable water supply. Plugging a hosepipe into a muddy spring and tasting a glassful, gives a very false impression of the health hoops to be jumped through before bringing spring water into the domestic system for drinking..or even, it's advisability. (Particularly, in Cornwall, where I would imagine heavy metal contamination is likely, and within stonesthrow of other houses or rural farms and their own livestock, al l of which could have coeliform runoffs). One can't help noticing that the adult Strawbridge invariably waft around with fairies and clipboards, while a changing parade of workers are paid to do the donkey work in their so-called "self sufficient " lifestyle :-) Where has the gardening lady gone to? It's entertaining all right, my only question is, how far are the Sawbridges aware of the TV producers' real agenda..which is surely, exposing their pretensions and holding them up to ridicule .. Janet. |
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