Ken again
- Thread starter pipme
- Start date
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Well, first they should start repairing all the leaking water supplies pipe! Cause most clean water doesn't reach us anyway!
Then, these things (standard in most toilets were we come from) should become standard here to!
Then, these things (standard in most toilets were we come from) should become standard here to!
My toilet is a modern one with a 7.5 litre cistern, and a two-stage flush. But the short flush is the one you get if you hold the button down, which seems daft to me, surely to take the action of a long flush should have to hold it down.
Fixing leaky pipes: definitely should be done. A certain amount of the water will find it's way into the wells and sinkholes, but still, not all of it and the effort to clean it has already been done.
Also, more efficient processing plants are very possible. My mate designs and commissions sewage and water treatment plants. He says that you usually have a sewage plant pumping clean, drinkable water into the river, and a mile downstream you have a water treatment plant pumping water out of the river, cleaning it all again and putting it into the supply. Waste of resources, might as well go straight from sewage plant to pumping station.
How many new houses have a grey-water system? Each morning 100-200 litres of water comes out of my shower nozzle... but enough about my early-morning pee.
Sorry! Anyway, 100-200 litres of water that isn't really that dirty, and could easily be used for flushing toilets or doing the first wash on a washing machine (3 inlets on future machines? hot, cold and grey?). The final rinse on the washing machine could also empty into the grey tank, perhaps the biological action might even help keep the tank fresh!
As for now, I'm flushing my toilet every time I use it, I'm not going to have a stinky wee-smelling bathroom just because Ken can't mobilise his Red Army into fixing some leaky pipes. Maybe I have a sensitive nose, but the smell of wee (such as when someone has forgotten to flush) makes me gag.
Fixing leaky pipes: definitely should be done. A certain amount of the water will find it's way into the wells and sinkholes, but still, not all of it and the effort to clean it has already been done.
Also, more efficient processing plants are very possible. My mate designs and commissions sewage and water treatment plants. He says that you usually have a sewage plant pumping clean, drinkable water into the river, and a mile downstream you have a water treatment plant pumping water out of the river, cleaning it all again and putting it into the supply. Waste of resources, might as well go straight from sewage plant to pumping station.
How many new houses have a grey-water system? Each morning 100-200 litres of water comes out of my shower nozzle... but enough about my early-morning pee.
Sorry! Anyway, 100-200 litres of water that isn't really that dirty, and could easily be used for flushing toilets or doing the first wash on a washing machine (3 inlets on future machines? hot, cold and grey?). The final rinse on the washing machine could also empty into the grey tank, perhaps the biological action might even help keep the tank fresh!As for now, I'm flushing my toilet every time I use it, I'm not going to have a stinky wee-smelling bathroom just because Ken can't mobilise his Red Army into fixing some leaky pipes. Maybe I have a sensitive nose, but the smell of wee (such as when someone has forgotten to flush) makes me gag.
AdamW said:
Still don't understand why here the wheel has to be re-invented again and again (JOKING ! !)
The 'modern' toilets we know have two buttons (integrated in one) 1 for little flush, other (full button) for large flush (see picture, sorry, couldn't find a better one)
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I must say that using drinking water to flush a toilet is wasteful in the extreme. I propose that all new houses should be built with a large rainwater storage tank below the floor. From this tank a small pump keeps a header tank topped up. This water is then used for toilet cisterns and outside taps marked DO NOT DRINK. It might even be possible to dispense with that header tank but you would then need a bigger pump so that's a bit of a trade-off.
In case you're wondering what happens if the rainwater tank runs dry that's no real problem. A standard, mains fed ballcock lower down the header tank takes over until 'normal' supplies return. I suppose you could also feed 'grey' water into that underground tank. Would the soap in your bathwater discourage micro-organisms or feed them?
There is perhaps a down side to all this. If all that rain is diverted away from storm drains and into sewers will the storm drains foul up? Anybody know the answer?
In case you're wondering what happens if the rainwater tank runs dry that's no real problem. A standard, mains fed ballcock lower down the header tank takes over until 'normal' supplies return. I suppose you could also feed 'grey' water into that underground tank. Would the soap in your bathwater discourage micro-organisms or feed them?
There is perhaps a down side to all this. If all that rain is diverted away from storm drains and into sewers will the storm drains foul up? Anybody know the answer?
Soap would feed the bugs, but soap-traps have been around for at least decades: My uncle built one from a kit 40 years ago.
Wood, I have seen those two button toilets, my friend has one exactly as you describe.
I saw a toilet with what must have been a 20-25 litre cistern yesterday in a conference centre, in a dual-purpose men's/disabled loo... It is only a year old, I thought they weren't allowed to be anywhere near that big now!
Wood, I have seen those two button toilets, my friend has one exactly as you describe.
I saw a toilet with what must have been a 20-25 litre cistern yesterday in a conference centre, in a dual-purpose men's/disabled loo... It is only a year old, I thought they weren't allowed to be anywhere near that big now!
been doing it in commercial laundrys for years adam
Remember a few years ago, water boards were flogging them toilet bag things that you put in the cistern (they probably still are selling them, but i havent seen them for a while). What a waste of money. Surely you get the same effect by adjusting the ballcock in the cistern?
Saw one where i worked once, I was curious because i could always hear running water when i went to the toilet. Always thought it was the flats upstairs, so nobody ever thought to investigate. Anyway, i lifted the lid on the toilet cistern, and the thing was overflowing very badly, hence the running water, but the irony was, there was a water saver in the cistern. Obviously totally useless. Plumber came and put a new ballcock valve in, adjusted it so it filled up to just below the overflow. Not something i like to see. Id rather see it just fill half up, but then again, it had a water saver in.
Saw one where i worked once, I was curious because i could always hear running water when i went to the toilet. Always thought it was the flats upstairs, so nobody ever thought to investigate. Anyway, i lifted the lid on the toilet cistern, and the thing was overflowing very badly, hence the running water, but the irony was, there was a water saver in the cistern. Obviously totally useless. Plumber came and put a new ballcock valve in, adjusted it so it filled up to just below the overflow. Not something i like to see. Id rather see it just fill half up, but then again, it had a water saver in.
Are toilets better designed now? My little loo (it does look little compared to the big green monstrosity it replaced!) seems to do a much better job than the old one.
Why is it that years ago, you needed a great big cistern at high level to flush the toilet, but now a little close-coupled one can do the job?
Why is it that years ago, you needed a great big cistern at high level to flush the toilet, but now a little close-coupled one can do the job?
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