Interesting idea
$1300 a year in energy savings got my attention.
http://www.iflscience.com/technology/innovative-shower-reduces-water-usage-90-electricity-80 (http://www.iflscience.com/technology/innovative-shower-reduces-water-usage-90-electricity-80)
Would I have to stop peeing in the shower?
Interesting. Could be a great system for parts of the country where water is scarce. [thumbsup] Of course, getting people to stop planting grass in those regions would be a massive help as well. :P
using grey water has always been a plus.. especially if your out in the sticks.. best used for crops..
On a trip to Belize we showered with stored rain water. Of course in the jungle it rained every day....then the sun would come out and it would be HOT and heat the water up to a comfy temp.
If the ROI on that 'up to' $1,300 was 2-3 years I'd say giddy up.
Quote from: Triple J on November 13, 2013, 08:38:06 AM
Interesting. Could be a great system for parts of the country where water is scarce. [thumbsup] Of course, getting people to stop planting grass in those regions would be a massive help as well. :P
The masses really need to start with landscaping using native plants & materials, so that artificial irrigation needs are minimized or eliminated. This is what my wife and I are doing at our new house. 19-20" of rain a year in these parts, so we're planning the yard and selecting trees based on what grows naturally in this climate with little or no extra irrigation required.
Quote from: spolic on November 13, 2013, 09:01:37 AM
On a trip to Belize we showered with stored rain water......
[laugh]
We shower with stored rain water too.
All of our water (drinking water included) is stored rain water.
I ran a grey water system using recycled shower and washing machine water - not to save $$, but to save water (so far "they" still allow us to collect what falls from the sky for free). I came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the effort and dismantled the system.
From the linked report >>
"As the water falls down, it goes down into the drain, through the filtration system, and then is pumped back up to be used again. Because only a little heat is lost during this process, it only needs to be slightly reheated, which can significantly reduce energy costs" << I question this. In a commercial environment - where the shower is in constant use, the small heat loss may indeed be the case. But in a domestic environment where you're not gonna be reusing that water until the next day.... the heat is lost (unless you're storing it in a vacuum flask).
I think he's talking about while showering. You'd need to heat the ~5 liters of water, but after it's filtered it only needs to be slightly reheated before coming back out the showerhead.
Quote from: Timon on November 13, 2013, 08:31:03 AM
Would I have to stop peeing in the shower?
Nope your good.
Quote from: ungeheuer on November 13, 2013, 12:07:40 PM
[laugh]
We shower with stored rain water too.
All of our water (drinking water included) is stored rain water.
How much rain do you get?
Quote from: ungeheuer on November 13, 2013, 12:07:40 PM
[laugh]
We shower with stored rain water too.
All of our water (drinking water included) is stored rain water.
I ran a grey water system using recycled shower and washing machine water - not to save $$, but to save water (so far "they" still allow us to collect what falls from the sky for free). I came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the effort and dismantled the system.
From the linked report >> "As the water falls down, it goes down into the drain, through the filtration system, and then is pumped back up to be used again. Because only a little heat is lost during this process, it only needs to be slightly reheated, which can significantly reduce energy costs" << I question this. In a commercial environment - where the shower is in constant use, the small heat loss may indeed be the case. But in a domestic environment where you're not gonna be reusing that water until the next day.... the heat is lost (unless you're storing it in a vacuum flask).
Science has shown 98% of all water is actually fish pee.
The other 2% from my understanding, is carob.
Quote from: ungeheuer on November 13, 2013, 12:07:40 PM
[laugh]
We shower with stored rain water too.
You waste perfectly good rain water in the shower? Strewth!
Out here (middle of western Australia) we have to use bore water for showers, and for flushing the dunny. No need to heat it much, it comes out of the ground already hot.
It only rains like twice a year, so our rainwater is much too precious for showering in.
Quote from: Speeddog on November 13, 2013, 08:30:34 PM
How much rain do you get?
About this much..
(http://www.enviro-friendly.com/images/melbourne-rainfall.gif)
But its not just how much rainfall, the catchment area is important too. All of the rainwater which falls on the house roof feeds into a 55,000 litre storage tank. Plus another 22,000 litre tank fed from a large shed roof. We always have enough water (except when I once make the beast with two backsed up and allowed all 55,000 litres to run to waste [bang]).
Quote from: NAKID on November 13, 2013, 01:56:25 PM
I think he's talking about while showering. You'd need to heat the ~5 liters of water, but after it's filtered it only needs to be slightly reheated before coming back out the showerhead.
[bang] [laugh] I do believe you're right [thumbsup]
Quote from: ungeheuer on November 14, 2013, 02:23:12 AM
About this much..
~~~SNIP~~~
But its not just how much rainfall, the catchment area is important too. All of the rainwater which falls on the house roof feeds into a 55,000 litre storage tank. Plus another 22,000 litre tank fed from a large shed roof. We always have enough water (except when I once make the beast with two backsed up and allowed all 55,000 litres to run to waste [bang]).
That's a pretty decent supply of steady rainfall, that helps.
We get about half that much per year, and nearly all of it in a 4-month span in winter.
For me, my girlfriend, one cat and a few houseplants, we'd need ~120,000 litres per year.
That would require converting the bottom floor of this 3-level into a water tank.
And a roof (water-funnel) 50% larger than the lot the house is on.
Even with recycling shower water, reducing use, etc, it would be difficult.
Build your own water tank. Some good ideas in a thread I started..
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=322037 (http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=322037)
at times when it rains here, I just go outside and shower . . . remember a few years when we had the water issue that lasted a few months . . . I did just that, collected some water and when it rained I would run under the the thing that collects water from the roof and direct its to one corner and shower there ;D
<edit>
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=760887 (http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=760887)
Did I read somewhere that collecting rainwater as the topic mentions is frowned upon by the law or even illegal? Is that true?
Quote from: ab on November 15, 2013, 06:40:19 PM
Did I read somewhere that collecting rainwater as the topic mentions is frowned upon by the law or even illegal? Is that true?
It is in some US states.
Google 'collecting rainwater'.