Tag Archives: Outdoor water-use restriction

by draindoctor | June 13, 2012 · 6:55 am

Hosepipe ban to be lifted but keep saving water

Drain Doctor advice: Turn off running water and fix dripping taps to save water.

Three major water companies – Anglian Water, Southern Water and Thames Water – are lifting the hosepipe restrictions that were put in place in April following two unusually dry winters.

Record rainfall in April and further significant rainfall in May and June has led to serious flooding in some parts of the country but has also meant that river and reservoir levels have returned to normal levels.

This is all good news. But despite the fact that the risks of drought and widespread water restrictions this summer have been significantly reduced we all still need to keep an eye on our water usage to avoid problems in the future.

Here a few Drain Doctor tips that we have already shared to help conserve water and save some cash at the same time:

Use a bowl in the sink when washing fruit, vegetables or dishes. You can then use the waste water to water your plants.
Fill a jug of water and put it in the fridge for when you want a cool drink.
Turn off the tap when you clean your teeth. A running tap uses up to nine litres of water a minute.
Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine or your dishwasher. Some new washing machines use less than seven litres of water for each kilogramme of clothes, while modern dishwashers can use as little as 10 to 15 litres of water a cycle.
If possible, take a shower instead of a bath. A five-minute shower uses about 40 litres of water. This is about half the volume of a standard bath.
Use a water-saving device in your toilet cistern. Depending on the size of your cistern, you could save between one and three litres each time you flush the toilet.
Using a watering can in the garden instead of a sprinkler or a hosepipe. Garden sprinklers and hosepipes left running can use between 500 and 1,000 litres of water an hour.
Think about fitting a water-butt to collect rainwater off your roof. Water butts usually store about 200 litres of water. As well as being better for watering your plants, using rainwater in the garden reduces the amount of treated water you use.
Check your property regularly for leaks on your internal plumbing.

For more details and news on floods, droughts and hosepipe restrictions have a look here.

Hosepipe bans to be lifted (bfreenews.com)
Companies to lift hosepipe bans (express.co.uk)
Hosepipe bans to be lifted (guardian.co.uk)
Companies to lift hosepipe bans after ‘monsoon downpours’ (itv.com)
Thames Water could lift hosepipe ban sooner than expected unless weather ‘takes Saharan twist’ (thisislondon.co.uk)
Companies to lift hosepipe bans (itv.com)
UK News: Companies to lift hosepipe bans (walesonline.co.uk)

Drought now affecting half the country

drought (Photo credit: iamleeg)

In the wake of the announcement of the first parts of the country to be declared in drought, and the introduction of the hosepipe ban earlier this month, further drought zones have been designated in another 17 counties. The Environment Agency has extended its drought map to include the Midlands and the South West of England.

Despite the recent welcome rainfall, drought restrictions could remain in place until at least Christmas in what is likely to be the driest year in the UK since 1976. It is therefore essential that we all take steps to use water wisely. Drain Doctor would like to reiterate some water-saving tips we published recently:

Use a bowl in the sink when washing fruit, vegetables or dishes. You can then use the waste water to water your plants.
Fill a jug of water and put it in the fridge for when you want a cool drink.
Turn off the tap when you clean your teeth. A running tap uses up to nine litres of water a minute.
Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine or your dishwasher. Some new washing machines use less than seven litres of water for each kilogramme of clothes, while modern dishwashers can use as little as 10 to 15 litres of water a cycle.
If possible, take a shower instead of a bath. A five-minute shower uses about 40 litres of water. This is about half the volume of a standard bath.
Use a water-saving device in your toilet cistern. Depending on the size of your cistern, you could save between one and three litres each time you flush the toilet.
Using a watering can in the garden instead of a sprinkler or a hosepipe. Garden sprinklers and hosepipes left running can use between 500 and 1,000 litres of water an hour.
Think about fitting a water-butt to collect rainwater off your roof. Water butts usually store about 200 litres of water. As well as being better for watering your plants, using rainwater in the garden reduces the amount of treated water you use.
Check your property regularly for leaks on your internal plumbing.

Also, don’t forget to follow OFWAT’s advice on hosepipe useage:

Watering of private gardens and washing of private motor cars with a hosepipe or sprinkler is prohibited during a hosepipe ban.

You can wash cars or water gardens using buckets and/or watering cans.
Commercial activities are generally not affected by hosepipe bans. However, a gardener or window cleaner must not use a hosepipe or sprinkler connected to a customer’s private supply.

No hosepipe ban for Wessex Water (itv.com)
Hosepipe bans are ‘unfair’ on households, says Liberal Democrat think tank (telegraph.co.uk)
Britain faces worst drought since 1976 (telegraph.co.uk)
Wildlife and farming disaster warning as drought spreads across England (guardian.co.uk)
Worst drought since 1976 in Britain (mytechnologyworld9.blogspot.com)
Britain faces worst drought since 1976 (oyiabrown.wordpress.com)
Britain faces worst drought since 1976 (telegraph.co.uk)
Worst drought since 1976 (telegraph.co.uk)

Water saving tips for hosepipe ban hit UK from across the pond

Following the news that the use of hose pipes is to be banned in parts of the UK, news comes to us from our friends at Mr Rooter that it’s ‘Fix a Leak Week’ in the US. It’s sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and calls attention to the importance of conserving water.

The EPA WaterSense website advises Americans to repair leaks in three areas: the sink, the toilet and the shower.

This is also true here in the UK. See Drain Doctor’s water-saving tips for easy ways to help beat the drought.

Is a hosepipe ban the most effective way to tackle a drought? | Leo Hickman (guardian.co.uk)
Hosepipe ban to be imposed in drought-hit parts of UK – BBC News (bbc.co.uk)
Water Firms Set To Impose Hosepipe Bans – Sky News (news.sky.com)
Mr. Rooter Facebook Game Calls Attention to “Fix a Leak” Week (prweb.com)
Water firms introduce hose pipe ban (independent.co.uk)

UK drought leads to hosepipe ban – Drain Doctor offers water-saving tips

Don't leave taps running. Turn them off and fix dripping taps to save water.

Parts of the UK – mostly in the South East of England – have been drought areas since February. Now, a hose pipe ban has been declared by Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Anglian Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Central and Veolia South East. The Environment Agency has warned that the drought could spread to effect other areas including East Yorkshire, Hampshire and Wiltshire if the current dry spell continues.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “We’re doing all we can to reduce the impact on agriculture and wildlife but everyone can play their part. Households know how to use less water and everyone can do their bit to use water more wisely throughout the year.”

In what is the worst drought to effect the UK since 1976 it is vitally important that we all take steps to save water. At Drain Doctor we have put together some tips to help our customers to do just that:

Check your plumbing and drains for leaks
Turn off your tap when you are brushing your teeth
Take showers rather than baths
Take fewer showers and for less time
Repair any dripping taps
Only use what water you need when filling the kettle to make tea or coffee
Only use the washing machine when you can put a full load into it
Keep water in the fridge to chill so that you don’t need to run the tap to get cool water each time
Place a brick or a ‘hippo’ in the toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water flushed
If you’re not in a ‘hose pipe ban area,’ use a shut-off nozzle on your hose pipe if you are using it in the garden or to wash the car
Use a mulch on beds and vegetable plots to retain moisture in the soil to reduce the amount of watering
Use a water butt to collect rainwater to use on the garden
Install rainwater and grey water harvesting systems