supersurgilator
Well-known member
I was just wondering if any of you feel guilty for the huge amounts of water that you use with your old machines? Do any of you regularly use extra rinse cycles?
Water usage
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cehalstead
Well-known member
no
I don't feel the least bit guilty using water. There is no shortage in my area, and as long as I can pay the bill, I will use what I want...and btw....my combined water/sewer bill runs around $100 a month...water here costs about 1 cent a gallon and the sewage is about the same...
I just bought a new SQ top loader (last year) and even modified the water level switch to make it fill to where it was supposed to before the water police made the level lower. It washes large loads now, and rinse well...something that can't be said about most new machines, IMHO.
I don't feel the least bit guilty using water. There is no shortage in my area, and as long as I can pay the bill, I will use what I want...and btw....my combined water/sewer bill runs around $100 a month...water here costs about 1 cent a gallon and the sewage is about the same...
I just bought a new SQ top loader (last year) and even modified the water level switch to make it fill to where it was supposed to before the water police made the level lower. It washes large loads now, and rinse well...something that can't be said about most new machines, IMHO.
Water usage
Since I am on a well and septic (and live on a 14 mile long lake) water is never going to be a problem. My good old Maytag LA511 uses according to the book, 42 gallons every extra large load, even more if I do set it back to rinse again. Some of my neighbors have the new frontloaders that use about a cup of water to wash and complain that either their clothes are not being cleaned good or the machine broke down again. Thanks, but I'll keep my good old dependable Maytag going as long as possible. But if I was PAYING for water and sewer, that would be another story, I certainly would feel guilty every time the bill came in.
Since I am on a well and septic (and live on a 14 mile long lake) water is never going to be a problem. My good old Maytag LA511 uses according to the book, 42 gallons every extra large load, even more if I do set it back to rinse again. Some of my neighbors have the new frontloaders that use about a cup of water to wash and complain that either their clothes are not being cleaned good or the machine broke down again. Thanks, but I'll keep my good old dependable Maytag going as long as possible. But if I was PAYING for water and sewer, that would be another story, I certainly would feel guilty every time the bill came in.
supersurgilator
Well-known member
so how many gallons do u use a month for the bill to be $100?
I'm not overly concerned with water usage related to laundry, I don't use much water on the whole anyway. Private well & septic. That being said, I've gotten accustomed to my Calypso over the last 3 years and tend to cringe a little internally when using one of the deep-fill machines, particularly regards to energy use for heating water. And I occasionally wondered if my well might run dry during the terrible drought this past summer. There has been rain in recent weeks but not enough to recover to any semblance of normal.
I personally am not overly concerned about this either. This is primarily because I live in Minneapolis where our water comes out of the Mississippi river and goes back into the Mississippi river. (The city also softens it to between 3-5 grains). I rarely do 2nd rinses except when I have enough stacked up to actually fire up the wringer. In that case I put 18 gallons of hot water in the Maytag and about 12-15 gallons in each rinse tub. Tub 1 is clear rinse water and tub 2 is fabric softener. I am WAY more concerned about the about of HOT water that I use as compared to the actual amount of water.
We're surrounded by water and live only a few blocks from the shores of Lake Huron but pay huge sewage fee's now. The city started out by raising water rates to get people to conserve and that backfired on them.. People did conserve, stopped watering their lawns altogether and naturally the income to city coffers dried up leaving a huge shortfall of funds for water treament etc. So to counteract that they basically put the rates back down but skyrocketed the sewage fee's adding administration charges to it as well.. So now it barely matters whether you use 0 gallons a month or a thousand you'll be paying at minimum about $60 per month in fixed cost charges. Our monthly water bill is around $125.. $10 worth of water and 115 in sewage/admin. I try not to waste it but I don't fret over it either..
Fact of the matter is as far as I know.. every single drop of water that has ever been on this planet is still on the planet in some form or another. All life and plants are made up of water,, they live, they die.. the water from them returns eventually.
Fact of the matter is as far as I know.. every single drop of water that has ever been on this planet is still on the planet in some form or another. All life and plants are made up of water,, they live, they die.. the water from them returns eventually.
As you say regards to the sewage treatment ... shortage of water isn't so much the issue as is the availability and cost of clean water.
no problem with me-my water bills are very low and I use the TL WP washer all of the time-even fill it above the level it fills to.Find the surgilator works better.I am on a septic tank-no sewer charges.the water use doesn't worry me.
arbilab
Well-known member
Outside metros, washer effluent can be used for landscaping. It's not toxic. For that matter, if we were REALLY committed to conservation, we would take washer and bathtub effluent (gray water) and use it to flush toilets. But NObody does that.
So when I set my frontloader to 'extra rinse' I don't feel the least bit guilty.
So when I set my frontloader to 'extra rinse' I don't feel the least bit guilty.
I feel a bit better that the front loader I'm using now uses about 75 liters of water per load instead of the 180 liters of water my old GE top loader used. (Without an extra rinse) I'm sure there are other front loaders that use less water than that, but I wouldn't want to buy them.
The city here charges $6 per cubic meter of water, that's 1000 liters. I would estimate that we do about 104 loads per year.. that's a water savings of about 10,920 liters of water. Or a savings of about $65.52 a year.
I figure that at this rate, it's going to take me close to 29 years worth of loads before my washer will pay for itself in water savings, assuming the washer actually lasts that long.
Over 29 years, 3016 loads would equal a water savings of 316,680 liters, or about $1900.08 worth of water.
To put that into perspective, an olympic sized swimming pool holds 2.5 Million liters of water, so over 26 years I would fill only 12.6 percent of that pool with all of the water I would save using a front loader over a top loader.
That kind of puts everything into perspective, doesn't it?
The city here charges $6 per cubic meter of water, that's 1000 liters. I would estimate that we do about 104 loads per year.. that's a water savings of about 10,920 liters of water. Or a savings of about $65.52 a year.
I figure that at this rate, it's going to take me close to 29 years worth of loads before my washer will pay for itself in water savings, assuming the washer actually lasts that long.
Over 29 years, 3016 loads would equal a water savings of 316,680 liters, or about $1900.08 worth of water.
To put that into perspective, an olympic sized swimming pool holds 2.5 Million liters of water, so over 26 years I would fill only 12.6 percent of that pool with all of the water I would save using a front loader over a top loader.
That kind of puts everything into perspective, doesn't it?
ronhic
Well-known member
REALLY committed to conservation, we would take washer and b
and use it to flush toilets...but NOBODY does that...
There is a very good reason why too. If grey water that has shampoo, soaps and body wash in it, not to mention human dander, hair and body oils is left to sit for more than 24 hours in even moderate temperatures it sours, bacteria starts to breed and then you have the potential for a whole different ball game to play with. Consider failing to drain the tank before you head off for summer holidays and what you might come back to or even heading away for a weekend in the heat of summer?
On the other point of using washing machine water on lawns, here in Oz people have been filling their laundry tubs with the rinse water and siphoning it onto their lawns for decades - especially when on tank rather than town water. Furthermore, with the droughts and long-term water restrictions we've had over the preceeding 7 years (and only just lifted in the past 12 months), several enterprising companies have launched conversion kits for 'wheelie bins' specifically designed so you can recycle the water from your washing machine into a moderate storage vessel with a pump and then pump it where you need it via a garden hose....
The actual wash liquid is not recommended due to the chemical content AND the previously mentioned dander/soap/shampoo content. If you wish to stuff your lawn up completely, then by all means use it all for over time, the detergents, oils and soaps will prevent your lawn absorbing water....
Additionally, in some subdivisions, building requirements are such that you MUST install rainwater tanks and have certain plumbing alternatives such as using rainwater to flush the toilet, for the cold tap in the shower and a tap for using rainwater installed in the laundry. This is in addition to the normal plumbing for toilets, bathroom and laundry to help alleviate the pressure of population growth on town water supplies.
www.enviro-friendly.com
and use it to flush toilets...but NOBODY does that...
There is a very good reason why too. If grey water that has shampoo, soaps and body wash in it, not to mention human dander, hair and body oils is left to sit for more than 24 hours in even moderate temperatures it sours, bacteria starts to breed and then you have the potential for a whole different ball game to play with. Consider failing to drain the tank before you head off for summer holidays and what you might come back to or even heading away for a weekend in the heat of summer?
On the other point of using washing machine water on lawns, here in Oz people have been filling their laundry tubs with the rinse water and siphoning it onto their lawns for decades - especially when on tank rather than town water. Furthermore, with the droughts and long-term water restrictions we've had over the preceeding 7 years (and only just lifted in the past 12 months), several enterprising companies have launched conversion kits for 'wheelie bins' specifically designed so you can recycle the water from your washing machine into a moderate storage vessel with a pump and then pump it where you need it via a garden hose....
The actual wash liquid is not recommended due to the chemical content AND the previously mentioned dander/soap/shampoo content. If you wish to stuff your lawn up completely, then by all means use it all for over time, the detergents, oils and soaps will prevent your lawn absorbing water....
Additionally, in some subdivisions, building requirements are such that you MUST install rainwater tanks and have certain plumbing alternatives such as using rainwater to flush the toilet, for the cold tap in the shower and a tap for using rainwater installed in the laundry. This is in addition to the normal plumbing for toilets, bathroom and laundry to help alleviate the pressure of population growth on town water supplies.
Do Grey Water Systems Make Sense in Australia? - Enviro Friendly
Adjusting your lifestyle to be more sustainable can be difficult, but there are certain things you can do to help. For example, using a home grey water system is a great way to save and recycle water while reducing energy usage. Grey water systems are simple to install and can be used for...
www.enviro-friendly.com
No guilt here what-so-ever, and I rinse in warm (and even hot on some occasions). I do use cold rinses from May-October, but Nov-April I use warm rinses only. I also keep the water heater up to 150 at all times and the furnace thermostat set to 71.
Conservation for laundry use is not for collectors of vintage washing machines. We are such a tiny minority compared to everyone else that we will make no impact what so ever. Same with adding phosphates to our detergents, how many people do you know who do this on a regular basis besides automaticwasher.org members?
Conservation for laundry use is not for collectors of vintage washing machines. We are such a tiny minority compared to everyone else that we will make no impact what so ever. Same with adding phosphates to our detergents, how many people do you know who do this on a regular basis besides automaticwasher.org members?
Hi Bruce, we live in Fort Wayne, and the water itself isn't expensive here, but the city puts all kinds of extra fees on the bill to make it add up to be rather costly. We try not to waste water here, but still enjoy using the vintage machines. (we don't own any modern machines) Our bill is about $60.00 per month. It can more than double if we have to water the lawn, as we have 3 city lots.
Guilt?
Really?
I thoroughly ENJOY doing my laundry, which adds a whole new dimension to the value of the energy and water used for it.
We use countless billions of gallons annually for swimming pools, water parks, sprinking of lawns, etc., so the few gallons that my deep fill washers use to wash my clothes is absolutely NOTHING, as others have said, in the grand scheme. Adding to it the fact that I usually thoroughly enjoy the whole washing process, the water and energy use is in no way wasted.
If or when water supplies are tight, I do see the rationale about using as little as possible. I am typically water frugal - I used 1,476 gallons of total water in November, which is nothing as compared to what some households with HE washers use. I think my water bill was $26. If all that was used to run my washers (it wasn't) it would be cheap and very worthwhile entertainment.
Really?
I thoroughly ENJOY doing my laundry, which adds a whole new dimension to the value of the energy and water used for it.
We use countless billions of gallons annually for swimming pools, water parks, sprinking of lawns, etc., so the few gallons that my deep fill washers use to wash my clothes is absolutely NOTHING, as others have said, in the grand scheme. Adding to it the fact that I usually thoroughly enjoy the whole washing process, the water and energy use is in no way wasted.
If or when water supplies are tight, I do see the rationale about using as little as possible. I am typically water frugal - I used 1,476 gallons of total water in November, which is nothing as compared to what some households with HE washers use. I think my water bill was $26. If all that was used to run my washers (it wasn't) it would be cheap and very worthwhile entertainment.
suds saving
I pay for every drop of water and sewer, so I feel it's up to me whether I worry about conservation or not. I usually use Suds Return and get 2 or 3 loads of clothes washed. Maybe 10% of the time I will do a second rinse, there's really not much of another way to ensure clean clothes if they started out super gross and needed excess detergents. I'll admit I conserve to save $$ more than the environment, I'm as green as the middle of the Democratic party tells me to be.
My boyfriend got me into "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" for conservation.
When I was a Florida child and Ohio child, everyone watered their lawns. Nowadays, pretty darn rare except for upscale areas.
Keep in mind, all of these ancient machines are in use in homes instead of rusting in a landfill. That's a type of environment friendly conservation.
I pay for every drop of water and sewer, so I feel it's up to me whether I worry about conservation or not. I usually use Suds Return and get 2 or 3 loads of clothes washed. Maybe 10% of the time I will do a second rinse, there's really not much of another way to ensure clean clothes if they started out super gross and needed excess detergents. I'll admit I conserve to save $$ more than the environment, I'm as green as the middle of the Democratic party tells me to be.
My boyfriend got me into "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" for conservation.
When I was a Florida child and Ohio child, everyone watered their lawns. Nowadays, pretty darn rare except for upscale areas.
Keep in mind, all of these ancient machines are in use in homes instead of rusting in a landfill. That's a type of environment friendly conservation.
also
I use the "cool down" cycles of each machine ONCE to prove to me agan how incredibly wasteful they are, and prove that the timer works on all cycles. Then, never again. There are folks here plenty smarter and more experienced and exact than I, but I think that wrinkles are set or removed, fabric dependent, in the dryer, not washer. I may be wrong, but I never use the cool-down wash cycles.
I use the "cool down" cycles of each machine ONCE to prove to me agan how incredibly wasteful they are, and prove that the timer works on all cycles. Then, never again. There are folks here plenty smarter and more experienced and exact than I, but I think that wrinkles are set or removed, fabric dependent, in the dryer, not washer. I may be wrong, but I never use the cool-down wash cycles.
Hey Robert Webmaster
How come the warm rinses in winter? Purely for comfort in handling the clothes? Or is your cold water too close to freezing in winter?
I will admit, in my cold old basement, I do not ever bring out the wringer washer or various twin-tubs in winter. They are all just summertime treats.
Pretty cool of your folks to have the last name Webmaster, eh?
How come the warm rinses in winter? Purely for comfort in handling the clothes? Or is your cold water too close to freezing in winter?
I will admit, in my cold old basement, I do not ever bring out the wringer washer or various twin-tubs in winter. They are all just summertime treats.
Pretty cool of your folks to have the last name Webmaster, eh?
I'm assuming that the warm rinse issue Robert speaks of is because of the difference in incoming water temperature that we experience in Mpls. Our water comes from the river so in the winter it starts out at the main upstream intake at about 35 degrees. After treatment and going through piping that is buried below the frost line it has usually "warmed" to between 45 and 50 degrees F. In the summer it is the opposite and is usually arrives in the 55 - 65 degree range. The higher temp occuring late in the summer after several "hot spells".
I believe that even with detergents (as opposed to soap) you need water that is at least 55-60 to get decent rinsing. Old-fashioned soap truly requires water in the 90 degree or above range to rinse out properly.
I believe that even with detergents (as opposed to soap) you need water that is at least 55-60 to get decent rinsing. Old-fashioned soap truly requires water in the 90 degree or above range to rinse out properly.
