[Soul boy 68]

As you are aware, two water companies, South East water and Southern Water have introduced temporarily hosepipe bans with other Water companies certain to follow suit. Any of you guys on here customers of these companies? I've been thinking what if these bans are kept in place throughout the Autumn and beyond if we don't get significant rainfall? I guess for the majority of us, we can kiss goodbye to prepping our cars for Winter. I know these dissensions from the Water companies have to be made but from a selfish point of view and the all important Winter prep could be missed entirely. What are your thought's? Do you have other ways/means around this? Some of you probably will and some of us won't be able too. I'm going to get in quick before my Water company announces a hosepipe ban and give my car most probably it's last maintenance wash for quite a long time to come.

 

[RS3]

ONR. Make up the solutions now (A Bucket full will see me through several washes as long as the car is not too dirty).
If the water companies invested more of their heinous profits into replacing the crumbling water infrastructure, there would be no need for bans.
It's hard for me to comprehend this living in Yorkshire as its rained pretty much every day since the so called 40degC day a few weeks ago. The reservoirs nearby look healthy and all the reservoirs are now linked to the South East so in theory it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[EricSab]

Maybe if anyone is thinking about getting a pressure washer time to start prioritosing one that can run off a standing water source, along with a couple of larger plastic containers /water tank and a trip to spotless water.

Might start to become the norm

 

[[email protected]]

We'er a bloody island surrounded by water....

 

[percymon]

During previous hosepipe bans i managed to wash the car using multiple watering cans for rinsing - never going to be as good as a PW but at least you can wash the dust and pollen off.

 

[Shiny]

I had a conversation with Thames Water a few years back. They confirmed the hosepipe ban was literally a hose pipe connected to a tap ban. I could fill up a 25l bucket with smaller buckets from my outside tap, and then run the PW from a hose feed in the 25l bucket. The end result was the same, the water usage the same, just more effort needed on my part to fill buckets.

OK morally not right, but most PWs should be able to draw water from a bucket. My old Karcher certainly can.

 

[Soul boy 68]

During previous hosepipe bans i managed to wash the car using multiple watering cans for rinsing - never going to be as good as a PW but at least you can wash the dust and pollen off.

I guess that's fine but when we eventually do get rainfall, particularly in the South East then the car will get more dirtier so using multiple watering cans could become more risky when compared to just light dust and pollen. Also more challenging when you want to prep your car for Winter.

 

[muzzer]

A waterless wash is the way to go for regular cleaning with the occasional wash when needed.
I've thought about the AMMO NYC version but that is quite a bit of money for the kit. I will be looking into it because you can bet your bottom dollar that once the hosepipe bans are over, cost of supplying water to houses will rise to recover the costs spent repairing the infrastructure.

 

[Coops]

We'er a bloody island surrounded by water....

Bang 4 or 5 desalination plants around the coast and job done.

 

[[email protected]]

Bang 4 or 5 desalination plants around the coast and job done.

Some of us live with.....A Victorian age water supply!..... 9 million pound fine for Southern Water....and they still stealing water from chalk rivers....SHAME ON THEM......

 

[suds]

The news feed i read included a ban on washing windows and cars which gave me the impression it is more than just a hosepipe ban Coming? Hope I read it wrong…

 

[ridders66]

I checked up on United utilities to see what they're planning, as I cycled past one of their reservoirs at Rivington last week and it was empty, with grass growing where the water should be. Apparently they have no plans at all to introduce restrictions. despite it being much drier than usual in the north west they still have 70% supplies which they can move around the region.

I think it's crazy that water companies can ask us to be more careful and introduce hosepipe bans when collectively they lose hundreds of millions of litres daily in leaks.
I've read somewhere, why the water companies cannot make the reservoirs which are dry much deeper whilst they have the opportunity. I'm sure it takes much more planning than driving a JCB in, but I do wonder what the population was the last time a reservoir was built. Demand is so great now that a few weeks of summer weather can cause big problems. Perhaps the water companies should prioritise supplies over shareholders dividends?

 

[muzzer]

Slightly off topic but i remember them bull dozing villages and forest to make way for Kielder Water back in the day.
I think waterless wash is the way forward unless you can collect rain water for later use of course, in which case i am insanely jealous

 

[packard]

On the last ban, I got confirmation from my local water company if a large bucket was filled with water could I draw a pressure washer feed from it, there response was yes as long as the bucket wasn’t filled with a hose.

worked a treat (kArcher), amazed really it didn’t use that much water either.

And yep have been past water leaks today of which the local company still hasn’t been out to fix !

 

[ridders66]

This is usually brim full, I have never seen it this low. But thankfully United Utilities seem to have no intention of imposing restrictions. We have many reservoirs in Lancashire, they're bloody everywhere, plus we have Haweswater and Thirlmere in Cumbria.

 

[HEADPHONES]

Rinsing my car after a wash using a bucket and a MF mitt uses more water than using my cordless Worx Hydroshot pressure washer drawing from the bucket! So that's a win win.
The problem when I use ONR is I end up with a pe of MF towels that I need to bung in the washing machine afterwards lossii using MORE water in total than the 4 buckets I use normally (2 for 2BM wash and 1 to rinse after prewash spray and 1 to rinse after shampoo)

 

[Darlofan]

My childhood was 70s and 80s. Talk back then was exactly the same. Droughts, hosepipe bans, needing new reservoirs, moving water from North to South, pictures of half empty reservoirs etc. Nothing in that regard has changed. 10million more people though. We might be more sympathetic if leaks were fixed, profits were less and we didn't have floods all winter.

 

[evanhartshorne]

My best mate used to work for Severn Trent water and most of the reason for (let's say water collection and storage). Is that all the land or holes that's were earmarked for collection and storage have been flogged off when they were privatised.

 

[O.C.D.]

I’m guessing the ban will be include car washing machines & jet wash bays at fuel stations too? What about professional detailers?

I had a couple of enginee from Severn Trent poking around the bottom of my drive a few weeks ago. Turns out there’s a leak on their supply of the stop tap and I’m lucky or else I’d be paying for the repair! I think it’s a trick to get me to pay for pipe insurance on my side of the property as they’re const dropping the warning leaflets through the door. Looking forward to having full pressure water when it’s sorted. If I’m allowed to use it!

To be fair, ST Water sent texts a few weeks ago asking customers to go easy on the water during the heat wave, then followed up saying thanks as it helped with keeping things as they are so no hosepipe bans due as far as I know. For now…

 

[Eddmeister]

I'm on the west coast of Scotland where it rains just about every day but the east coast is struggling now which is the first time I've ever known it.

Might start selling you guys water