6 January 2009

Water use blows out on the first day back at work?

| johnboy
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ACTEW is reporting that with Canberrans returning to work yesterday water use blew out to 160ML over our target of 139ML.

This is from the Sunday usage of 136ML.

So it’s domestic water use that’s the problem? Seems unlikely.

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tylersmayhem3:21 pm 08 Jan 09

Rough calculations show that the lower bound for a typical ducted evaporative cooling unit with 10kW of cooling performance is about 16L/hour of water usage.

Thats pretty good I reckon!

That sounds unlikely, sepi – the mechanism through which they work is through turning liquid water to vapour to cool the intake air.

Rough calculations show that the lower bound for a typical ducted evaporative cooling unit with 10kW of cooling performance is about 16L/hour of water usage.

Johnathan I think modern evaporative coolers use a lot less water. 18L each time you turn it on – so they recommend you turn it on and leave it on, rather than on and off, and I think it can use the same 18Litres all day.

tylersmayhem11:42 am 07 Jan 09

It was the thousands of zip boil water heaters that refilled and started heating at 9:00am monday morning that accounted for the spike; all those Pubes having their morning fix of International Roast…

Your username says it all!

tylersmayhem11:41 am 07 Jan 09

I suppose ACTEW can justify another price rise now – blood sucking leeches!

XBikee, you can tip that bucket in the loo instead of using the flush button.
Or use your bucket to grow herbs or tomatoes in a pot on your balcony.
Or use your bucket to wash the kitchen and bathroom floors.

That was my thought while washing the car the other day … isn’t the water just going back to where it came from? A bit further donstream and a bit soapy…

Xbikee said :

but I only have one bucket so have to tip out the first two in the shower…

Then it just gives the towns downstream a bit more water to use 😉

I used to save water in the shower … could save up to three litres … but I only have one bucket so have to tip out the first two in the shower…

But then no-one has really told me why i have to “save water” … there’s just me in a little place with no garden.

If I saved it in a bucket could I keep it for later? But if it went in a bucket then I have already ‘used’ it haven’t I… I didn’t save anything. Did I? Maybe water balloons for passing Diplomat cars…

I think lots more people in Perth have bore water than we do in Canberra, that might help?

I’m guessing it was a combination of mums washing everything after getting home from holidays, paid workers taking longer showers in the hope that they would wake up and returning to work would all be a bad dream, and everyone’s office air con cranking up again.

No, Nosey. That is not wrong. Hopefully you didn’t strip down too far, however.

*tee hee*

Come to think of it, I actually don’t think there were any water restrictions at all in Perth. Could this be true?

I rode home today and as soon as I arrived I stripped off and soaked myself with the garden hose.

IS THAT WRONG??????

I used to do it as a kid……..

Then I turned on the evaporative air con…. mmmmmmm…. air con…..

peterh said :

bubzie said :

damn you lot..at least you get aircon/ability to go back to work yesterday… 🙁

bubzie, why not you?

i work in retail..no break for me!!

I use ice fans at home. no evap. thing melts, stick it in freezer and swelter.

I got evap @ home, I would rather be there than working in the environment I do, where its 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the building and no air circulation.

Evap Aircon could be another reason for the increased water usage as well.

bubzie said :

damn you lot..at least you get aircon/ability to go back to work yesterday… 🙁

bubzie, why not you?

damn you lot..at least you get aircon/ability to go back to work yesterday… 🙁

jakez said :

niftydog said :

Everybody stood in the shower for an extra 20 mins wishing they didn’t have to go back to work?

I actually did do that.

small daughter flushes the toilet with monotonous regularity after 4 mins…

wait. she must have my water saver timer. damn!

niftydog said :

Everybody stood in the shower for an extra 20 mins wishing they didn’t have to go back to work?

I actually did do that.

sepi said :

Office aircon coming back on?

I wish. still 27c inside.

Office aircon coming back on?

That was a quick guestimate based on 420km per 65 L – 92 EB falcon thats seen lots of better days.

I dont so much pee on the way home, more sweating as I mentioned earlier, so unless I can come to your house and roll around in the dirt at the base of your lemon tree, then it would be pretty futile 🙂

Probably come in closer to 13L/100Km – based on 420km per 55L (Filling up with 10L left in the tank)

Thats still alot for a straight 6 (Not sure on the capacity, is it 4.2L)
Anywho… water….I drank my share yesterday..

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy2:14 pm 06 Jan 09

Any chance you could ride to my house and help with my lemon tree…?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy2:14 pm 06 Jan 09

15l/100km – sheesh, that’s more than my V8 uses!

Good on you for enjoying a ride, I say.

I sweat copious amounts whilst riding 16km in +30 degrees – especially with a backpack on and going up that pr1ck of a hill on (the bike path to the side of) Gunghalin drive entering Gunghalin from an easterly direction.

I Drink about 1L of water on the way home, thats about 1.5 L less than my car…so dont get all green on me 🙂

Current calculations indicate that the falco (EB) does about 15L/100km so better for my pocket to ride 3x a week 🙂

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Wow, I hadn’t thought of that. I guess it’s too much to ask that he rides home through a lemon tree orchard…?

and more coke to clean out of the keyboard.

good job i don’t use water…

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy1:42 pm 06 Jan 09

Wow, I hadn’t thought of that. I guess it’s too much to ask that he rides home through a lemon tree orchard…?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Wow, how many times did you stop to take a leak?

what makes you think he stopped?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy1:36 pm 06 Jan 09

Wow, how many times did you stop to take a leak?

Holden Caulfield1:36 pm 06 Jan 09

Danman said :

I rode home in 32 degrees, was not as bad as I thought, but due to heat I doubled my water intake home and still lost 3kg of fluid between work and home (16km)

I drove home, by myself, in climate controlled comfort. Water use is a serious issue, might I suggest that you do your bit for the environment and drive to work in future.

We use waterless urinals.

Perhaps it was on account of it being bloody hot yesterday.

I rode home in 32 degrees, was not as bad as I thought, but due to heat I doubled my water intake home and still lost 3kg of fluid between work and home (16km)

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy1:25 pm 06 Jan 09

It was the thousands of piss troughs in office dunnies that flush every 2 mins regardless of whether or not they’ve been used.

neanderthalsis1:11 pm 06 Jan 09

It was the thousands of zip boil water heaters that refilled and started heating at 9:00am monday morning that accounted for the spike; all those Pubes having their morning fix of International Roast…

Holden Caulfield12:55 pm 06 Jan 09

Oops, it’s all my fault. I left the soaker hose on a bit too long last night. Sorry, it won’t happen again.

ant said :

Might be the hot weather, people watering their plants more? People washing their cars on returning from holidays?

or filling the bath with cold, cold water and having a soak?

not me, though, I just camped out in the lounge room in an attempt to get cool.

I sometimes wonder just how accurate these measures are.

Might be the hot weather, people watering their plants more? People washing their cars on returning from holidays?

A water usage audit of our house revealed that our old washing machine was responsible for nearly half of our water usage, including watering the garden. Replacing it with a modern water efficient front loader resulted in our water consumption dropping significantly.

So if families returned from their holiday at the coast on Sunday and mum did the washing on Monday, water usage would spike.

Everybody stood in the shower for an extra 20 mins wishing they didn’t have to go back to work?

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