Thinking about it
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 07:49 PM |
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Domestic hot water
A little off topic I know. But help would be appreciated.
I have two teenage daughters that think nothing of standing in the shower for 25mins at a time. I am sure they do it at times out of boredom and have
been known to do it three times a day.
Hot water is produced by a combi boiler with a flow rate of 12lpm that is 300lts ago, down the drain. No wonder we needed a new boiler this year.
I can't get it into the heads the waste. Then they give me all this "green 80110ck52 when I get in the car!
my wife says I am just moaning at them.
I am about to re vamp the bathroom and was thinking . Is there some sort or device I can fit into the hot water supply to the bath that will limit the
flow to a bath full, which should be more than ample for a shower? (Not a cistern float) Then reset after a short while. I know it sounds mean but
they must learn. I will tell them it's some new building regs that have come in when fitting new bathrooms to cut down on energy waste.
What do you think?
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edspurrier
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 07:58 PM |
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Not sure about that, but sure you could fix some sort of timer. BUt there are water saving showers which aerate the flow and apparently use less
water, though I';m not sure how effective they are
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onzarob
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 08:38 PM |
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Locost option!!!, Get a shower head with a smaller rose, less water used in 25mins 
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tegwin
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:07 PM |
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How about fitting an electric self heating type shower...That will solve your shortage of hot water...
It would be relativley simple to fit some form of electric device that only allows the shower to run for 30 mins, and then wont come on again for an
hour....
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omega 24 v6
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:13 PM |
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AH a grumpy old man just like me. Sometimes I'll just play with the hot water taps to make the flow go hot and cold that pisses them of LOL.
Warning though only do this on a tempertaure balanced shower or you might scald them.
There's prolly not an easy answer to your problem as SWMBO will always take their side as well.
If it looks wrong it probably is wrong.
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JoelP
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:15 PM |
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push button operated if you leave it on the boiler (its too annoying to relax under it if you have to keep pressing the button!) or a coin operated
meter feeding an electric shower!. job done.
we as a society do need to drastically change the way we use energy and water. It is utter madness that we use clean drinking water to flush the
toilet or wash the car, and also madness to let barely used hot water disappear down the drain.
Technology that is needed is heat exchangers to remove heat from waste water, and also rain collection in the loft to fill the toilet etc. In fact to
be honest i wouldnt mind showering under rain water too.
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Danozeman
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:17 PM |
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Id just fit a valve in the hot water line and shut it off after theyv had the first one.
As tegwin said, id fit an electric shower with a timer on the power for it. Itl save water when its on aswell.
Im currently trying to train my sissus to turn the lights off when she comes out of a room. I have known every light to be on in the house and shed
be in the garden in the middle of the day. She getting better.
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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JoelP
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:22 PM |
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i sometimes make a point of seeing how little water i can use. Its truely amazing! Have a shower with the plug in and see how little you can use! 
One blast to wet yourself, one a bit longer to rinse off.  Maybe an inch in the bottom of the bath?!
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Thinking about it
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:38 PM |
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Theres no shortage of hot water it's just the cost and waste.
I don't mess with the taps as Omega says, I go straight for the kill and turn the boiler right down when I think enough is enough. Amazingly
they come straight out of the shower and never say a word. They probably think they have knackered the boiler and say nothing.
As for the lights thats the same issue again. Most peoples bigest expense in a house is their mortgage mine is the cost of sevices.
Moan moan moan.
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 09:52 PM |
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Get one of the coin operated showers like they have on camp sites and make them pay . If they don't like it, lump it. Sometimes you have to be
cruel to be kind.
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graememk
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 10:26 PM |
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I got so upset with my bird for wasting to much electric (£150 per month) i had the meter changed to a key meter, i put £50 on it on the 1st of the
month now and if it runs out its her problem.
it got to the point i was spending so much on wasted electric food water etc etc etc i fipped in the end lol
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Danozeman
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 10:39 PM |
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My leccy meter has a little red light that flashes when electric is used. The faster it flashes the more is being used. I didnt realise what it was
for until the other day when like a cock we ran out of heating oil. We had one of them convection radiators on and a little fan heater. It was
flashing like anything because the fan heater used so much power so i turned it off and put a jumper on! The missus didnt like it much.
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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Thinking about it
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 10:44 PM |
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Flashing lights on the leccy meter. The kids would put another HIFi on and dance to the music and use more.
Good idea for the £50 limit. Then when it runs out I can work away and stay in a hotel. With lots of free hot water.
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MkIndy7
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 10:46 PM |
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Probably the cheepest way would be to put their board up! (presuming they pay some)
I know you've said they don't seem to listen but maybe it does just sound like your moaning as they can't quantify what your
saying.
Try and Itemise how much a shower costs and they might be suprised/appreciate it. Is gas so much per KW hr? or certianly per M3'd and it can be
worked out how many kw you get from 1 M3 of gas
i.e if its 50p per kw, the boilers 30kw and you were in it for 1/2 hr so thats £7.50! 
Or lots of big hints like when they ask for something or expect something.
"I can't give you a lift, you've used all the money I had for petrol this week in the shower, i''ve only get enough left
to get to work"
"mum there's no Cerial in the cupboard"... "well we couln't afford any as the gas bill was so expencive and the cost of
the new boiler" etc.
Eventually they'd change their ways surely.
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Thinking about it
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 10:54 PM |
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Mk Indy
I could have you in as a consultant to them. Or you can adopt them.
I've done the budget thing, works short term. Good logical thinking though, I think I will re visit it.
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caber
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| posted on 6/1/08 at 11:08 PM |
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Electric heating valve in hot pipe to shower, a little timer possibly raided from washing machine or dishwasher, switches hot off after fill cycle so
instant cold shower after 7 mins or so, that should ease bathroom queue!
locost option
Caber
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Davey D
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| posted on 7/1/08 at 09:37 AM |
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if you have an electric shower you could fit an electric timer that cuts off after a set amount of time. fit the timer, and the reset to the outside
of the Bathroom, so that you'd have to get out of the shower to reset it
[Edited on 7/1/08 by Davey D]
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matt_claydon
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| posted on 7/1/08 at 11:11 AM |
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The problem with going electric is it costs twice as much as gas per kWh so any savings mad (financially) would be lost.
I'd suggest just working out what a shower costs per minute and trying to educate them. Work out the CO2 and compare it to a km of driving if
you want to introduce the green aspect.
Financially it's not that expensive but of course it does mount up. Typical medium-sized combi boiler is 30 kW. Gas is about 4p/kWh so
that's about 2p per minute. Could be more (3p) due to the boiler not being 100% efficient or less (1-1.5p) if not working at full capacity but
it's in the right area.
As a guess 30kW is also about what it takes to drive at 70mph. So from an energy usage / CO2 point of view being in the shower is just the same as
driving on the motorway.
[Edited on 7/1/08 by matt_claydon]
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