Washing My Car With A Hose And Rain Water.
 

With the current hose-pipe ban, I've been catching rain water from my garage roof gutter, which is massive. This goes into a 250 litre round plastic tank in my back garden, which is then piped to my pressure washer.

Is this legal? I've had funny looks from my neighbours, but that's about all.

I dont see why it wouldnt be legal.

You're not using mains water.

I run 4 x 800 liter tanks collecting water that would otherwise be drained away.

I use a 2 Bar automatic pump that supplies the toilets, washing machine and both outside taps (inc hosepipe etc)

I think I recall recently looking into the hosepipe ban (not that it affects us northerners) and I think the wording was quite specific about restrictions over what you do with water off the mains - As for (what is essentially) a big bucket of water that collected some rain as it came down, do with it as you please as far as I'm concerned... +++

Perfectly legal, hope you had a massive grin on your face when the neighbours saw you +++

I have 650 liter tank connected to my pressure washer. I have filled the tank during winter period with tap water, before the ban. Now I wonder if I can use that water.

Thanks guys! yeah, I grinned inanely at my neighbours, who then glared back.

Some folk just don't seem to get it - a dirty D2 is an unhappy D2, we can't have that! :ROFL:

Hahaha next time you are up here you can use my hose pipe!!!!! We don't have a ban :p

Nice work +++.

You're not on a water meter then?

A few years ago when i fell out with our water company about the cost of the water, I won’t bore you with the details but I was told that they have the rights to the water that falls in their area and you can only hold so much. Weather this is true or not I don’t know but if it is I would say that the water you hold in your stowage tanks belongs to the water company.

I'm quite taken with the idea of a small-ish tank with an air line feed off my compressor to achieve mains water pressure (not even sure what that is, but I'm assuming very little!) which I can fill from the tap/a bucket and plumb to my pressure washer

Seen some plastic tanks designed for motor homes but not seen anything specifically designed for what I want

Would love to drive a coach and horses around the intent of the hosepipe ban

I'm on water meter if it helps and technically I paid for the water I filled my tank with in winter.

Will be worth it, just to stroke those lovely typ 85's, that'll make my day, if not the year. Haven't seen a type 85 up close for over a year. :angry3:

i use a 1000L IBC tank from the local food factory witch used to have Glucose in, piped up to the pressure washer and bobs your uncle, with a little rain water and some 2" pipe of course +++

;) ;) I have had my hands over 2 today!!!

And the cars? lol Couldn't resist

Doh ............you got me there you b*gger!:ROFL: I supposed I asked for that :p

That's the spirit! :cool:

I looked up 'drought' on dictionary.com as I wasn't really following this thread at all. It says "a period of dry weather, especially a long one .........". Could someone explain what this means? And why do they ban hose pipes - is it a health and safety thing? :Confused:


BTW - if you're confused, check where I live! :rolleyes: Edit: just noticed that locations have disappeared - is that the new server? If you don't know, I'm in Scotland

it's been doing nothing but sheeting down waves of drought for the last week. I don't recall a time I have seen so many huge puddles of drought. This weekend I was walking around and became soaked to the bone in the large amounts of drought that fell. If the weather people are to be believed the next week will be a non stop series of heavy, persistant drought.....

lol yes its been "droughting" down hard a lot down here today too :ROFL:

If the drought continues here they way it has done the last couple of weeks I'm going to have to buy some wellies :)

All that rain but don't expect the hosepipe ban to be lifted any time soon :tuttut:

Have you guys who use rainwater to wash the car noticed if letting it air dry will leave no spots? I ask because you're essentially using distilled water and it should dry spotless.

Are there automatic (tunnel type) pay carwashes that you can still use, or is this a secret government plan to lower morale by forcing the populace to drive dirty cars?

Thanks,
Tom

AFAIK if you are using water on an industrial scale you can continue, it is only a domestic restriction :)

I would imagine water marks shouldn't be an issue. I don't know for sure though, as I still follow my routine of washing two panels at a time, then rinsing. I then give the whole car a final rinse, then dry her off.

I don't give the water time to dry on the paintwork.

I note that CtL has had about one and a half inches of drought today. Driving during a drought seems to present particular problems to people in the south as the reduced visibility necessitates the use of the "wipers". If you need help on how to control the wipers then give IceBlue a call.:ROFL:

I won't be of much use in advising on how to control wipers as I've only ever had to turn them on, so I've not read the instructions on turning them off. They just seem to stop when I turn the engine off and that's fine for the West coast of Scotland :(

1.78 inches to be exact! :( I have 5000 Ltrs of rain water stored behind the garage. I put the tanks in on 4 Apr and twice this month I have had to run a hose to the drain and pour away about 3000 Ltrs. Going to have to do it again tomorrow.

A few things on rainwater harvesting. You can harvest as much rainwater as you want and store it to use on washing clothes, cars and your patio. You can flush your toilets with it. You can't wash yourself or drink it without treating it and you can't connect it to anything that is connected to mains water without some complex non return valves / air gap connections.

You can't put mains water in rainwater storage in the winter because you can't prove when you have done it. If the water board test your rainwater storage tanks and find mains water in them they will get a sad on.

Rememeber we're talking rainwater that has fallen on your property, not extracted from the ground, river or steam or run off from else where. You need a license or rights to do that, e.g. a freind of mine has a river as a boundry to his garden. He has historic rights to extract water unless he is banned by name under a drought order. His neighbour can't as he is in a new built house!

Thanks, CTL. You've said it all.

All I have to do now is upgrade my 250 litre tank to a 500 or 1000. I've had to put the lid on, as it's full to the brim, and it's been raining since yesterday.