carry on up the karzi ..........

how many times a day do you flush your loo ?? - rather a strange question you may think but read on . ....................

if for the sake of argument a family of 4 each use the loo 4 times a day - and each flush takes ohhhh say 15 litres that = 4 x 4 = 16 x 15 ltrs = 240 ltrs per day x 365 days per year = 86,400 ltrs ( or 86.4 cubic meters per year ) and if we assume that a cubic meter costs a pound a time ( in the south west it costs more actually - about 1.50p /cm - most expensive in the UK ?? )


now this is DRINKING WATER we are talking here - but there is no need to waste all that hard earned cash - literally flushing it down the loo !!

rainwater harvesting and use of same for flushing your loo is perfectly legal in this country ( ATM ) - and you CAN use it to wash clothes and even run a shower - though you would need to do some serious filtration for this - but for flushing the loo - it is fine + remember you probably get charged sewage wise at 90% of water use - so the more water you use - the more you pay in sewage charges

so bretty - being an inveterate diy'er- and tinkerer has been busy constructing a rain water harvesting system

it consists of 2 water butts outside ( 80 gallon variety ) gravity feeding a third one inside the engineering shack - from there a small 12 volt pump lifts it to the first floor loo - where a much modified cistern is employed - various valves and "plumbers nightmare " of pipes and fittings keep it all legal ( you have to stop any rain water mixing with or getting into the "potable" supply system ) - and with the flick of a switch the whole lot works from a 500 amp 12 volt supply - fed by 2 solar panels on the roof ( it also runs emergency lighting as well )

expensive to put in - not really as i am a terrible hoarder and found most of the stuff needed in my "that may just come in handy " room - or at car boots - or wilkie's ( water butts very cheap at the mo !! )

difficult to do ?? - well took some thinking about and a few false starts and redesigns halfway through

worth it -?? ya bet ya - every liter saved - is a few pence saved off my water bill

would the wife /girlfriend /significant other approve - probably not as we all know how paranoid females are about "clean loos " and sometimes the water will get a bit discoloured - and it may not "look nice " - for the visitors - who ACTUALLY may be quite impressed at your save the planet - green credentials

me i don't have many people in - and basically don't give a rats rear end any way - my house my rules - and as Jane knows - my house is a tad "different " anyway

so has Brett gone all green all of a sudden ?? - nah - sod the planet - its my bank account or lack there of i am concerned about

should any of you want any advice on doing this for yourself - well you know where to find me ..........................

now all we need is some rain .........