Living without a water supply

[Podshell]

I have lived without before , and recently after falling out witth the water comp, I have requested they stop supplying my address (after being there for three years and being up to date they now want a years payment in advance and have put this amount (about £300) into the hands of a debt company which could add an extra £ioo every time a court order is issued, I have asked for a meter but they said they cannot fit one, yet my next door neighbour in exactly same type of property was granted one (the only difference I could see was that he used more water than me, him having a washing machine and a car to wash for example, not in the washing machine BTW!!)

Anyway giving it some thought it should be easy, I will be buying a sports centre pass each year , so I can shower morning and night there ( its less than half price of water bill and I get a swim too) I can buy bottles of springwater which are less than 20p for two litres and also collect water from the local stream and taps in the toilets. One idea that cropped up was recycling urine to use on potplants, it would be too acid as it is, so maybe adding some chalk? or evaporating off and collecting the water via solar stills maybe? this would also save on toilet flushes.

[Sarian]

Interesting Idea, can you have big drums of water delivered like they do for farms and other rural areas? Currently, I get my shower/washer water from my pond but due to this drought we are having, it's severely low and I'm having all sorts of issues right now. I'm pretty worried about it going completely dry for the first time. I think I'm going to have it dredged this fall or perhaps winter. The algae and cattails have gotten a good hold in there this year.

My well water has long since been contaminated so we drink and cook with bottled water.

I've heard of many uses for urine, and it was an interesting read honestly, but I've not gone any of those routes hahaha...if you do, let me know.Wouldn't boiling it and using it for plants help? I hear it's good for the skin too, but can't recall why now.

I've wanted to collect rainwater, but we've not had any!

Anyway, good luck! Sorry for all the water company has put you through!

[Mayflow]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-urine-is-an-effective-fertilizer

[Podshell]

Wood ash that article says to mix with it, that may neutralise it, I used it once (as it came)on some small potted apple trees but it killed them.

Sarian..you can get those big springwater bottles delivered like they have in offices that they put atop coolers, but I expect they will be expensive, I used to cart loads of springwater back by hand (two/five litre bottles depending on what was on offer, or even trek further to a proper spring) used to carry a few gallon in a rucksack and some in a wheeled pull along case, good excercise I suppose , saves paying to go to gym.

[Mayflow]

Wood ash that article says to mix with it, that may neutralise it, I used it once (as it came)on some small potted apple trees but it killed them.

Sarian..you can get those big springwater bottles delivered like they have in offices that they put atop coolers, but I expect they will be expensive, I used to cart loads of springwater back by hand (two/five litre bottles depending on what was on offer, or even trek further to a proper spring) used to carry a few gallon in a rucksack and some in a wheeled pull along case, good excercise I suppose , saves paying to go to gym.

Spring water is great if available. You can get water from where you work maybe as well, and in public restrooms and such. Yeah, I have never peed in my garden but in places where there are weeds. It doesn't seem to help the weeds so much as kill them, though.

[Podshell]

Another interesting thing has cropped up . by coincidence I found a water meter bill/reading in my flat, presumably from thye last owner, so a water meter must have been in there, no wonder the toilet was blocked when I first moved in, they must have been scared of the expense.

Also it is legal for them to ask for money in advance , but I will write to them and ask what happens to people who move/emigrate or die and they cannot trace them for repayments, as the compo are supposed to repay the money. I will also ask regards those living alone who are supposed to be on single persons tariff. they are paying extra £100 a yr at moment on fixed rates.

[Sarian]

Wood ash that article says to mix with it, that may neutralise it, I used it once (as it came)on some small potted apple trees but it killed them.

Sarian..you can get those big springwater bottles delivered like they have in offices that they put atop coolers, but I expect they will be expensive, I used to cart loads of springwater back by hand (two/five litre bottles depending on what was on offer, or even trek further to a proper spring) used to carry a few gallon in a rucksack and some in a wheeled pull along case, good excercise I suppose , saves paying to go to gym.

Now these are huge plastic drums ...enough to shower, wash, feed underground sprinkler systems for crops and so on.

[LPC]

Where we live, all the rain from the roof goes into giant 1000 litre water butts. We use it for watering the garden, washing vegetables, etc. Rain water can also be drunk (although we don't), if caught fresh and preferably filtered to avoid small bugs. In France, all water supplies MUST be metered - a totally different mentality. This encourages people to be careful in their use of water. Most French people drink bottled mineral water, because it doesn't have chlorine in it and tastes better. Chlorine is not good for your health, even if it does purify tap water.

[Sarian]

I would like that, LPC. Collecting the water that way.

[perfect earth]

http://www.sawyer.com/. Cheap, long lasting, and effective water filters.

[stoic]

those are awesome ideas! when i went to visit my dad, his well broke. so we had to walk across the field to my aunt's house to shower and use the bathroom. we had to haul water from my dad's pond if we wanted to use his toilet and be able to flush.
it wasnt that bad though. kinda put me in touch with my little house on the prairie side, and made me really grateful for water.

[LPC]

When we bought our first house in France ( for restoration), it had no bath or shower. So in the early days we put a transparent water butt up quite high, on top of a pile of building blocks, and connected a shower hose. In summer we had the most wonderful warm showers!

We quite miss those "pioneering" days!

[amy green]

Podshell - you say that you are collecting toilet water. Here, in UK, the bathroom water often comes from a different source (i.e. less pure) than the drinking tap water. Have you looked into this?

I don't know where you live and whether you would be able to drill right down to have your own waterwell, provided from the underground water below. Is this a possibility?

[Rin]

Many of the things mentioned seem to be an awful [edit: lot of trouble], and probably also expensive, way to avoid the convenience of safe, potable running water from a tap.

[amy green]

Many of the things mentioned seem to be an awful [edit: lot of trouble], and probably also expensive, way to avoid the convenience of safe, potable running water from a tap.
Yes I agree. If you add up the cost of all that bought water....is it really worth it? I understand the principle involved here - it doesn't seem right that you have to pay in advance. However, it seems like you will be causing unnecessary hardship on yourself. How do you deal with washing clothes?

[Rin]

I understand the principle involved here - it doesn't seem right that you have to pay in advance

Pre-paid electricity, cell phone air-time, rent, car license, in some countries radio and TV licenses, insurances, transport tickets, etc. There are many things for which we prepay without any complaints. Why should water be excluded from this?

[amy green]

Pre-paid electricity, cell phone air-time, rent, car license, in some countries radio and TV licenses, insurances, transport tickets, etc. There are many things for which we prepay without any complaints. Why should water be excluded from this?
Rin - if you have read podshell's OP, then you will know that he is being asked to pay for a year in advance....this is not normal. His valid complaint is also that why wasn't he allocated a water meter when his neighbour was. I understand his resentment but feel he is now just making unnecessary hardship for himself by refusing to comply.

[Rin]

Rin - if you have read podshell's OP, then you will know that he is being asked to pay for a year in advance....this is not normal. His valid complaint is also that why wasn't he allocated a water meter when his neighbour was. I understand his resentment but feel he is now just making unnecessary hardship for himself by refusing to comply.


I don't think we got the full story from the OP.
and recently after falling out with the water comp, I have requested they stop supplying my address (after being there for three years and being up to date
Why would one fall out with the supply company if one is up-to-date? What is the real dispute? A request for a meter would point to a consumption issue. If that is the case one could probably ask a certified plumber to install meter or a trickle feed device on the property.

[amy green]

I don't think we got the full story from the OP.

Why would one fall out with the supply company if one is up-to-date? What is the real dispute? A request for a meter would point to a consumption issue. If that is the case one could probably ask a certified plumber to install meter or a trickle feed device on the property.
Yes Rin - this is a good point and I did wonder about this too.