esrosedotblog

WATER MARK

We are looking for places to reduce using water.

One would hope that we would be doing this to conserve use and be good citizens. That would be a good motivation but we also have a "deeper" concern.

The cesspool may be showing signs of "failing". Less time between pumpouts and all.

We are getting some professional advice, but it is clear that one of the major contributors to any cesspool problem is water use.

And we have been profligate.

Start with the new washing machine which does conserve water. We have been so anxious to use it that we have been doing more little loads often. The goal should be bigger loads more seldom. And they shouldn't all go down there one day a week. The washes should be done in stages.

We realize that we have been using the maximum dishwasher settings when, in fact, we never need anything but the "light". All pots are handwashed. Every dish gets a precleaning. We don't need the full run. The manual says we can save up to 6 gallons per use with this minor change.

And then there are the flushes. We have never thought a thing about double flushing or flushing at any use. Now, we are adopting an old slogan learned in the Islands and in Provincetown. "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down". There is another one. "In the islands of the sun, do not flush for number one". Cute, but we won't post signs. Just do it.

And so on.

We might try taking showers at the gym too although that is an extreme measure but there are some advantages to that.

The point is that we have been dumping water down there without any consideration and we are seeing the result sooner than in the past.

There are other things that can be done as well. There are treatments. Chemical cleaners.

We want to get ahead of the problem before it gets ahead of us.

Our goal is to have no major construction while we own the house. That is worth some change of habits.

Labels: conservation