Traveling - Water Conservation

[stevewitt1]

Hello all:
A short time ago I read in a thread from the newsletter a person's use of a pail in the shower to collect water as it warms up, then use it to flush the toilet after. I've done this: I bought the item at Hobby Lobby, sprayed it with that "as see on TV" stuff to waterproof and hung it. I spray water in it while warming it then use it for my washcloth as I shower. I turn the water on to again wet my hair, then shampoo and again to rinse. Any other suggestions of comments would be appreciated. When traveling from WI to Yuma I don't use CGs because my schedule is so bizarre. Drive until I feel slightly tired, then stop and rest. Far too old to open a window, turn the radio up and keep going. I would be dangerous so I get off the road.


Also, I put a new shower head in but it seems all shutoffs still let water trickle through. Does anyone know of a shower shutoff the totally shuts the water off?


Steve

[profdan]

I'd recommend an inline shutoff valve -- this is a fancy one, nicer than the one I put in my trailer:

https://www.build.com/product/summar...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

They completely shut off the water -- no dribbling.

And I have found that although the Oxygenics-type shower heads work great (I put one into my stick house), the very small water saving shower heads use less water at very low settings. This is an example -- again, the one I put in my trailer is not as nice as this one is:

https://www.wayfair.com/Whedon-Produ...kaAjL4EALw_wcB

But I did a test of the shower head that came with my trailer, an Oxygenics, and a little water saver shower head. At very low settings, the little guy used less water (about a quart a minute) and did an ok job.

I have measured, and I can take a "Navy shower" in my trailer with less than a half gallon of water. (I don't have much hair, though, which gives me an unfair advantage.)

I know there are folks who say that this is ridiculous, that it is extreme minimalism. I plead "guilty, with an explanation."

When we are boondocking, water conservation is crucial. If I had a big rig with a hundred gallon fresh water tank, I would not be such a stickler.

But we only have 30 gallons of fresh water, and the real limiting factor is the gray tank (25 gallons). So we have to be frugal, or else cut the trip short and head to town to dump the tanks and refill the water.

[Vintage465]

Prior to the shower I brush my teeth using the hot water side of the faucet in the basin. I’m done brushing my teeth just as the hot water is getting there. Works well for me.

[retnasaguy]

How about let's talk other than the bathroom.
It's easy to save water in the kitchen. Just use paper plates, plastic silverware, bottled water or a zerowater pitcher. Miniumize eating/drinking in the unit.
Cheers

[profdan]

A couple of other kitchen tips for saving water: after meals, take your used paper napkins and use them to wipe down the pots and pans before you wash them. The paper absorbs a lot of grease and food particles.

And when you rinse, use a dribble of water -- it does not take much to get the dishes clean.

Also, use a dilute easy-rinse soap instead of ordinary dish soap. We use Dr. Bronners -- a little goes a long way.

[GaryKowal1]

Ditto on the two posts above me. A few other ideas that I use. I am alone and can go 30 days before reloading.

1- In the shower I have two 5 gallon solar showers hanging. When I get to a place to camp I move one outside and take a shower when hot. Saves the tank water and saves the grey water tank also. If it is too cold for outside shower I can bring the solar showers back inside.

2-I put a dishpan in the sink and use that for 24 hours, throwing the silverware etc to soak in that. Then once a day I clean all those items. If that water isn't too bad (remember you wiped down the dirty stuff), you can use it to flush toilets. That also helps with the fact that my grey water fills up before my black water .

3-Always wipe down skillets etc with papertowels when done, then clean when doing other items.

4-Carry your drinking water in containers. If I am in "full boondock mode" I carry three 3 gallon containers, twelve 1 gallon containers, and three 1.5 rectangular containers with a tap on them that I refill as needed, always leaving one on counter for ease of refilling your cup. Get a good Yeti type cup, a couple of silicon ice making trays that make larger than normal ice cubes (melt slower), fill your glass in the morning with ice, refill as needed during day from counter water. Then you don't have to open reefer door so often. I do not use the smaller 16.9oz disposable type water bottles, too much garbage.

5-In my Toad I have 4 collapsible 5 gallon soft water containers, squish up to the size of a softball. I also have 4 collapsible "milk crates" about 1 foot square. Whole thing takes up a 1.5 sq feet of room when collapsed. If I need an extra 20 gallons I can break those out and fill them in civilization and then return to pump them in to the RV tank. (Some RV's will allow you to pour them in, mine has a one way valve in it so I have to break out a 12 volt pump to do it). I would also refill solar showers then.. Thats 30 gallons if needed.

6-I use a lot of Costco Microfiber rags (the best I've found). (FYI the Harbor Freight towels suck.) Then dry dishes after minimal rinse or no rinse. Less rinsing means more water available. Some times I wipe the dishes clean before putting in dishpan. When I do my laundromat trip one washing machine is microfiber. No fabric softener, no bleach makes them work much better and last longer

7- I never run the water while brushing teeth. I have drinking water available in the bathroom to rinse mouth, and a few ounces for sink and toothbrush. Or I might brush outside.

Of course I do most all of the other stuff mentioned above. Funny enough, some people think that all these things are hard to do. I have learned to enjoy the challenge of trying to conserve.

But of course, when I happen to be in a campground, I reverse my thoughts and relish my high water use.

[RickLight]

Our shower has 2 containers for "desert mode"

1. 5 gal pail with a seat lid. Makes a nice addition as we age. This holds both dish water and any other gray water we can capture. The lid keeps any odors down and helps if I have to carry it to a pit toilet in a campground. We use other things to carry fresh water.

2. 1/2 gal pitcher. Mostly used as a dipper for flushing. I also use it for "sponge bath" which takes the navy shower a step further. Fill the pitcher with hot water, and use as needed, on your dirtiest parts last. With the pitcher on the floor and sitting on the bucket splashing is minimal. A quick rinse finish and total water use is under a gallon.

When we used to backpack frequently DW devised methods for dishes that used hardly any water at all. Boiling all water for 5 min with fuel you carried is a great incentive!

Wash cleanest first, rinse of those becomes soapy for the next batch, if needed. Let soapy dishes drain before rinsing. Pour small rinse amounts over things rather than dipping. (2 rinse containers) Yes, wiping and even a dog can go a long way too!

[twogypsies]

We wiped all dishes/pots with a used paper towel or napkin.

We also reused a frypan and veggie pot. Wipe them & they're perfect for reuse.

We didn't do dishes after every meal.... sometimes they'd set in the dishpan below the sink for 2-3 days. If you wipe them there will be no smells.

[ByeTheWay]

To save shower warmup water, I installed an inline shower diverter "T" and use pex pipe to divert the warmup water into an AZ Ice Tea bottle that sits on the shower floor. Using a inverted funnel at the end of the pex line creates a shield for the tea bottle while allowing the air in the tea bottle to escape. To the pex line I added a piece of copper pipe to judge the water temp. I use the water in the tea bottle as fresh. We take a quick shower daily.

When showering we have a dishpan for each foot. Standing in dish pans keeps the water from going down the drain and can also be used for flushing.

Our rinse water for dishes becomes our dishwater the next time around. The rinse water is captured in a dishpan and stored in a separate tea kettle used to heat it back up.

We never flush with fresh water, old dish water or spent shower water works well.


For saved flush water we use liquid laundry detergent bottles that have a insert in the spout that can be removed and the cap still screwed back on. We use: Oxi Clean by Arm & Hammer 94.5 ounces bottles.

[PS56]

Granitstone - it works, wipe it and it is clean; eggs don't stick

Originally Posted by retnasaguy

How about let's talk other than the bathroom.
It's easy to save water in the kitchen. Just use paper plates, plastic silverware, bottled water or a zerowater pitcher. Miniumize eating/drinking in the unit.
Cheers

[Busskipper]

And I thought I was Frugal when I used the Dishwasher - so I can get a Shower. -

Back in our early Boondocking Days - Tail Gating After Games - DW would use all the Water (100 gallons) and I would only get one shower on a three night weekend -

So with the D/W we can get all the Wine Glasses Clean and survive for up to a Week. -

Dan a Quart of Water -

Sometimes you Guys just Amaze Me -

[PS56]

Originally Posted by GaryKowal1

Ditto on the two posts above me. A few other ideas that I use. I am alone and can go 30 days before reloading.

1- In the shower I have two 5 gallon solar showers hanging. When I get to a place to camp I move one outside and take a shower when hot. Saves the tank water and saves the grey water tank also. If it is too cold for outside shower I can bring the solar showers back inside.

2-I put a dishpan in the sink and use that for 24 hours, throwing the silverware etc to soak in that. Then once a day I clean all those items. If that water isn't too bad (remember you wiped down the dirty stuff), you can use it to flush toilets. That also helps with the fact that my grey water fills up before my black water .

3-Always wipe down skillets etc with papertowels when done, then clean when doing other items.

4-Carry your drinking water in containers. If I am in "full boondock mode" I carry three 3 gallon containers, twelve 1 gallon containers, and three 1.5 rectangular containers with a tap on them that I refill as needed, always leaving one on counter for ease of refilling your cup. Get a good Yeti type cup, a couple of silicon ice making trays that make larger than normal ice cubes (melt slower), fill your glass in the morning with ice, refill as needed during day from counter water. Then you don't have to open reefer door so often. I do not use the smaller 16.9oz disposable type water bottles, too much garbage.

5-In my Toad I have 4 collapsible 5 gallon soft water containers, squish up to the size of a softball. I also have 4 collapsible "milk crates" about 1 foot square. Whole thing takes up a 1.5 sq feet of room when collapsed. If I need an extra 20 gallons I can break those out and fill them in civilization and then return to pump them in to the RV tank. (Some RV's will allow you to pour them in, mine has a one way valve in it so I have to break out a 12 volt pump to do it). I would also refill solar showers then.. Thats 30 gallons if needed.

6-I use a lot of Costco Microfiber rags (the best I've found). (FYI the Harbor Freight towels suck.) Then dry dishes after minimal rinse or no rinse. Less rinsing means more water available. Some times I wipe the dishes clean before putting in dishpan. When I do my laundromat trip one washing machine is microfiber. No fabric softener, no bleach makes them work much better and last longer

7- I never run the water while brushing teeth. I have drinking water available in the bathroom to rinse mouth, and a few ounces for sink and toothbrush. Or I might brush outside.

Of course I do most all of the other stuff mentioned above. Funny enough, some people think that all these things are hard to do. I have learned to enjoy the challenge of trying to conserve.

But of course, when I happen to be in a campground, I reverse my thoughts and relish my high water use.

Good ideas.

A couple of other
1. Drinking water in 2 - 5 gal jugs and 1 - 2.5 gal jug with a spigot.
2. Granitestone for cooking - no washing
3. Dishes - I have a lot - use and let stack up in sink.
4. Washing dishes - soap up without letting the water run-just as needed.
After everything soaped up, rinse quickly.
5.No water when brushing teeth - I never did - brush, swish around mount and spit in to toilet.
6. No need to flush only pee all the time.
7. Navy shower -wet, soap, rinse

For me the black tank is what limits me while boondocking, not fresh. I can go about 4 weeks before having to dump the black tank.
60 fresh
40 black tank
40 gray shower/sink
20 gray sink

[profdan]

I think ByetheWay takes the prize (so far) for clever solutions -- standing with a pan or a bucket under each foot to collect the shower water!

I wonder if there is a way to have a big enough pan so both feet can go into the same pan? That would eliminate the gap between the right and left pan.

And Busskipper, although it is true that I use very little water when showering, I did not say that it is fun or luxurious.

And yet, even though a real Navy shower is not fun, it feels like a luxury just to have a shower every night when camping in the middle of nowhere.

[SomeDay]

Wow kudos to so many of you that conserve so well. We aren't anywhere near that good but find our way very comfortable and workable as we typically don't stay any one place for more than a week or two if the fishing is great

We boondock/dry camp almost all the time and have done so for many years. We are blessed with a 100gal Fresh and 50 gal grey and black. We can comfortably go 3 weeks with Navy showers x 2 people every other night, strip wash alternate nights. Wet toothbrush quickly, switch off, then quick swill. Never leave our taps run, don't collect any waters unless tanks showing filling too quick for a longer stay and then would wash up in a bowl rather than the sink and water plants or down black tank. Like Two Gypsies we paper wipe our plates very clean and just pile them in the sink, doing every 3rd day typically. We prep and cook from scratch, including bread, pizza dough, cakes as well in the RV.

In really really hot weather we may only go 10 days to 2 weeks max for emptying our black and grey tanks for odour control, and typically have a good third a tank of fresh water spare. We've got so used to doing this it's second nature now even when water is in abundance to conserve.

We carry separate canisters for drinking and cooking water in addition and don't buy water unless at Arizona fill your own container stations or in Mexico.