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Oh, about those low water usage toilets

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
San Francisco's big push for low-flow toilets has turned into a multimillion-dollar plumbing stink.

Skimping on toilet water has resulted in more sludge backing up inside the sewer pipes, said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the city Public Utilities Commission. That has created a rotten-egg stench near AT&T Park and elsewhere, especially during the dry summer months.

The city has already spent $100 million over the past five years to upgrade its sewer system and sewage plants, in part to combat the odor problem.

Now officials are stocking up on a $14 million, three-year supply of highly concentrated sodium hypochlorite - better known as bleach - to act as an odor eater and to disinfect the city's treated water before it's dumped into the bay. It will also be used to sanitize drinking water.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z1FK6ua8uw
 

Steve

Well-known member
a few months back I had to replace the valve and float assembly in our toilet,.. all the new ones had a "anti siphon anti run feature",.

it was a second line attached to the float assembly,. that then attached to the handle,, I thought nothing of it.. now several months later I can finally replace it, I found a new valve at a flea market with out the "extra protection"

the anti flow chain assembly crosses over the regular chain and no matter how it is run it hangs up on itself.. and will not let the float drop, unless you jiggle the handle or take the lid off and release it,, I would say our water usage at that toilet has quadrupled as it always seems to be running..

mandating bad technology at it's finest... one toilet at a time..

so if you get a chance to replace your toilet float and valve.. make sure it will fit in your "low water" toilet first..
 

lonewolvie

Well-known member
What else is new, another do-gooder fail. The low flow toilet has been causing a stink ever since it was forced on the people. The water saving toilet is well known for needing more than one flush to clean the bowl. Even the new pressure assisted low flows have left people with an unsightly bowl after the flush. The is caused by the quick eduction of the bowl that does not give the water time to circle and collect the waste before discharging it. This high volocity flush often leaves smears and paper behind thus requiring another water saving flush.

Enviro-do-gooders do not have the technical understanding of what it takes to make a toilet work right and yet these people try to convince us of how smart they are? One little flush does not fit all. How did these people come to this magical number of 1.6 gallons? What is their idea of a defecation, how much do these tofu eating liberals produce?

I'll keep my old fashioned one flush and it's clean toilet.
 

Lonecowboy

Well-known member
Now you guys are so impatient and do NOT give the federal government enough credit- they are on this problem.
that is the proper role of government isn't it? create a problem where none exsisted and then you have another job, fix the problem you created.
Ok, so now michelle and barry o'sotero have a plan to reduce the weight and calorie intake of Americans to fix this problem. the problem will be solved! :(

Didn't barry even campaign on that- something about "Americans having all the food they wanted to eat- stand by me while I change that!"
 

backhoeboogie

Well-known member
It is simply a case of bad math.

If you use half as much water to flush, but have to flush it 4 times to get the job done, you've double the consumption for that flush.

The real solution would be to give all those yokels out houses.
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
We recently bought 3 new toilets for the house, all Eljers. The story is that on the "flush scale" of 1 through 10, these rate a 15. When the crew gets just a little farther along, they will be installed and we'll see how they perform.

Oh, for the days when you could get Al Bundy's Ferguson......BA-WOOOOOSH!
 

lonewolvie

Well-known member
I realized this after I left this forum, San Francisco has a combined sewer system, this is a system that combines both the sanitary and storm sewers into one sewer. That would account for the stench eminating out of parking lot storm drains due to the lack of flush water needed to push the manure out during dry spells.

Another name for low flow, Plunger assisted toilet.
 

Tam

Well-known member
backhoeboogie said:
It is simply a case of bad math.

If you use half as much water to flush, but have to flush it 4 times to get the job done, you've double the consumption for that flush.

The real solution would be to give all those yokels out houses.

Can you imagine Pelosi in an OUTHOUSE :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ROTFLMAO :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the laugh :wink:
 

Steve

Well-known member
How to Keep Your Front Loader Washing Machine Odor-free

Front loaders are all the rage now, and rightly so: they are easier on your clothes; they can handle ginormous loads of laundry; some even have steam cycles for dedicates and removing wrinkles. But none of this is any good if the washer is making your clothes smell worse instead of better. What's worse than drying off after a shower with a fresh, fluffy, warm towel...that smells like mildew?

Understand what makes the washer smell. Unlike top loader washing machines, front loaders don't drain completely every time a load of laundry is done.

to see the long list of "cleaning required,
Rub a cloth over the inside of the washer after each load. If you're too lazy for this, and let's face it, who isn't? Try to do this once a week. Keep a roll of paper towels nearby, and wipe down the glass on the inside of the door. Then, peel back the rubber door seal, and clean in there. You'll notice little grooves. Water sits here, collects and... yep, you guessed it! Stinks. Just cover your finger with a paper or real towel, stick in the grooves, and spin the washer slowly. You'll notice there are two grooves. Clean both. Check out the gunk.

Clean the drain pump filter. This should be done about every two weeks. The drain pump filter gets slowed down, and fills up with stinky water over time. Old water that never drained sits here, as does lint and other odd items. The drain pump filter is usually located at the front bottom of the washer. If you're lucky enough to a drain plug next to it, pull that out, put the hose in a bucket and let it empty before opening the filter. If you don't have a plug, have your bucket ready under the filter before you open it--you'll be shocked how much water flows out! Once that is done, pull the filter out, and clean it.

Clean the tub. Some washers have a "tub clean" feature. If yours does, pour two cups of bleach into the detergent area. Then run the tub clean with an empty washer. If your front loader doesn't have this feature, pour the bleach and run it, empty, on its hottest cycle.

yep the solution to a stinky washer that uses less water and energy is to run it empty on the hottest setting... after you dump water on your floor cleaning the filter and twiping the grime out of the tub ,... every week..

doesn't sound very efficient to me..

(only a liberal would like scrubbing her machine and running hot empty loads)
 

lonewolvie

Well-known member
I use the sanitizer pellets and leave the door open between washes. The washer doesn't stink nor do the clothes. These front loaders are much easier on bedding and sleeping bags then top loaders.
 

Steve

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
I just leave the door open when not in use and I have no problem with smell in the washer.

a friend of ours bought a new set a while back, it is in a closet off their main hall, a hall between the LR/DR/kitchen, and the bathroom/bedrooms, when she found out the only real solution was to leave the door open..(which would block the hall, ) she was furious.. the idea that a modern convenience is forcing a person to leave a closet door open so a washer door could be left open, so your clothes didn't stink didn't sit well with her.

they ended up selling it,

as buyers we should be able to make an informed decision. not find out there is a real flaw with the technology after it is in use..

for me the idea that not all the water drains and is being ran through the next cycle sounds like washing with dirty water.. :shock:
 

lonewolvie

Well-known member
Understand what makes the washer smell. Unlike top loader washing machines, front loaders don't drain completely every time a load of laundry is done.

Top loading machines don't drain out completely either. I took a worn out top loader apart and the bottom of the drum was full of all kinds of gunk.
 
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