| If an inexpensive refit was widely available, would you do this in your home or business to conserve water?

If an inexpensive refit was widely available, would you do this in your home or business to conserve water?

bluewater asked:


I’ve spent much of the last 3 years living on a sailboat. We can stay out for 6 weeks before refilling our 100-gallon water tank. Here in the US, each American averages 150 gallons every DAY. This is far and away more than any other country in the world.

On the boat, we use a foot pump to draw water into our sink. Every full down/up cycle of the pump gives us 1/2 cup of water. If we wish to fill a pasta pot or a kettle, we rapidly pump several cycles and water flows quite fast. Our water never flows freely without action from the foot pump. I was amazed at how quickly we adapted to its use, and how much we enjoyed the hands-free element of it.

So I wonder if all you citizens of the world (especially in water-strapped regions) would consider implementing this change if it was easy enough to do…

If there was a easy way to adapt a simple foot pump to the pressure water in your home, would you do it? Would you be willing to adjust to a slightly less convenient method of getting water from your faucet? What about in your shower? Would you be willing to shampoo and bathe yourself while operating a foot pump? Sure, your dishwasher and laundry would run as usual, but could you get used to the change in your faucet? Would you embrace the idea? What if it cost less than $50 per faucet?

I imagine there is a way to accomplish this, but I’m an editor not an engineer. Can anyone with related knowledge speak on the subject? Can such a pump even work with a pressurized system? Here is the pump we use on the boat: http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/1/13/

And if it really seemed feasible and I wanted to become an advocate for this widespread change, how would I start? I currently live in a small town in Alaska.
If you can’t understand that the point here is water conservation for the greater good, then don’t bother responding.

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3 Responses to “If an inexpensive refit was widely available, would you do this in your home or business to conserve water?”

  1. Nata T on May 15th, 2009 1:34 am

    no, what about the other 3 quadrillon gallons you have available to wash other things included in the average 150 gallon per day thing?

    If you stink on a baot, who cares, when you are cramped up with 50 coworkers, they’d beat you to death.

  2. planetrevolutionist on May 18th, 2009 4:42 am

    I think that it is awesome that you care so much and are trying to advocate in the only way you know how.
    I would definetly adopt and hopefully adapt to it. Sadly, I do not know if others would be so willing to give up their precious lives of convenience (that is, until they have to).
    I think that it would be a good idea to try, though. You might be able to get a 3% national population conversion to your idea.
    First, I would try to patent or copyright the idea by going onto usa.gov or howstuffworks.com and posing the question of how one gets a patent.
    Then, I would try to promote the idea to federally-run programs such as the Department of Water and Gas and if they seem uninterested, try getting a well-known environmental advocacy group to do the talking for you. Natural Resources Defense Council has a lot of pull with the bigwigs in DC. I would try them.
    I won’t forget about your idea though. cos i think it is a good one. so guess what? you just gained yourself a customer!

  3. thor on May 23rd, 2009 6:08 pm

    That would be wonderful! I currently carry water in 5 gallon buckets from 1/3 mile away and it will be through a few feet of snow pretty soon. I don’t think a pump would work with a pressurized system unless you filled up a cistern and pumped it from there. May as well collect the water off your roof if building a cistern though.