Pretty soon we’ll all be like the French.
You seem to have too much time on your hands.
You see, there’s this invention called a pressure tank. Us deplorables in flyover country have had them for decades. We’re on well water. We make our own water pressure.
Radical, I know.
TSP. I think I used that to wash walls before re-painting.
bfl
Good report. There are workarounds for much of the stuff, and he mentions some here:
1) I’ve drilled out the flow restrictor in my sink faucet, and it works great now.
2) Phosphates are a must for clean clothes, but you have to add it separate. For dishes, look up Cascade Commercial Dishwasher Soap, and you’ll find it still has phosphates.
3) For my recently-installed toilet, I extended the tank tube and adjusted the float to nearly double the water flow, works fine now.
4) I haven’t figured out the water heater deal yet, although I haven’t seen any that restrict to 120F, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re out there.
As to not knowing about these changes, he has a point - the EPA prefers to reach ‘voluntary’ agreements with major companies to implement, that way they don’t go under the daylight of federal rule making - that’s how they get phosphates out of dishwasher detergent, and probably explains much of the rest being done so quietly.
Sometimes I think about bringing a REAL Showerhead, an adjustable Wrench and some Teflon Tape when I go to Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter.
Shave your head, install a compositing toilet and cook up some lye soap in your back yard. Problem solved. /s
I actually found the water-pressure valve in my house, and turned-up the pressure so the showers are strong upstairs. Really made a huge difference—and wasn’t hard, at all. Google it....
All these problems are an easy fix, all it takes is a screw driver and a little common sense.
Water pressure is mostly determined by the size of the water main to the house and the size of pipes thereafter to the fawcets.
I like the 8 inch round shower head I have with a water restricted. I get hair washed fine and clean up well. I honk you need the large shower head when there is a water restricted.
I live in an apartment, and use a coin-operated Maytag washer. Old-fashioned, no computer in it.
Last year, I spent a couple of months elsewhere, and they had one of those digital washers, with the agitator that’s only about two inches high, and that use two teaspoons of water per load. Underwear came out with the skid marks still in place, and it smelled as one would expect. I had to add buckets of hot water by hand before shutting the lid—which locked as soon as the washer was turned on. And had to run everything through the machine at least twice.
There are MILLIONS of new washing machines out there that people will gladly put out at the curb if they are allowed to buy a new washing machine that works.
Phosphates were taken out because of algal blooms and resulting dead zones.
Most dishwashers have a coil to heat the water.
Most water heaters are insufficiently insulated to make holding the water very hot for more than a short period of time economical.
Pressure restrictors save water, and are fairly easy to work around for the few places you might want slightly higher pressure.
If you want hotter water in the wash, for some reason such as diapers, boil a big pot of water and add it to the washer.
Raise the tank to increase pressure for low flow toilets.
Waste not, want not.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post!!! I have been putting up with gray whites for so very long, I thought it was because we moved to an area with hard water but now I see that’s only a fraction of the problem. Need to find me some of that TSP stuff STAT.
I will buy some TSP tomorrow at Lowes.
I use baking soda in the laundry to soften the clothes.
I do not have the same static cling prior to using it in the laundry. The Arm & Hammer laundry soap I use for the clothes rinses off better when I use the baking soda. Walmart sells a 4lb box for $2. Use 1/4 or less depending on the hardness of the water.
The white cotton towels do look dingy unless I pre-treat them with OxyClean or Shout etc.
Now I will see if the TSP will whiten them.
I recently replaced the 1.5gal kitchen aerators with a 2.2 gal one that also swivels and with a turn will become a spray. Much much better. Prior to that I replaced the shower head with a much better one that does a great job. I decided what I wanted to get and not some dirty hippy bureaucrat telling me I have to have dirty clothes and weak water pressure.
Hibbent Dual-function 2-Flow Faucet Aerator, 360-Degree Swivel Aerator with Dual Spray, with Gasket Faucet Replacement Part - 15/16 Inch - 27UNS Male Thread - Swivel $11.99
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCPXAKS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
bookmark for later, good info.
Find Sodium Triphosphate (STP), also known as Sodium Tri-polyphosphate (STPP), chemical formula (Na₅P₃O₁₀). Softens water and prevents soils from re-attaching to cleaned surfaces.
https://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Tripolyphosphate-1-Lb-Pack/dp/B00IXXP7WM
And just TRY to find a ceiling fan with lights which will provide enough light to see across the kitchen!
Bookmark.
FWIW