How much water per day do you use?

[Cosmo]

How much water do you use a day?
Water tank ?
Drinking water?

Total per person per day?

Water saving techniques you would like to share?
Paper plates ( I don't use them).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJKifHbmhYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY8x0ikBTiM

[S. Heisley]

How much water do you use a day? Best guess:

Water tank ? ................................About 1 gal to wash and maybe 1 gal to rinse dinner dishes, utensils, & pots/pans (more or less, depending). I don't usually have a fancy breakfast or lunch; so, spoons, sandwich knives, etc from breakfast & lunch are usually wiped clean and remain in the covered sink to be properly washed with dinner dishes. (Sometimes, breakfasts are cooked ahead ...pancakes dusted in powdered sugar; homemade granola, hard boiled eggs, etc....and packed in sandwich bags for the camp trip.) The same individual cup and filtered water drinking vessel are used all day and washed in the evening.
Drinking water?.............................About 96oz for the dog and I (more or less, depending.)

Total per person per day? ....A person is supposed to drink at least 8 glasses of water (64 oz) per day.

Water saving techniques you would like to share?...... Hospital-style body wipes if no showers available. Lysol wipes for counters, floors, etc. The cooking pan is filled with soapy water and warmed and the dishes, etc are washed in the pan, followed by a light rinse in the sink. I attach a small piece of tubing to the faucet so that the rinse water can be directed on the object being rinsed, using a very minimum of water. No potty water is needed for a Luggable Loo with proper gel crystals bag insert.
Paper plates ( I don't use them)............................. Occasional 1 or 2 plates; but, mostly not used at all.

[S. Heisley]

After viewing the videos, you may not have really wanted answers to your questions...I'm not certain. However, in one of the videos that you suggested, the people appear to be using plastic containers. Please be aware that the water should be warm but not exceedingly hot when washing those. I understand that aged (old) plastic and plastic that is exposed to more than 106 degrees Fahrenheit can release carcinogens. A number of people are switching to silicone. Ten years from now, they'll probably find something wrong with that, too!

[Cosmo]

Thanks for the tips. Always enjoy comparing consumption.

According to the last report I read - check the recycling label on the plastic the numbers below show safety (for what we know today). I agree - never heat and eat. Throw any of the plastics below in the microwave (or any heat source) and your meeting with the Grim Reaper may be moved ahead of schedule and current research shows it might be an unpleasant, expensive meeting.

I agree silicone if you want to be the lab rat. Giving up disposable water bottles and switching to Nalgen High Density Polyethylen bottles and a Brita filter saves lots-O-money too not to mention the trash and chemical load exposure. But don't throw a tea bag in it and put it in a microwave.

2, 4, 5 SAFER
#2 HD POLYETHYLENE HDPE #2
#4 LD POLYETHYLENE LDPE #4
#5 POLYPROPYLENE #5 PP

1, 3, 6, 7 UNSAFE
#1 POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE #1 PET OR PETE
# 3 POLYVINYL CHLORIDE
# 6 POLYSTYRENE
# 7 POLYCARBONATE

Back to water.
On a trip last weekend a friend managed to drain a 9 gallon water tank with 2 breakfasts and one dinner.

I use water jugs for drinking (#2 HD POLYETHYLENE). We finished 2.5 gallons of drinking/tea/cooking water in 2.5 days. 2 humans.

I think the problem with water consumption was the dishwasher... Not that kind - a human dishwasher - was using the faucet rather than the sprayer.

The faucet does not have an aerator. I have searched for an aerator but have not been able to find one. For me that consumption was an eye opener. Despite the visable plastic I found some useful info in the videos which I hoped would get this topic going and were not the only ideas available.

Cosmo

[S. Heisley]

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully, the dishwasher will learn how to be more water thrifty.

[Sabatical]

My wife, two dogs, and I use 2 gallons a day for drinking (from gallon jugs). Additionally we fill our 30 gallon fresh water tank once a week roughly. We are not limited where we are currently though.
When boondocking we typically use approx. 5 gallons a day. This includes showers. On laundry day we use 5 gallons for the wash and rinse of a hamper full of dirty clothes. That happens once a week

[Cosmo]

Thanks. Other than letting he dish washer get out of control I think I will have better water use on the next trip.
I checked the flow of the sink and the sprayer on my trailer. They are both 1 gallon per min. Which should not surprise me because the pump is labeled one gallon per min flow. But it did surprise me when realized how much water I could waste. Of course it’s not a problem when I can hook up the hose.

But I did come up with these water savers. Maybe an alternative to wipes. Use a spray bottle with water in it for washing face, hands etc. Virtually no water run off or waste when soaking the face or hands. Rinsing is easy and effective – especially if you have an assistant to pump for you. I am guessing 95% of water goes down the drain just wetting the face and hands with tap water (and not trying to conserve).

The spray bottle may also work for rinsing dishes. I will experiment.

For the high efficiency shower http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVXXIQQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1R239QO5XMXTP&coliid=I18SPKK6RSC70T

These may sound extreme. I am hoping to one day end up on BLM land for an extended stay in the future. Water may be a limiting factor for that stay. While I am stuck in my cubicle I have some time to think about how to stretch my water supply and test out the system on weekend camping trips in the trailer and backpacking.

Cosmo

[Shadow Catcher]

We have a 10 gallon tank and if Nancy is careful in use it is good for three to four days. We do not use paper plates etc. so everything gets washed. I have a five gallon flex container I can use to fill the tank.

[Jack Olsen]

Total per person per day? ....A person is supposed to drink at least 8 glasses of water (64 oz) per day.

For what it's worth, this was discredited as an actual health thing many years ago. There is no benefit to forcing yourself to drink extra glasses of water. We get just about everything we need from normal food and drinking intake.

[Cosmo]

I usually let the outflow dictate the inflow. No outflow or if things don’t look fairly clear – more inflow is needed. There are many other physical signs one can use before it gets to that point.

With physical activity like bicycle riding, hiking etc. I drink on schedule or monitor the volume of fluid I am drinking.
64 ounces is not a problem on a long bicycle ride in hot weather (for me). Can be a problem in a meeting at work. But then maybe getting out of a meeting for a quality meditation moment with the porcelain is a good thing.

I am enjoying the tips. I picked up an angled funnel to help with filling the water tank if I have to pour in water. Sounds like for some 2.5 gallons a day is a starting point for the frugal water user. With more availability – the sky is the limit.
Along with my own tracking, keeping a waterlog… (groan’er). I should be able to predict how long I can last without a refill.

With the spray bottle filled with water I was able to get a refreshing face and hand wash with soap and it took about 2oz of water! The spray bottle may be a another personal hygiene option along with wipes when other options are not available.
.

Cosmo

[S. Heisley]

Total per person per day? ....A person is supposed to drink at least 8 glasses of water (64 oz) per day.

For what it's worth, this was discredited as an actual health thing many years ago. There is no benefit to forcing yourself to drink extra glasses of water. We get just about everything we need from normal food and drinking intake.

Better to be safe than sorry. At a recent gathering, I went with just 3 & 1/2 gallons of drinking water for the two of us for roughly 4 & 1/2 days because I knew there was drinking water there. Much to my surprise, they didn't turn on the drinking water until day 3. The weather was around or in the 90's with no shade and we were going through what we had fast. I was getting a bit nervous..... It was a pretty good drive into town from the campground, too. So, now, I plan for around 8 glasses a day, if I can.

[S. Heisley]

For the high efficiency shower http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVXXIQQ/ref ... PKK6RSC70T

When I saw that, all I could think was that we used to use a bottle like that to dampen clothes for ironing. HaHa!

Since you're thinking about BLM land, I saw on a camping blurb that some people first use dry dirt to clean their pans and dishes and get the majority of grease, etc off so that they can use the least amount of wash water possible. Tell your dishwasher that and she/he will probably freak! (I would think that might call critters; but, what do I know?!)

[tony.latham]

The rule of thumb is one gallon per person per day for drinking and (minimum) sanitation.

The wife and I, with two big dogs, can easily do a three day, two night trip with our seven gallon jug. We try to camp near a creek for the dogs.

T

[GerryS]

Our camper has an 8 gallon internal tank. It's usually empty when we leave Sunday after breakfast. We use a smallish sink for washing, and don't drink the onboard water. So, add several bottles of drinking water on top of that.

We do not use severe water discipline. My lovely bride and I often "argue" about water conservation. But what we use is probably reasonable. We could easily stretch this by using more disposable plates and plastic ware.

[Cosmo]

Will have a chance to put some of this to use soon.
I have not used dirt to clean dishes but have use dry grass when backpacking to remove the easy stuff.

Does anyone know an easy way to tell how full the water tank is?
I don't want to put in an electronic sensor.

Thanks
Cosmo