OT(ish) - lies, damned lies and ballet dancers (Grauniad)

David · 2016-03-09T13:27:42+00:00

Warning - long ramble. Interesting use of statistics. "The average 10-minute shower uses 60 litres of water. A power shower uses three times that and a bath about 80 litres. So a family of four each having a daily 10-minute power shower (I know that is a very conservative estimate for some teenagers) will consume a staggering 0.25m litres of water every year. The annual average cost for electricity for four 10- minute showers per day would be up to about £400, or £1,200 if a power shower is involved. Even worse, the power-shower family would be emitting a staggering 3.5 tonnes of CO2. As we can afford only one tonne of carbon emissions per person ? for everything from food to transport ? if we are to keep global temperatures below the critical 2C threshold, this would consume nearly all of the family?s carbon budget." For all you DIYers, some of these figures may seem a little strange. "The average 10-minute shower uses 60 litres of water" Well, at 6 litres per minute this must be a pretty feeble shower - although I sized our combi to heat 15 litres per minute so it could service two showers. However that was 15 litres of hot water, and doesn't count the mixed in cold. has some rule of thumb figures, but my brain started to hurt trying to compare everything. It does say of power showers "A 12 minute shower with a flow rate of 15 l/m would use 180 litres of water." which seems to tie in with the "three times" figure for normal vs power shower. Using Google for bath volume, I find from 2011 which seems to be remarkably similar to this 2016 puff piece but with the opposite spin. Although it has an 8 minute shower using 62 litres of water. Using the site from above: "According to BS6700 a standard 1700mm x 700mm bath uses approximately 100 litres of water at 40?C. This is split into 60% hot and 40% cold water when hot water is stored at 60?C." So about 60l of hot water from store or combi. But, of course, the variable volumes are only the start....

Mar 09, 2016 100 Replies

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I don't know. I just wonder whether the outlet is partially blocked by sludge, and water is getting beyond the pump but not to the drain, then slowly draining back into the machine overnight.

The water looks clean, and there are no smells. Think I'll try Tim's idea first. Run the DW on the hottest setting, with the filters in the machine, but not fitted.

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OT(ish) - lies, damned lies and ballet dancers (Grauniad)

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