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Twist faucet makes you work for your water
Most of us are used to opening a faucet, and getting an endless stream of clear clean drinking water. But environmentalists tell us that the fresh water supply will become increasingly tight in the future.
To make us think about how much water we are using, designer Harvey Bewley has created the Twist Faucet. Despite its ultra cool styling that would look at home in any chic designer's bathroom, the Twist makes you work for your H20 by cranking the knob in and out. If that's not enough to remind you that water isn't free and endless, there's also a digital readout that shows your consumption, along with a water temperature readout.
The Twist is just a concept for now, but if they decide to build it, I would suggest adding a water limiter that shuts off the flow after a certain number of gallons. This would bring a additional benefit by limiting how much time your partner might spend locked in the bathroom.
By Mr. Gumsandals at 12:23 PM ON 12/05/09
They already have something like that. It's called a spigot. Not as fancy, but a helluva lot cheaper. Been around for a couple hundred years.
By Brass Orchid at 2:29 PM ON 12/05/09
How about we turn up the natural water purification plant known as evaporation by warming up the oceans and the atmosphere. Oh, that's right. We CAN'T. If we could, it would be tropical rain forest up to the 35th parallel and ice caps down to the 75th by now, just like it used to be back in the good old days, with glaciers squirting out as far south as Chicago. I weep for humanity.
By wtf at 7:40 PM ON 12/05/09
http://www.ted.com/talks/anupam_mishra_the_ancient_ingenuity_of_water_harvesting.html
I hate environmentalists... the planet will be destroyed by the sun expanding in 5 billion years (or inhospitable in slightly less), so there is no "saving the planet". The only noble goal in life is to improve society as a whole and reduce suffering of sentient beings (human, artificial or otherwise).
anyway, my point is peak oil is the issue, not lack of water or global warming. There's plenty of water, people just apparently aren't very experienced about harvesting it in North America.
By Korben at 11:15 PM ON 12/05/09
Why would someone intentionally install one of these? I can see maybe in an apartment, but I'm sure it would be asked of the landlord to change it out. Just imaging if you need water to put out a fire, you'd be "screwed". LOL
By Jon at 12:15 AM ON 12/06/09
Oh yeah...environmentalists TOTALLY have our best interests in mind...they don't EVER lie or deceive us...NOOOOOO...
*facepalm*
By MatthiasF at 12:31 AM ON 12/06/09
Alright, first of all, if you think that looks chic you have no right to use that word. It's Hideous, with a capital H.
Second of all, if you're really worried about wasting water then install a spout that has an infrared sensor so the water is only on with hands beneath it. Not only does it save water but it's incredibly more sanitary.
If you're really insistent on saving water, buy one that has a preset timer for each spray of water and reduce the time down so you're using even less water.
You don't need a freakin' auger and information display to save water.
By Brass Orchid at 1:52 AM ON 12/06/09
There is a saving grace to this bit of misdirected effort. Any concept, no matter how politically correct or otherwise inane, may be an innovation that serves a valuable purpose as a general principle at some later time. Changing the thread pitch might result in a stopper-type water gating device that doesn't suffer from the wear associated with the usual methods such as a ball valve. The name for this device, in general, BTW is the petcock. They were once found on every automobile radiator in America. Their failure rate is very low. You never know what will ultimately prove to be useful, so a directed effort often ends up impeding progress, which is why it is a good thing to let the children play. Eco-Zombie kids, too.
By docrings at 7:53 PM ON 12/07/09
What's needed is what we have in the hospitals: foot operated water switches.
Of course, completely volutary to buy and install, these would allow you to only turn on the water for when you need it to rinse, etc., not just flip up the lever and let it run and run.
One of the cheapest ways to save hot water, is to make sure the sink lever is pushed over for "cold" for quick uses... thereby preventing some hot water to enter the cold pipes that never make it to the sink. And more energy is required to heat up that water... multiply by millions of households a day, and there's a lot of energy going to heat up pipes only.
A foot pedal could have a setting for mixed/cold water and shut off the hot water inlet pipe for when only cold water is selected.
Please forward 10% royalties when you patent my idea.
:)
Doc Rings
By docrings at 7:59 PM ON 12/07/09
Sometimes the simplest conservation ideas are free and easy:
Another way to save water and energy in your home: turn down the water velocity in bathroom sinks to a *moderate* stream, instead of the full-pressure blast most sinks are set.
The regulators are under the sink. Turn on both hot and cold water at the faucet and then adjust the regulators down until you get a nice steady stream that suits your purposes for rinsing, hand washing, etc.
Not only saves money, but saves cleanup for when the kids blast the water at FULL for just rinsing a toothbrush or washing hands.
This will save you a few hundred gallons right there - and multiply that over millions of homes - real water savings, and money savings, and hot water/energy costs. All for FREE.
cheers!
Doc Rings
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docrings:
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