Lets assume that everyone takes one shower a day in the United States (some two or three a day, some once every two or three days). Let’s assume that everyone goes to the bathroom either before taking the shower or immediately after. If instead of going to the bathroom (to pee of course), if everyone decided to pee in the shower instead:
How much water would be saved?
How much money would it save everyone (in the whole US and per household, assuming an average size household)?
I presume you’re figuring the water savings based on the lack of need to flush? In that case, given your assumptions, you’d be saving one flush per day per person. I believe that about 1 gallon per flush is standard for a toilet, so that be one gallon per day per person. At 300 million people in the US, then, that’d be a total of 300 million gallons per day.
Of course, there are complicating factors. Cleaning plus peeing in the shower would probably take more time than just cleaning, so you’d be spending more time in the shower, and running more water. Different toilets use different amounts of water per flush, and some even have two different flushing modes using different amounts of water. And toilets aren’t always flushed after every use; some households flush only after a bowel movement anyway (which I hope you’re not doing in the shower), so peeing in the shower wouldn’t actually save any flushes.
Okay, you are right in my assuming I am figuring the water savings based on the lack of need to flush.
A nice perspective on not saving water because more time is spent in the shower. BUT…let’s assume that I am washing my hair while peeing in the shower. We’ll leave the bowel movements out, for now.
/Hijack/ Do those low-flush toilets work efficently? I’ve heard and read bad things about them, ie: two to three flushes to get rid of the waste, using a lot of water. As for not flushing after urinating, UGH! Like having a cess pool in your bathroom. And, of course, the toilet needing cleaning much more often.
As far as peeing in the shower, it seems like one of the most natural things in the world to me. After three or four feet it all goes into the same drainpipe anyway.
I always say in these discussions that you won’t save any water. Water is the one thing that is truly recyclable and you probably drank a few molecules of George Washington’s pee today. If you live in an area where there isn’t any water shortage, there will be about the same amount of water in the system no matter where you pee. The difference will come in the loads placed on the water treatment plants if the water is cycling faster or slower.
I had one in my last apartment, and I hated it for all the reasons you mention.
Why would the toilet need cleaning more often? Urine turns into ammonia (cleaner) if it sits around. Put the lid down if you don’t want to look at it or smell it. When we used to do this (well water and septic in a place with about 40 people and 4 toilets, so we had to conserve flushes or it would just stop flushing when it was important!), it would actually get flushed every few uses, not sit around for more than a few hours anyway, and there’s no odor at all. Better than a composting toilet, which was our next plan. Eurgh. (Note: Now, at home, we flush after every use simply because the baby likes to splash in there when I’m not looking. Eeeeew! We’re getting a lot of handwashing practice. I may break down and get a toilet lock.)
It is obvious that you and others are not familiar with The White Owl which was used and night to save a trip to the Outhouse.
It was carried to the Outhouse in the morning.
White Owl, the original Pottie for grown ups. Outhouse, the Little BRown Shack Out Back, etc.
Connected to the saying: He didn’t have a pot to pee in or the window to throw it out of.
Why do you think that? If you’re in the shower, it’s a hands-free operation that doesn’t demand that you stop other things, like washing your hair, shaving, etc…
Low flush toliets typically use 1.6 gallons per flush - it’s code in much of the USA AFAIK - and many new models work very nicely - one flush. Toto is a brand that seemed to lead the way to better flushing toliets.
Some toliets have two types of flushes available for those who don’t believe in the let it mellow rule. Flush type one consumes about a gallon.
Yes, Toto is a good brand and has a dual flush version. Kohler also had one ~ 11 years ago which I installed when I bought this place. Most of the time it takes care of BMs on the 1.0 setting.
Yuck! My wife’ll do that if she goes in the middle of the night, presumedly to keep the sound of it from waking either darling daughter or our pooches. But by 6am, the whole bath smells like pee.
One more thing, my kitty likes to drink out of the toilet and goes into pissed off mode when access is denied. (Or there’s pee in her drinking water). Another reason why I like to keep it sparkling clean.
Although I am firm believer in the “if it’s yellow let it mellow” creed, I gotta admit one of the worst smells ever is a bowl full of deep yellow pee that has sat around for 8 hours or so…