Thread Number: 87504  /  Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
High efficiency Californiaquistan shower heads
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Post# 1120654   6/18/2021 at 04:55 (1,015 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

A few days ago, my "fire hose" shower head broke. I ran to Lowe's and purchased an Oxygenics whatever model that was on sale.

As it's California, it's not a surprise that the governor führer Fidel Castro Newsom wants to control even the way people shower, with ridiculous restrictions way harder than in any other state.

Shower installed, I was already expecting it to be almost like a drip irrigation sprinkler, how naive I was... it was much worse, almost like a VW beetle foot pump windshield washer.

Don't get me wrong, saving water is extremely important for the planet, the problem is the socialist government dictating standards that make IMPOSSIBLE to take a decent shower with those 0.1 gal/decade flow rate.

What I mean is, the flow was so restricted that there wasn't even water enough to come out through all the holes, the upper three rows of holes simply didn't have water at all (and the pressure/flow here is very high)

Today it was one of those days that I was pissed off with everything, I entered the bathroom to take a shower and when I looked at it, I remembered it sucks, had a nuclear meltdown and marched to the laundry room to get my tool bag. (Add to the scene a complete list of bad words in English, Spanish, Portuguese cursing up to the 15th generation of the family of the SOAB that had the stupid idea to make the restrictors even more restrictive)

3 minutes later, I was pulling the drill auger off the restrictor and voila, the remaining part of it came out stuck to the auger...what a difference! A shower with water... YAY.

Ok, in 10 minutes I ran out of hot water but at least I had a decent fire hose to rinse my body and wash my hair after the bath. So much water that the bathtub filed almost halfway with the drain open.



It made me wonder: How effective those restrictions are? How many people remove the flow restrictors and end up wasting water that could be saved if the flow restricors were designed to save water but not turn a shower into a miserable experience?





Post# 1120662 , Reply# 1   6/18/2021 at 07:01 (1,015 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

yogitunes's profile picture
I yank the restrictors out of everything....

shower heads, faucet aerators, washing machines....

I even take tools when staying at a hotel, remove the shower head and toss that restrictor....

same goes for tempered water valves in showers, pop off that knob and turn the adjustment up....

there may be a need at times for these, but I want it as an option, not purposely installed...


Post# 1120673 , Reply# 2   6/18/2021 at 08:01 (1,015 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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“Don’t get me wrong, saving water is important for the planet.....”

... But I absolutely refuse to even TRY to save ANY water at all in the bathroom OR laundry room..... Is that how it is Thomas???????


Post# 1120675 , Reply# 3   6/18/2021 at 08:32 (1,015 days old) by sfh074 ( )        
Some brands .....

Now make the restrictor internal to the shower head and can't be removed or drilled out. I had to buy 3 different brands last year to find one I could modify. The other 2 were returned.

Same thing with newer toilets. If the damn thing would actually flush solids down the drain in one flush (like they used to), how much water over time would actually be saved. The effing toilets in this house that was built in 2003, the saying goes ..... dump, flush, dump flush, paper flush. Any other way and you have to get the plunger.

.1gal/decade ...... that's funny!


Post# 1120680 , Reply# 4   6/18/2021 at 09:36 (1,014 days old) by Iheartmaytag (Wichita, Kansas)        
I have a Delta

iheartmaytag's profile picture
Rain shower head. I left the restrictor in and am very happy with the performance.

I remember reading that President Johnson wanted a powerful shower, he wanted to feel the sting of the water spray. The only way the plumbers/engineers could accomplish this was have a separate water holding tank and a commercial dishwasher pump supply the feed to the shower head.

Maybe you could rig something like that to your shower to give you the results you desire.


Post# 1120681 , Reply# 5   6/18/2021 at 09:59 (1,014 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

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Every state should be so lucky to have Gavin Newsom as their governor. He recognizes what the problems are that we are facing and acts accordingly.

This is the worst drought in history for California and we’ll all be lucky if there is still water coming out of the tap in September when we turn it on. Wasting water now because you just have to have torrents of hot water cascading off of your body will only help to make the precious water that we do have run out that much faster.

We’ve had a low flow shower head for 20 years and never had a problem getting clean. Futhermore we turn off the water after we’ve wet ourselves down, soap up with the water off then turn the water back on and quickly rinse off.. I spent my teenage years living in a home with a well. I know from experience what its like to turn on the tap and have no water because the holding tank ran dry due to using more water than the pump could keep up with.

Quit complaining. If you don’t like California you can always move somewhere else.

Eddie


Post# 1120684 , Reply# 6   6/18/2021 at 10:17 (1,014 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        
Methven

Methven shower heads, made in New Zealand, are amazing. I have googled and they are available in USA.

The top models expensive and very high tech but they give a lovely shower and don't use much water.

We have a more Methven basic model at home, it still gives a good shower but I have used the top models in hotels and they are amazing.



CLICK HERE TO GO TO gizmo's LINK

Post# 1120685 , Reply# 7   6/18/2021 at 10:19 (1,014 days old) by 48bencix (Sacramento CA)        
I have one of these

I have the Delta low flow shower head and it works very well. The flow is limited compared to an old style full flow. I do think it is a lot better than some other shower heads I have seen in hotels for instance. We do still have our older toilets and do not always flush them (for pee). I keep them because of the very long run of the sewer to the nearest larger sewer. We have a large yard and some old huge trees that need to be watered. I hope the water can last through the end of the year here in California. Our major reservoirs are quite low and may not be able to even generate electricity late this year. I saw somewhere that the major reservoirs were designed to provide 5 years of water when full, and they were full in 2019. Maybe they were used to flush out the rivers for the endangered fish or maybe we have so many millions more people here than when the dams were built.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO 48bencix's LINK


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Post# 1120686 , Reply# 8   6/18/2021 at 10:33 (1,014 days old) by turbokinetic (Northport, Alabama USA)        

Agree with you whole heartedly on the shitty restrictor shower heads! I drill them out as well.  In my home the shower has a way to control the flow and temperature separately, so I can decide how much flow I want for any given situation. Firehose for rensing hair, and more moderate for other areas. It's a win-win.  Like you I just want to be in control of it and decide how much water to use at what time. 


Post# 1120689 , Reply# 9   6/18/2021 at 11:07 (1,014 days old) by d-jones (Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Area))        

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California has always had water issues, as has much of the Southwest. What has changed isn't the amount of available water so much as the number of people using it. Populations throughout the Southwest have grown tremendously in the past few decades while the water supply remains essentially the same. It's guaranteed to result in shortages. What's needed is an improved system of reservoirs to capture rainwater and melting snow from the mountains. As things stand now far too much of it simply flows out to sea. But even that might not be enough for the current population. There's simply too much demand for too small a supply. Thankfully, having moved to Pittsburgh a few years ago I no longer have to deal with it. We get so much rain here no one even bothers with sprinklers. They aren't needed, and I frequently find myself having to wait for the yard to dry out before I can mow the lawn.


Post# 1120694 , Reply# 10   6/18/2021 at 11:56 (1,014 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Water Saving Toilets

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were installed by our city in our home 12 years ago at no cost to us. They use 1.6 gals per flush and they flush better than the 3.5 gal per flush toilets that were installed when the home was built in 1980.

Once in a Blue Moon will I have to flush the toilet a second time and this is always because I forgot to hold the handle down for a few seconds when flushing solid waste.

I have no experience personally with the newer 1.3 gal per flush toilets, but I would expect them to be comparable to the 1.6 gals per flush models.

We have two major reservoirs within 30-40 miles from us, Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino. Both are at the lowest levels in their history, practically dry. This is due to the increase in population, Climate Change which has ended up in the lowest rainfall for our area since at least ‘76, and maybe even ever. Also, we are a state that has a tremendous agricultural economy. It takes vast amounts of water to grow grapes, lettuce, you name it, if it grows in the soil it needs plenty of irrigation.

As far as the water running out to sea, thats why these lakes were formed, to catch and retain as much of the water as possible. But if the Russian River didn’t empty into the Pacific Ocean the river would flood our entire county eventually, its impossible to catch all this water. Lake Sonoma was at capacity in 2019 which was supposed to last for FIVE years. But without normal seasonal amounts of rainfall for the past two years now its practically dry.

Yeah, it would be nice to never have to worry about how much water we are using, but that is not reality for California. I can make the necessary sacrifices in order to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. And with Climate Change continuing at breakneck speed its only a matter of time before water shortages come to a home near you too.

Eddie




This post was last edited 06/18/2021 at 12:16
Post# 1120696 , Reply# 11   6/18/2021 at 12:04 (1,014 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

I wet the washcloth, turn off the faucet and add the liquid detergent then wash my whole body. I turn on the tap to rinse out the washcloth then wring and hang it. Then I turn the faucet back on and send the water to the shower head. The initial cold blast I aim at the drain to knock down the suds, thinking of the add for the Westinghouse TL commercial washer that advertised the cold spray rinse to knock down suds, then I rinse off and shut off the water. Shampooing adds an extra step, but I do not let the water run while I am soaping up.

As I stated previously, when I used top loaders, I used to drain the rinse water into a trash container with a submersible pump in it and pumped the water outside through a garden hose to trees and shrubs that needed water in a bad drought. Everything lived.

Pure, clean water is a blessing whether or not you live in a desert. A tub half full of water during a shower sounds gross. The desert Southwest needs to investigate routing gray water to dry wells outside to soak into the sandy soil. The caveat to that is that our ancient technology sewer systems depend on high volumes of water to move solid waste. There are places in San Francisco where apartments installed low volume toilets and the sewers under the streets are almost clogged with poop.


Post# 1120697 , Reply# 12   6/18/2021 at 12:11 (1,014 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

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“There are places in San Francisco where apartments installed low volume toilets and the sewers under the streets are almost clogged with poop.”

This isn’t due to low flow toilets, is because people are flushing wet wipes down the toilets and these don’t decompose, but rather sit in the sewers and treatment plants with all the human waste. There have been several news reports on this problem in several localities. It requires the sewer workers to get down into the sewers and manually remove all these clogging wet wipes. What a terrible job assignment!

Eddie


Post# 1120698 , Reply# 13   6/18/2021 at 12:22 (1,014 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan)        
We got all

water saver toilets and faucets when we remodeled. The 1.6 gal. flush toilet works good. I never have to flush twice. Kohler San Succi, in Cashmere, not cheap.
The Toobi bsasin faucets are low flow, and quiet. The shower mixing valve and head are great too. Catlayst flow is strong. My old basement bath toilet used 3 gal. per flush. Our sweage bill part of the water bill isn't cheap, and local rivers and the lake are still polluted. The beach has been closed for years due to E-coli.


Post# 1120706 , Reply# 14   6/18/2021 at 14:10 (1,014 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 1120712 , Reply# 15   6/18/2021 at 16:04 (1,014 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

That's exactly what I mean.

When flow restrictions are applied with common sense, we end up with fixtures that people love, like the toilets mentioned above, that save water AND do the job.

With the showerheads, it's a different story now. It's even more restrictive than the shower head I bought 3 years ago. But it's beyond ridiculous! I imagine somebody with long hair trying to rinse the shampoo.

Nobody needs a fire hose to shower, but a shower that drips like a leaky faucet when it's fully open is stupid.

People get pissed off because of those 15 minutes only to rinse the shampoo and end up getting rid of the restrictors. All the efforts to save water went down the drain. And the shower heads end up using much more water than a shower head from the 1930s.


Post# 1120713 , Reply# 16   6/18/2021 at 16:12 (1,014 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

By ridiculous I mean, if the shower is placed fully horizontal, the waterflow is so ridiculous that water will spray through the pinholes LESS THAN HALF INCH. A bit less than half of the pinholes won't even work because there's not enough flow.

I'm super hairy, rinse off the lather off my body is a pain with a squirt bottle. And the shower head is LESS than a squirt bottle.


Post# 1120714 , Reply# 17   6/18/2021 at 16:29 (1,014 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

@ea56

Nope, I'm not complaining because of not having torrents of hot water, my complaint is about they exaggerated so much on the restriction that lots of people will intuitively remove the restrictors and end up wasting too much water.

Something changed in the last 3 years. My previous shower head was restricted, weak, but it was somewhat possible to get a decent shower out of it... now it's so restricted that even that pulse massage setting that makes that vibration noise simply doesn't work at all.

Any person with at least 2 neurones will look at one of those modern CA showerheads and say "ok, something is wrong, this thing is clogged because it doesn't work".

I forgot to mention that I went back to Lowe's to replace it... the attendant was like "everybody come here to return them, it's not a defect, ALL showerheads are like that because of the new codes. No matter what brand or model, if it's sold or shipped to CA it must be restricted like that. What people can do is drill the restrictor, but it voids the warranty." He replaced it anyway but it was exactly the same


As far as I know saving water is important, but we're not guinea pigs or chinchillas to take a bath in marble dust. We still need water coming out of the shower, not half gallon per hour.


I have a drip irrigation system for my plants, it has those tiny sprinklers (bubblers) that are small as a thimble, fed by a super thin hose. Only one of those sprinklers has a waterflow much higher than a brand new shower head. Really? How can that thing be called shower? It's a dripper!


Post# 1120715 , Reply# 18   6/18/2021 at 16:31 (1,014 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
This Is The Shower Head We Have

ea56's profile picture
its an Eco Spa with 2.5 gals flow per min. I purchased it at Lowe’s about 6 years ago. Its excellent, gives out plenty of water. I’m pretty hairy and still have a full head of hair and it rinses me off quickly. It also helps to have a hand held shower head so you can reach all areas of your body easily. It definately doesn’t dribble.

There is a little build up of minerals on it right now, I need to polish it with some vinegar again. In 6 years of use I’ve only needed to clean out the holes with a needle twice. It’s the best shower head we’ve ever had. The goose neck extension adds the extra hight my 6’5” husband needs to get under the spray when standing.

Eddie


CLICK HERE TO GO TO ea56's LINK


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Post# 1120718 , Reply# 19   6/18/2021 at 16:47 (1,014 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)        

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The exaggeration by the OP is off the charts.  Get real.  Low flow shower heads are completely adequate.  And by the way, flow restrictors have been around for a few decades.  Long before Gavin Newsom became governor, and any recent regulations occurred before he was elected as well.

 

I'm certain that there's no limit on how much water you can use in the Mar-A-Lago area.  It sounds like the perfect alternative.


Post# 1120721 , Reply# 20   6/18/2021 at 17:07 (1,014 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Well I'm pretty proud of myself. In the winter time, my monthly usage is between 1000 & 1300 gallons a billing cycle of 4 weeks or so. One of the reasons why I the way way I feel about top loaders. When I had the Lady Shredmore, my winter water consumption was between 3000 & 5000 gallons a month. And my sewar bill reflected that consumption.

Post# 1120724 , Reply# 21   6/18/2021 at 17:31 (1,014 days old) by Brisnat81 (Brisbane Australia)        

2.4gal per min showerheads have been the norm here for the last 20 years. Has CA dropped below that amount?

Even rain showers operate well on that flow rate.

Being pressed against the wall is nice, but 2.5gal/min is a good compromise and saves water and electricity.

Maybe the OP just needs to buy a better quality shower head?


Post# 1120726 , Reply# 22   6/18/2021 at 19:27 (1,014 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

CA is way lower than 2.4 gal with the new standards.

If I'm not mistaken, it's 1.2 gal, so half of the rest of the country.

2.4 would be very "decent".



Post# 1120727 , Reply# 23   6/18/2021 at 19:28 (1,014 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

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They're on to y'all restrictor violators.

 

New Delta kitchen faucet, the restriction is inside the swing arm, not the aerator where you could get at it.

 

Gee, why not just make aquarium air hose the new code for water?  Here, more water evaporates from landscaping than any other use.  That flow is restricted alright, down to one inch per valve times as many valves as you want. 

But I'm supposed to make do with little needles coming out of my showerhead.

 

You know who does NOT have flow restrictors?  Nestle and Cocacola, sucking water out of aquifers as fast as they can put it in little/litter bottles.  Gasp, wouldn't want to interfere with free trade, would we?


Post# 1120733 , Reply# 24   6/18/2021 at 21:23 (1,014 days old) by sfh074 ( )        
Interesting .....

Add to the chart ....

2018 CA = 1.8 gpm



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Post# 1120734 , Reply# 25   6/18/2021 at 22:01 (1,014 days old) by warmsecondrinse (Fort Lee, NJ)        

I saw an article in the NYT that the 2 agricultural 'sweet zones' are expected to move over the next 100 years or so. In the west it's supposed to hug the coast and move north, but actually expand a bit further inland as one moves north. The other one, occupying the central 1/3 of the US is supposed to move to the northeast.

Showerheads? I have an ancient one that stays with me when I move.

If state & local governments were really concerned with saving water, there'd be waterless urinals in all new construction and commercial remodelling jobs.

Wet wipes: From what I've read there're two problems. First, there're two kinds, flushable and non-flushable. When you pick up a random package the distinction is printed in a font so small there's no way anyone would see it unless they were deliberately looking for it. So the shopper is obviously not intended to know. That means someone is making money off of that somehow. Second, some organization (forget who) tested the major brands of flushable wipes and 1/4 to a 1/3 did not meet the criteria to be 'flushable' even though they were labelled so.




Post# 1120737 , Reply# 26   6/18/2021 at 22:31 (1,014 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

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I've lived in California since 1963, but the flow restrictions didn't seem to become common until the 1980's. I routinely pluck the restrictors out of any new plumbing. I feel somewhat justified in this in that my daily water usage is about 2/3 of average. And some of that has to do with this property having a non-potable well that I use to water the garden and lawn.

IMHO the biggest advance in home plumbing came around with the detachable shower heads at the end of a hose. I will not explain here how useful those are.


Post# 1120741 , Reply# 27   6/19/2021 at 00:50 (1,014 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Any new showerheads I buy get a date with my drill press!

Post# 1120757 , Reply# 28   6/19/2021 at 06:49 (1,014 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI )        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 1120758 , Reply# 29   6/19/2021 at 07:21 (1,014 days old) by WhiteWhiskers (Silicon Valley, California)        

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Over 30 years ago I vacationed in Santa Barbara, staying at the Santa Barbara Inn. The shower heads at the hotel were beyond low flow. What came out was more like a mist, no doubt because the main source of water was from a desalination plant.

Thomas Ortega: My advice for you is to get rid of the shower head entirely and have the bare pipe coming out of the wall give you the flow and Hollywood bathing experience you so desperately desire. And then at election time you vote for Caitlyn Jenner, who like the previous POTUS (promised) will solve all your problems :-)


Post# 1120761 , Reply# 30   6/19/2021 at 07:47 (1,014 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        
a different perspective

I live in the wettest place in the state, over 2 metres a year rainfall. (between 6 and 7 feet rainfall.) I don't know how that compares in other countries but in Australia, that is huge. We catch our own rainwater off garage and house, we always have plenty. We don't have to worry about saving water most of the year. Currently the place is waterlogged.

I recently replaced two taps (faucets) in the kitchen and laundry. I was very limited in what I could buy as I was looking for a single lever mixer tap that would turn only a fixed limited amount each way, so the tap couldn't be turned to deliver water off the sink. We needed this because our cat had two or three times flooded the place by turning the tap off the sink and turning on the tap. (bumped it when jumping around like a big kitten.) We could only find a couple of suitable taps at a reasonable price, one from Grohe for the kitchen and one from Ikea for the laundry.

 

Both came with little inlet hoses that were NOT removable/replaceable, and were stupid skinny little things like a drinking straw. The flow is miserable as we have low water pressure - we don't have a pressure pump, our water comes from a tank up the hill and it isn't much higher than the house. Our water supply is plenty for the washing machine to fill in a normal time, plenty to operate a tankless gas hot water service as our backup unit, but the flow though these taps is pathetic. I am more or less used to it now, but it is s-l-o-w. A litre takes about 30 to 40 seconds. It is not a flow restrictor, it is the tiny hoses and they are machined in, can't be replaced. (there was a restrictor of sorts in the aerator, but I removed that.)

 

as I catch my own water, no municipal infrastructure needs to be built to give me water. I just "borrow" the water briefly from the environment before returning it. But it is almost impossible to find taps and fittings that don't have restrictors that are designed for mains pressure, not low pressure.


Post# 1120767 , Reply# 31   6/19/2021 at 09:09 (1,014 days old) by 48bencix (Sacramento CA)        
Standards can't go lower

The shower head I posted is 2.5 gallons/minute. Probably not available to ship to California. I bought mine a few years ago. The newest Calif. standard is 1.8 gal/min. Maybe 2.5 is a good compromise. The federal standard is 2.5 so that's what a lot of people have right now. The folks working on the standards here and at the Federal level keep changing them. At some point the standards should just stay where they are.

Post# 1120768 , Reply# 32   6/19/2021 at 09:18 (1,014 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 1120774 , Reply# 33   6/19/2021 at 10:42 (1,013 days old) by kd12 (Arkansas)        

Ok, so let me ask this as someone who doesn't live on the Left Coast. Why in the hell has California not gone all-in on desalination when they have the whole Pacific ocean in their back yard? Water has always been an issue there as there's only a finite amount of fresh water available (hence the water wars of the early 20th century). So why not leverage the ocean for additional supply?

Post# 1120787 , Reply# 34   6/19/2021 at 14:43 (1,013 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

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Skuze me for pointing out that California does not have a water shortage.  California has a shortage of effing SENSE

 

80% of available water goes to agriculture which makes up 3% of the state's economy.  Growing things like almonds, which are 'nice' but nobody "needs" them,  and they take NINETEEN HUNDRED GALLONS of water to grow ONE POUND of nuts.

 

Oh, and if you get teary-eyed thinking of mom & pop farmers out of water, save your lacrimation for the geraniums.  More than 80% of California agriculture is corporate AND subsidized on top of that.

 

I loved every minute I lived in California, both north and south.  Except for the occasional traffic jam spanning the entire horizon in every direction.  But most of the desperation they claim is of their own doing.


Post# 1120789 , Reply# 35   6/19/2021 at 15:22 (1,013 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Excuse Me Rick

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but I watched Bill Maher last night too and your post is almost verbatim from his mouth. It may or may not be true that California’s agriculture is only 3% of our economy. But it also provides thousands of jobs and food for not just Californian’s but people across the nation and the world.

So we should just let all the farms dry up and go fallow? I don’t think so. I’m a Native Californian and we DO have a water shortage, regardless of what Bill Maher says. I used to really like him, now his devils advocate bullshit just irritates me and I’m probably not going to watch him anymore. This has been coming for me for a long time now and his rant last night sealed the deal.

And as far as water misuse is concerned, I notice he had nothing to say about all the billions of gallons of Northern California water that is diverted to Southern California for their millions of swimming pools. These swimming pools should go dry before allowing farms to go fallow. And the same goes for the lawns on golf courses and mansions. If I have to let the lawns of my HOA go brown then so can the lawns of the wealthy go brown too. I’ll bet Bill Maher is irrigating his landscaping and if he has a pool, which I imagine he does, that sucker is being topped off regularly too.

No matter how you cut it THERE IS a shortage of water in California, PERIOD!

Eddie




This post was last edited 06/19/2021 at 15:57
Post# 1120792 , Reply# 36   6/19/2021 at 16:23 (1,013 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

I have to agree with Eddie at this.

It is a FACT that California has a shortage of the precious liquid.


When I created this thread
, the idea was exactly point the nonsense.

Keeping the restrictors at decent level wouldn't save that much water, but people would leave them alone. Ok, it reduced the waterflow but I still can get a decent shower, so it's a little effort that will have a great return for everybody.

But they decided to make the restrictors so thrifty that it feels like you're showering with a spray bottle. Intuitively people will try to drill or get rid of the restrictors, just like me.

I was going to drill my restrictor, to allow a bit more water... but the restrictor came off, so now I have no restrictor at all.

I won't even bother looking for a 2.5 gal restrictor to put there.. why? Waste.my time because it's forbidden to sell or ship them to California.

As a result... people end up wasting much more water... it's not "me", it's thousands of people in the state that have exactly the same situation every single day.


Simply put, reducing even more the water flow had the opposite effect, the plan didn't work at all!


Post# 1120809 , Reply# 37   6/19/2021 at 20:50 (1,013 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

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Yes, the Maher show is the statistic source.

 

THERE IS a shortage of water in California, PERIOD

Not "period".  No issue of this scope and depth is "period".  There is a shortage compared to what the state is accustomed to miss-allocating before the climate trend changed.  And it's still miss-allocated despite the intrusion of spit showers.  That is to say, spit showers are bureaucratic window dressing that do next to nothing about the problem.

 

Jobs schmobs.  3% of economic product does in no way justify 80% of a dwindling resource that is the basis of life.  Growing water-intensive ag like almonds and rice in a desert is a bad idea.  No matter that it was established in a different climatological age. 

You CAN put a "period" after that if you want.

 

You do know where LA's water comes from, right?  Down an enormous open-air sluice running half the length of the state.  Through the high desert (Palmdale-Lancaster) where [how much?] evaporates into single-digit-dewpoint air.  I've been there too.  How much evaporates?  More than how much evaporates from pools, since the formula is rate times surface area.  And yes, Maher's house is lushly landscaped.  That may have to change as well.

 

This isn't a fight between you and me, Eddie.  I have zero to say about what ultimately happens and you have about one ten-millionth more than I do.  We're both in the same piranha tank when it comes to electric, and neither of us has anything to say about that either.  Where is the 36-point shrug smiley when we need it?


Post# 1120810 , Reply# 38   6/19/2021 at 21:29 (1,013 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        

qsd-dan's profile picture

California has a shortage of effing SENSE

 

But most of the desperation they claim is of their own doing.

 

6th generation Californian here and this is spot on. It's incredibly sad what politics and corruption has done to the state.


Post# 1120816 , Reply# 39   6/19/2021 at 21:58 (1,013 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
Rick, I had no intention to cause a war between you and I on this or any other topic. I can agree to disagree. I disagreed with Bill Maher’s comments last night and I recognized them in your post. And I have every right to voice my opinion as you do yours. Lets leave it at that.

I live here and see everyday how the lack of rain for the last two years has had a very detrimental effect on my county and state. Agriculture is a big part of the economy in my area, wineries, pot farms and dairy ranches in particular. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I do know when there isn’t enough of a resource to fulfill the needs of the area.

Eddie


Post# 1120818 , Reply# 40   6/19/2021 at 22:39 (1,013 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

sudsmaster's profile picture
I went to school in the Sacramento Valley in the 70's and at that time there were huge flooded fields on either side of HWY 80. I found out those are for growing rice. I have no idea if rice is still being grown there, but WTF, the proper spot to grow rice is in the Southeast where's there's plenty of rain and water. I suspect the California rice fields are a major, if not the major, waste of agricultural water.

In terms of governance, I suspect California is not worse than most of the other states in the nation. And probably much better than some when it comes to corruption and waste. I won't say which, not here.


Post# 1120827 , Reply# 41   6/19/2021 at 23:52 (1,013 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
Heres the CalRice website link. Rice production in California provides 25,000 jobs and 5 billion dollars to the economy. It’s the second largest producer of rice in the United States and its Mediterranean climate is uniquely suited to the growing of rice according to Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_produ....

The water from the flooded fields eventually goes back into the water table. People have to eat don’t they?

Eddie


CLICK HERE TO GO TO ea56's LINK


Post# 1120828 , Reply# 42   6/19/2021 at 23:53 (1,013 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

PLENTY of water out in Eastern NC-In fact we are under a tropical storm warning for Claudette.Supposed to get several inches of rain!My yard will be a swamp!Drainage ditches will be full-possibly flowing onto the roads.Should be a wet ride to work tomorrow night!

Post# 1121161 , Reply# 43   6/23/2021 at 16:51 (1,009 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        
It's time...

firedome's profile picture
for an end to subsidized wasteful ditch irrigation and ubiquitous and frivolous pools and fountains in places like CA and AZ, and aquifer depleting center-pivot irrigation in parts of states like Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ag production requiring dependable water should be concentrated in states with decent natural rainfall. Locating 5000 cow dairies and alfalfa, sugar beet, and other water-intensive crop production in dry states with chronic water shortages is beyond absurd, that type of Ag production should be centered in the Northeast, Eastern Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic where irrigation is not typically necessary, it's just common sense.

Post# 1121179 , Reply# 44   6/23/2021 at 19:19 (1,009 days old) by Egress (Oregon)        

agreed. put the solar farms & stuff in the D E S E R T, and put the agriculture where it rains. It makes a whole lot more sense.

as for desalination plants, they're kinda bad?
They use a ton of energy, and while they do produce drinkable water they also discharge highly concentrated brine back into the ocean which can create dead zones where fish cant survive due to the high salinity, and also the water is often warm, lowering the dissolved oxygen levels which also creates dead zones. per my understanding, the best option is to recognize that its a desert, and move stuff with high water demand (agriculture) out of the state.


Post# 1121556 , Reply# 45   6/27/2021 at 20:48 (1,005 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture

Speaking of the Maher show, he's no saint of rectitude. 

IOW, he's not always right despite his fervent wish to be considered so.

 

This week he railed on web media for deleting certain references to ivermectin (drug), which he seems to think he needs to know something about.  I wondered what the hell he was talking about.  My memory of ivermectin was it's something ranchers shoot up a cow's butt to kill worms.  And it is.  [Don't ask what the hell triggers my memory of such things; it just does.]

 

It's also something you don't give collies or turtles, it kills them.  In humans and most vertebrates, doses on the microgram/kg level won't pass the blood-brain barrier in sufficient quantity to do bad things.  Some nutbags from the hydroxychloroquine school of internet miracle cures were gaining traction with ivermectin as a treatment for covid.

 

It was these latter references that were excised from major web portals as misinformation.  Ivermectin in a dish kills [or at least disables] covid.  The safety of passing it out broadly to humans is deeply in question.  Just what Maher thought he was going to do with any data on ivermectin which he was denied, is also deeply in question.  As is bringing it up in the first place,

with no background whatsoever.

 

Here's the wiki; relatively short and non-technical.  Since I brought it up with scant background, one might otherwise think I'm coming down with Maheritis.  I don't think so, but that's not a medical assessment.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin...


Post# 1121583 , Reply# 46   6/28/2021 at 03:05 (1,005 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

@arbilab

What does it have to do with showers?


Post# 1121606 , Reply# 47   6/28/2021 at 11:57 (1,004 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture

Maher's take on Calif water runs several frames in the 30s.

 

I ran with his POV, but I don't always.

 

The thread had gone dormant anyway. 

 

Ivermectin also kills pedicules.  Which are not little feet, except in the sense they are.




This post was last edited 06/28/2021 at 12:34
Post# 1121638 , Reply# 48   6/28/2021 at 17:18 (1,004 days old) by sarahperdue (Alabama)        
Big puzzle

sarahperdue's profile picture
Devices need to have a good balance between water conservation and doing a satisfactory job. I get a more complete flush when I dump 2 quarts of water from a pitcher into my toilet bowl than any tank toilet. Could a toilet be redesigned to deliver a powerful flush with such a small amount of water? Could that gravity assist design used in early high-tank toilets be adapted to make low water usage modern toilets?

California has both a water shortage and a water mismanagement issue.

It seems like piped instead irrigation, restricting or prohibiting water fountains, enclosing pools, planting and using drought resistant natural landscaping could all reduce water usage.

It seems like the water costs less than it should. Do agricultural operations receive hefty subsidies? If the cost of water accurately reflected supply and demand wouldn't it be cost prohibitive to grow almonds and rice, have irrigated lawns and outdoor swimming pools, etc.?

It's a similar situation in Atlanta. Their population continues to increase despite the inability of the reservoirs to provide for the growth and thus begins the water wars. Georgia begins diverting more than its share of water upstream of Alabama and Florida...you get the picture.

So, here in Alabama, we get lots of rain yet, in my lifetime, farms have been dying all over the state. We have water, we have sun, we have a decently long growing season. What kind of subsidies and other economic factors created a situation where the nation's food crops are grown in an area with severe water shortages and shipped across the country while our farmers lose their land or find other ways to earn a living?

California may be a great place to grow rice, but so is Louisiana where water is plentiful. So it seems to make sense to move the rice and the 25,000 jobs to Louisiana. That is an oversimplification, but it would solve two California problems: overpopulation and water demand.



As with any major industrial change, moving some of the water intensive agriculture to areas where water is more plentiful would be painful but perhaps worth it in the long run.


Post# 1128834 , Reply# 49   9/16/2021 at 14:27 (924 days old) by WhiteWhiskers (Silicon Valley, California)        
my new Kohler Shower Head

whitewhiskers's profile picture
Just took a shower with my new Kohler Maxton 1.8GPM shower head purchased from Lowes early this morning. It was wonderful. In no way did I feel deprived. My old Delta shower head was ok. Probably 10 years old. The rubber nozzles were falling apart so it was time for a change.

  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 2         View Full Size
Post# 1128839 , Reply# 50   9/16/2021 at 15:31 (924 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
Way to go Gary! This is proof that you can conserve water without experiencing deprivation. I hope you’ll get many years of satisfactory use from this new 1.8 gpm shower head.

Eddie


Post# 1128962 , Reply# 51   9/18/2021 at 00:46 (923 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)        
showerheads

I am so grateful that the showerheads on my dorm have no loss in pressure. The hot water is plentiful here. I can take a 6 minute shower and be done.

Post# 1128963 , Reply# 52   9/18/2021 at 01:31 (923 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

sudsmaster's profile picture
I find I usually can figure out a way to remove the flow restrictor from just about any faucet attachment or shower head. For showers, my current favorite is labeled a "Sansu", which I got maybe about 10 years ago. It's a handheld. But of course now I cannot find it on-line. It's a 2.5 gal/min, but I see from searching that now California has reduced the allowable flow to 1.8 or less. Again, I'd just yank the flow restrictor, unless that's been made impossible too. So I guess I'll be hanging onto the one I like for as long as possible. My other shower has an Interbath handheld, which I think is older than the Sansu.

Good luck!


Post# 1162299 , Reply# 53   10/22/2022 at 22:44 (523 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)        
getting much worse

Unfortunately, here we are in 2022 and this whole HE nonsense is getting worse. Leave my showers and laundry room alone!

Post# 1162329 , Reply# 54   10/23/2022 at 14:12 (522 days old) by Egress (Oregon)        

sadly we are also running out of fresh water. drought conditions are increasing, and we have to make changes. using less water for laundry and showering is a fine sacrifice so that we may have water year round. if you want to complain, maybe complain about the climate crisis and how we still aren't doing enough to solve it.

Post# 1162339 , Reply# 55   10/23/2022 at 16:12 (522 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Re; Reply #54 Thanks!

ea56's profile picture
Well said Marco!

Eddie


Post# 1162343 , Reply# 56   10/23/2022 at 17:14 (522 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        

qsd-dan's profile picture
There really isn't a one answer fits all solution to water issues, it's different for each area.

First of all, water is neither created nor destroyed. Yes, if one lives in an area where water is scarce, it's a good idea to conserve. Even in areas where water is plentiful, it doesn't make sense to needlessly be wasteful. I think we all can agree that areas low on water resources should not have building permits issued. Increasing the population in these areas will eventually lead to disasters. Does anybody see this happening? Nope, gotta expand in order to accumulate more taxes.

In California, residential users only constitutes for 5% of total water used in that state. False propaganda will have them brainwashed that it's 95% but I'll save everybody my personal rants on the matter. I'm not advocating on needlessly wasting water, just something to keep in mind.

Climate change is basically a money laundering scam for the most part, just like most of the wars to keep money rolling into the war machine. The biggest polluters and those that use up the majority of recourses here in the US are the government and corporations....not Joe Sixpack and his family. Again, both of theses institutions heavily propagandize the opposite but I'll just stop here before this gets kicked into the paying forums.


Post# 1162352 , Reply# 57   10/23/2022 at 19:22 (522 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California)        

sudsmaster's profile picture

OK, so in California, what percent of the water used by agriculture goes through municipal water treatment?

 

I'd guess less than 10%.

 


Post# 1162405 , Reply# 58   10/24/2022 at 14:27 (521 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        
what percent of the water used by agriculture goes through m

qsd-dan's profile picture
Good question, not sure about that one but your guess is probably accurate.

Post# 1175931 , Reply# 59   3/25/2023 at 04:22 (370 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

Again, I think I would be very happy with a 2.5 gal shower head and there's no doubt that it would help me save a lot of water.

The problem.here is that CA went much beyond that, my shower head had a ridiculous flow, I mean, it wasn't enough to have water coming out from all holes.

I didnt even waste my time trying to look for a 2.5 gal shower head because they cannot be shipped to CA because they don't meet the state standards.

As a result, flow restrictor is long gone and for over 1 year I shower with a shower head that looks like a fire hose.

But don't worry, even taking several showers per day, my showers are usually very quick and most of the times I use that pulse massage setting that has only 9 tiny holes (but a wonderful pressure, exactly to save water.


Post# 1176030 , Reply# 60   3/25/2023 at 14:44 (369 days old) by mb1974 (pa)        

I got the Commando 450 ... just like Kramer on Seinfeld.

Post# 1176200 , Reply# 61   3/26/2023 at 22:59 (368 days old) by weed30 (St. Louis, MO)        

I picked up a vintage Speakman showerhead, probably from the 50s. The first shower I took after I installed it was like the heavens opened and the universe sang! After decades of restricted flow...this thing is UNBELIEVABLE! I have zero guilt...I take short showers every other day, quit watering my lawn 3 years ago, and I'm otherwise conscious of any water I use in the house. I've attached photos - it weighs several pounds and has an adjustable stream. (I know it needs cleaning - going to do a vinegar soak soon.) Showers are really a pleasure again!

  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 2         View Full Size
Post# 1176203 , Reply# 62   3/26/2023 at 23:48 (368 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

I have a similar Speakman showerhead.The so called water saver heads used to have a plastic insert you could take out.Then they went to where you could not take the restrictor out.---Solution used the workplace drill press to drill it out-now a shower worth taking!

Post# 1176217 , Reply# 63   3/27/2023 at 02:02 (368 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)        

maytag85's profile picture
“We are running out of fresh water”

Huh, doesn’t seem to be a shortage of water after getting nearly 30 trillion gallons of water dumped onto California, there’s even more rain on the way towards the end of the week. Definitely know when the ground is soaked from rain since the septic system is getting full and not because it hasn’t been pumped out or because the leach lines are clogged, it’s because the ground can only absorb so much water before it can’t anymore. Had this happen in January of 2017 since it rained quite a bit around that time as well.



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