Which Resource To WASTE: Water or Electricity

[Nifty]

Okay, this is interesting... at least to me.

We put our water into a Brita filter in the fridge. Makes for clean / cool water.

Sometimes when it is really hot during the day our water pipes in our kitchen get pretty hot which makes the "cold" water hot (a whole nother story).

We usually fill up the filter when the piper are cool, but let's assume the water coming from the pipes is always hot for the first 3 gallons of water, then it cools down.

Would you:

1) Run the water down the drain to cool the water (thus wasting water)
or
2) Put the hot water in the filter in the fridge (thus wasting more electricity to cool the hot water)

???

Disclaimer: Ya, I know, there are lots of other options: Use the water for plants, let it cool down before putting it in the fridge, etc. This is purely a hypothetical question just to see what peeps would do if only given two choices.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Nifty, I would fill a bucket with that water, rather than let it go down the drain, and then I would water my plants with it.

ETA: OK, so I didn't read the disclaimer until I posted it. I tend to worry more about water than electricity. I think that is because I garden in a dry summer area. :/

 

[FarmerChick]

Okay, this is interesting... at least to me.

We put our water into a Brita filter in the fridge. Makes for clean / cool water.

Sometimes when it is really hot during the day our water pipes in our kitchen get pretty hot which makes the "cold" water hot (a whole nother story).

We usually fill up the filter when the piper are cool, but let's assume the water coming from the pipes is always hot for the first 3 gallons of water, then it cools down.

Would you:

1) Run the water down the drain to cool the water (thus wasting water)
or
2) Put the hot water in the filter in the fridge (thus wasting more electricity to cool the hot water)

???

Disclaimer: Ya, I know, there are lots of other options: Use the water for plants, let it cool down before putting it in the fridge, etc. This is purely a hypothetical question just to see what peeps would do if only given two choices.

LOL I had so many ideas til I read the disclaimer.

My option is #2

 

[Dace]

#2

We got water issues here, we don't let it waste!

 

[patandchickens]

Sorry but I can't buy into your artificial dichotomy I'd save the warm water for plants, or I'd use it to wash not-real-grubby dishes or hands, or something like that -- and I wouldn't run the water to get cool stuff for drinking until/unless I *was* going to use the first part of it for purposes like that.

There are NEVER only two choices

(e.t.a. - or put the hot water in the basement to cool before putting in the pitcher in the fridge, if you really want to make a game out of 'defining out' any other uses for it)


Pat

 

[sylvie]

#2

Edited to remove pipe joke and reasoning for answer. I missed the poll only format.

 

[freemotion]

You can always use the warm water to flush, and if you have room in the fridge, you can use the Brita to fill a couple of jars or pitchers so you won't have to fill it more than once a day. If you fill all the containers just after doing something else with the water, such as dishes, the problem is not a problem.

 

[xpc]

I always purge the first second or so of water from the sink basin plumbing because of wee beasties, but think water conservation out weights the very tiny amount of coal needed to cool a small pitcher of water in the refrigerator.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I wouldn't refrigerate the water at all,..I would use ice. I would purge the pipes and run over ice and enjoy!

 

[Blackbird]

I agree with Pat wholeheartedly... I simpy do not understand the reasoning, based on your example. Two options are limited to those who lack creativity.