flushing toilet in the middle of the night

I do flush in the night. As do my neighbours as I hear them. I also hear their washing machine turning on a 6 am each morning. That's what happens if you live in a flat and I can't say it really bothers me.

The plumbing systems in houses certainly need a re-think, don't they!
OH bugs me, because he insists on washing his hands under the hot tap, but as he doesn't wait for the hot water to come through, all he's doing is running up our energy bill by heating water that is just going to sit in the pipe and go cold again. I don't get why he doesn't just use the cold tap instead. He's the first to complain when the energy bills are higher than he would like.

That's another silly thing MamaCaz, since I 'upgraded' from tanks and back boiler to condensing one, the water takes ages to come through hot - and there's none stored if the mains leak and go off!

When we run water for a shower or washing-up, nearly a bucketful of cold water has to be run off before the hot comes through. We catch that in a bucket to use for toilet flushing.

Having read this thread I left the bath water this morning and later used a jug to flush the loo. Somehow I missed the loo and poured half of it on the bathroom floor! I did laugh at my clumsiness!

It seems absolutely ridiculous to me that we use drinking-quality water just to flush the loo.

Meanwhile, hundreds of gallons of, perfectly suitable, roof rainwater rush by, close to the bathroom, straight down to the drain! Water harvesting's on my wish list for my next place!

Alishka, we did that light thing at night in HK but it was cockroach’s not rats.
I do remember the amah coming in one day screaming that there was a mouse as big as a cat in the kitchen - and we were on the third floor.

Back to the water. Dad unscrewed the waste on the bathroom sinks to catch the water we used when washing. This we used to flush when we had to.
The bath was full of water to use throughout the 4 days.

When the drought hit the U.K. in the 70’s I couldn’t see what the fuss was about?

Mumofmadboys, that is good to use 'grey water' from baths for flushing the loo.

It won't be long before houses and blocks of flats are built with 'grey water' storage and re-use mechanism. Bath and washing machine water for re-use.

MOnica,I'm loving this glimpse into your previous life - thank you.
Late 60's (i think) I was sharing a flat just off the Via Veneto in Rome. Night time, if you wanted the loo,it was advisable to put on the light, count to five, then enter. Gave the rats time to scuttle back into the shadows, wasn't it?

When I am feeling conscientious I leave bath water in the bath and use it to flush the loo with a jug.

Pamela I can remember water shortages in Hong Kong when I was a child in the mid 1950s. And in rural Malaya. Staying at a rural government guest house, there was a large alibaba container in the bathroom filled with water and a panikin. that you filled and poured down the loo to flush it, into the wash basin to wash and over yourself to shower. As a child we thought this was the best thing ever. The Alibaba container was refilled once a day, I cannot remember whether from a hose or a water bowser.

the mad dash to the loo before visitors always happened in middle class houses. Never come across this habit anywhere with anyone, regardless of social status.

Some of you sound like those 19th century ladies so refined that even the admission that they had normal bodily functions would make them feel faint and reaching for the smelling salts.

I do aleshka. Which is probably why I don’t think it’s a huge deal flushing at night

Doesn't anyone else have the option of half vs full flush ?

Hands up...am guilty of not thinking about water consumption. Drives me mad when the grand kids don't flush! If my hubby left his pee for me to find in morning I would be furious! Always flush...always have done and probably always will. (not that I have ever thought about it...until...today bahaha)

I can't believe people are so sensitive to leaving a bit of urine unflushed in a loo. One person's urine is much like another's. It makes such sense for conservation of water.

Agree about BBbevens post.
A while ago on GN, someone asked if people did a wee whilst in the shower, I thought that was awful as well, it had never occurred to me that anyone did that. I must be very naive.

Some people on this thread seem to have no experience of having to make do with primitive facilities.

When the economy collapses due to unaddressed climate change everybody will have to adapt to primitive toilets with no water carriage system.

Think about it: the absurdity of using drinkable water to carry away waste matter.

Just re-read BBbevens thread!

Why?

BBbevan urgh, hope no-one your friend is visiting drops their toothbrush in the sink in the morning, if I found someone visiting me was doing that they'd be banned from staying over ever again, we always flush whether day or night but our toilet is quiet when filling up

I know that a few other people on GN experienced this difficult time, never forgot it and are still saving water to the nth degree.
Even though there seems to be a lot of it about at the moment???

Water every 4 days for 4 hours.
Who cared about flushing the loo?

No, it wasn't the way I was brought up, but we were encouraged to do this when there were periods of water shortage. perhaps some people on this thread are too young to remember the summer of 1976

I would never do it during the day. At night, as we do not turn the light on when we go to the loo, nobody sees it. First one up flushes the loo.

I find it odd that so many express such distaste at the sight of the results of their perfectly ordinary and normal bodily function. If you have changed nappies why on earth should a loo containing the liquid waste products of family members cause such problems.

www.littlethings.com/reasons-not-to-flush/1

Going down to DD1 and family, and must say I am so glad the guest room has its own -ensuite and loo. At the last house, we shared a bathroom with grandchildren, and often had to get up for tinckle in the early hours and wouldn't flush as not to disturb- but it always bothered me.

Here in UK I wouldn't flush at night as we live in a flat and would not want to disturb neighbour below.

Baby wipes are bad for the environment.
They're one of the biggest problems