Hand washing in cold weather

[ku4zs]

Ok, my mind has been brainstorming how to do this. I know of some other members that have installed a hot and cold water outside faucet so that they can do this. Those of us who cannot do something like this, I think I have something that may help. I have not tested it yet, but I think I will run to Lowe's to get the piece I need to test this.

Here is my idea. Most people only have a cold water outside faucet. Well, what if you turned on your bathtub's hot and cold water knobs and then plugged up the outlet so that nothing gets out. I think the easiest way to do this is to put a plug on your shower head. Just unscrew the shower head, plug it up (with a screw on plug, dont just shove stuff in there), then turn on the bathtub. If you have a plastic shower head attachment, this is easily done without tools, just hand screw it. Now, with both hot and cold water on, but it cant go anywhere, you have effectively tied your hot and cold water pipes together.

Now, when you turn on your outside faucet, assuming it is located close to the bathtub's water attachment (too far away and I doubt this will work), then you should have some backflow from the hot side back to the cold side and out the faucet. How much backflow? that depends. I doubt there will be much, being you have a hot water heater, and the bathtub's piping in the way. Just like electricity, water will take the path of least resistance most of the time, but I imagine there will be maybe 20% flow from the other direction. With your hot water heater all the way up to temperature, I think this will mean quite a difference in temperature coming out the faucet.

Who thinks this may work?

[Skip]

Originally Posted by ku4zs

Ok, my mind has been brainstorming how to do this. I know of some other members that have installed a hot and cold water outside faucet so that they can do this. Those of us who cannot do something like this, I think I have something that may help. I have not tested it yet, but I think I will run to Lowe's to get the piece I need to test this.

Here is my idea. Most people only have a cold water outside faucet. Well, what if you turned on your bathtub's hot and cold water knobs and then plugged up the outlet so that nothing gets out. I think the easiest way to do this is to put a plug on your shower head. Just unscrew the shower head, plug it up (with a screw on plug, dont just shove stuff in there), then turn on the bathtub. If you have a plastic shower head attachment, this is easily done without tools, just hand screw it. Now, with both hot and cold water on, but it cant go anywhere, you have effectively tied your hot and cold water pipes together.

Now, when you turn on your outside faucet, assuming it is located close to the bathtub's water attachment (too far away and I doubt this will work), then you should have some backflow from the hot side back to the cold side and out the faucet. How much backflow? that depends. I doubt there will be much, being you have a hot water heater, and the bathtub's piping in the way. Just like electricity, water will take the path of least resistance most of the time, but I imagine there will be maybe 20% flow from the other direction. With your hot water heater all the way up to temperature, I think this will mean quite a difference in temperature coming out the faucet.

Who thinks this may work?

What in the name of all is good have you been smoking or injested?...Step away from the keyboard before you hurt yourself....Skip....

[marlboromike]

Originally Posted by Skip

What in the name of all is good have you been smoking or injested?...Step away from the keyboard before you hurt yourself....Skip....

those grits have gone to your brain and I am not talking about your brain on top of your shoulders...next thing he will be telling us...use hot water when washing your car when the weather is under 32.

[spunkie]

Winston washes all four of our cars in cold water and cold weather. Doesn't bother me!!

Shirley

[Skip]

Originally Posted by marlboromike

those grits have gone to your brain and I am not talking about your brain on top of your shoulders...next thing he will be telling us...use hot water when washing your car when the weather is under 32.

When your car is covered in ice it does not grt dirty. Just the ice gets dirty...Skip...

[ceeker]

Actually I have seen this happen!

I'm in building maintenance and we have had this happen before.

A mop sink had a double faucets and the tied together to fit a hose to fill mop buckets. If someone left the taps on the hot water was tied into the cold, so since hot water runs at a higher pressure, the hot water would after a few hours be coming out of both taps.

I know some of you may not believe this, but I have seen this happen more than once. A tap was left on over night and we have a 6 story office building with 14 restrooms. All the taps had hot water coming out of all the taps.

Granted we have a hot water boiler with a circulating pump, but would this work in a home environment?... Plausable...

You must connect the two taps together so the hot will run into the cold side, the explanation above does seam a bit odd though. All you would need to do is connect one set of taps together, hot and cold, then turn them on!

[jayman]

What does one do about chapped hands?......boy, do i dislike chapped hands

[marlboromike]

Originally Posted by jayman

What does one do about chapped hands?......boy, do i dislike chapped hands

Jay...i have an answer u may actually like..

[jayman]

Originally Posted by marlboromike

Jay...i have an answer u may actually like..

[marlboromike]

But Teresa may not..

[jayman]

Originally Posted by marlboromike

But Teresa may not..

.............thanks MM

[marlboromike]

then maybe she would...

[LostKnight]

The idea of blocking off the water flow might work. But this would work just about as well...

[LostKnight]

Ok now that I've given you the smart @ss answer...

Why not just unscrew the hot water hose off your washing machine and screw a garden hose onto it. Then you've got a straight connection to all the hot water you can handle.


P.S.

Skip, this does not mean to try and attach a garden hose to the lil lady....

[jayman]

Originally Posted by LostKnight

The idea of blocking off the water flow might work. But this would work just about as well...

....or this might work

[Skip]

Originally Posted by LostKnight

Ok now that I've given you the smart @ss answer...

Why not just unscrew the hot water hose off your washing machine and screw a garden hose onto it. Then you've got a straight connection to all the hot water you can handle.


P.S.

Skip, this does not mean to try and attach a garden hose to the lil lady....

Skip tant married and I don't do wash to well. I can start a fire outside under the wash bin but it is kinda cold an all. An iffen I see that much hot water the girls think I am gonna give them a bath an they run like wildfire ta gets away. An then I sees that much water an tha kids say dad take a bath you smelly ol man. An I don' t wanna take off tha protective layer of grease an sweat I dun built up since December 25th when I had my last bath....Skip...Them that don't know when I say girls, well here is a picture of them below...

[LostKnight]

I twernt sure iffen you had a missus er not but best figgered I'd better tell ya's, just in case there wuza one.

[LostKnight]

Originally Posted by jayman

....or this might work

Salt water... no good for washing the car with.

[Grandpa]

I know this isn't a solution for you, but, when I built my house, which has a garage in the basement, I put in a mud sink and had a drain installed in the floor. On days when it is cold but above freezing, I run a hose from the mud sink outside and wash my car with hot water. If it is freezing, I wash it in the garage. Soo good!

[Bogie]

I often wash with ambient water temp, even in the 30s. However, I sometimes keep my soap buckets warm. Think about it. When you get the car wet before wash, and rinse afterwards you aren't really touching the water...so what's to care? Just keep the wash buckets warm (fill up inside), and most of the washing is nice and warm to touch.

I would advise against washing below freezing even with hot water unless it's carefully applied and dried. This also applies to above freezing washes when the dry period extends below freezing. There are all sorts of nooks and crannies where water can pool and freeze, regardless of how warm or hot it may have been when applied.