Green bathroom renovations, part 2
This is an excerpt from an article in Sanctuary magazine issue 7.
Baths
There’s no denying that bathtubs are a luxury in water-parched parts of Australia, but if you can afford to fill one there are ways you can reduce its impact.
Consider buying a salvaged or restored bath – these can be bought in mint condition if you’re lucky, and they’ll cost a fraction of the price of a new bath.
If you’re buying a new bathtub invest in a cast iron or pressed steel bath, which have long-lasting enamel coatings. Cheaper acrylic-fibreglass bathtubs scratch easily, lose their shine quicker and can crack over time. Acrylic baths retain heat better than iron or steel baths though, so if you are considering the latter, you should in line the outside of the bath with insulation.
You should also consider the size of the bath. Taking a standard-size bath can use at least 100 litres of water. Some of the freestanding deep-soaking models use over 200 litres per bath, which is very hard to justify when you’d use only 32 litres to wash yourself with a three-star rating shower head and a four-minute shower. Obviously the smaller the bath, the less water you’ll use. There are a number of prototype designs out there for baths that follow the contours of the body to minimise water consumption, but these have yet to be mass produced – keep an eye out.
If you’re renovating a bathroom do everything you can to keep your existing bath, as removing an existing bath can require an enormous amount of effort and expense. If you have an existing bathtub but it needs another lease on life, consider refinishing or resurfacing it instead of replacing it. Refinishing means the bath can be resurfaced in situ over two to three days, you can choose any colour you like, and the new surface should last as long as the original surface on the bath (ensure you get a warranty). If you go down this route it’s worth going with a professional resurfacer with good waste management and ventilation procedures. The coatings used during the process contain toxic isocyanates – you need to ensure the applicator wears appropriate breathing protection, that professional air evacuation systems are used (the built-in exhaust fan in the bathroom should not be used) and that the work area is appropriately sealed off from the rest of the house.
Taps & Basins
Like showerheads, taps are rated by WELS. Look for the highest ratings, five or six stars, which can reduce water use to as little as 1.5 litres a minute, depending on the application.
Steer away from one-lever basin mixers as they tend to be left in the middle position, adding hot water to the mix when it’s not necessary.
Reduce the water flow on existing taps by up to two thirds by installing an aerator or flow restrictor.
When you’re thinking about basins look for ones that are as shallow as possible, to reduce the temptation to fill it with water. Minosa makes a range of shallow basins such as their “puddle”, designed and made in Australia, and with up to 13 per cent recycled content.
