3 questions for how to move gray water for plants?
disclaimer: concrete slab house.
1)is there an easier way to use left over bath water than filling up and carrying gallon jugs of water? we have a bath only about 15 -25 feet from several plants in our front yard. is there a way to use a hose or something similar to accomplish this that won't leave evidence outside when not in use? we have an hoa so anything in the front has to be very discreet. my kids and i have been carrying them out with 1 gallon jugs. it works but makes a mess. 2) also, any good ideas for setting up a more permanent system without the discreet restrictions for kitchen sink that is next to an exterior wall to the backyard? 3) washing machine is upstairs and is high efficiency. is it even worth trying to set up a system for collecting that gray water? |
Is the bath at a higher elevation than the plants?
If so, all you need a length of tubing/hose that stretches all the way to the plants to siphon the water out of the tub. If you aren't tolerant of dripping tubing in your house you might also want a siphon pump. |
my 3 year old front load HE washing machine uses about 52 liters per load. If that is enough to be worth collecting is up to you.
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the tub may be 6 inches above the plants...so if a hose is sufficient and it is easier with the source at a higher elevation then i may be able to use the gray water from upstairs after all. |
Pretty nice information shraed here! I was searching for ti when came across to your post.
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An inexpensive submersible water garden pump for the tub might be a viable possibility. If you have room in your laundry a collection tank between the wash machine and the drain will make collection easier. Slightly elevated with a hose connection at the bottom will make draining easier or just use the same submersible pump and hose.
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Wouldn't you need to remove the residual soap from the water before you use it? Soap will kill plants won't it?
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we actually got rain here two days ago so i haven't had to water much again yet. |
Regarding grey water recycling, I have been doing it to a certain degree for thirty-five years.
My washing machine is in the basement, and there is no sewage line down there. I tried a large number of different kinds of pumps and finally settled on a pedestal pump... it was about the same price as a submersible pump but has an extraordinarily long life, counted in decades. I initially set up the pedestal pump (it came with a built-in level switch), and put it in the wash tub. When the washing machine ran through it's cycle, it pumped into the wash tub, and the pedestal pump then pumped the water through a hose and very discretely out into the back yard. I do reposition the end of the hose from time to time. I was warned that all that laundry detergent would totally destroy the flora of the back yard. Thirty-five years later and it hasn't happened yet... Everything is thriving. I do have a Euro-sized front-loader which is very thrifty on water and detergent, and I use the very minimum amount of detergent required, so I suppose all that has helped. My one warning regarding grey water use is to set up your system so that the water is used right away, and not allowed to stand in any kind of tank for long. Grey water contains some kind of crud, or else it wouldn't be grey water, and if it sits it can get funky, and possibly dangerous. The ground knows what to do with grey water, let the ground have it ASAP. Where I live, we get occational freezes, so I need to postpone laundry cycles til after the freeze... no problem. Best Regards, -AC_Hacker |
My tub, shower and laundry empty into a separate system from the black water septic. I have never had a problem with the water from the gray water system doing anything but making the plants grow. There is some lint that emanates from the washing machine. When I captured the wash water in a tank previously, I used a filter of pantyhose to capture the lint, mostly to keep it out of the pump. Fortunately my collection tank is out of doors and underground, because it will sour if you leave it stand indoors. If you do plan to store the gray water it's easy to make a chlorination device out of a plastic pipe "T" and some swimming pool chlorine tablets. I also like the pedestal pumps.
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I have also had quite some time to experience the effect of standing graywater and I would have to say that in my experience, 'putrefy' comes much closer to describing the situation than 'sour'. I do concede that vmike may have storage conditions, weather conditions, or a graywater mix that is tolerant of storage... not the case for me. Regards, -AC_Hacker |
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Based on examples in this book I have built two simple branched drains in the front yard that direct rainwater from gutters to mulched basins that water multiple plantings. I will be adding grey water from our washing machine to one of the branched drains this summer. FWIW, Tim |
You might keep an eye out for a small fountain pump, or a shurflo rv water pump or marine bilge pump. you could run a small diameter clear tube from the pump to the garden a small tube will not take up much space when not in use. Soap will not affect most plants, and may help keep aphids at bay. Where we place our grey water the grass is much healthier than the other areas.
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Harbor freight has a ton of pumps.
harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=pump I'd need guidance as to which one is best but the prices on most seem very reasonable. I would have to run it out my shower window right into the yard. I cant seem to think of a way to use my washing machine water, mine is deep inside my house in a laundry room. I too am in the desert so this appeals to me on a deep environmental level, |
A friend of mine has a plastic barrel sitting on a milk crate that the washing machine drains into. She has a valve near the bottom of the barrel to drain the water into buckets to carry the water to her garden.
This site doesn't allow me to attach a photo or I'd show it to you, it's pretty simple. She simply puts the barrel away out of sight when she's not doing laundry. mike |
You should now have enough posts to attach pictures Mike.
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