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bennelson · 07-31-09, 07:57 PM

I have still had a few concerns about filtering on my system.

Yes, a toilet is designed to have big things go down the drain, but the pump and the toilet water valve aren't.

The last load of laundry had some chunks of zucchini skin come out in the "lint sock". We have been using cloth napkins, and it turns out my wife was using one to squeeze the extra water out of shredded zucchini for a recipe. (Chocolate Zucchini Bread - it was great!!!)

Anyways, I would rather not have little bits of organic matter like that to go through my pump.

A while back, somebody mentioned "sand filters". I looked up some basic information and found out that they are used on swimming pools and are rather expensive. However, a home-made version is pretty straight-forward.

I grabbed a 5 gallon bucket and drilled a number of small holes in the bottom of it.

Then, I went down the street to the local landscaping supply. (The same place that I used their scale to weigh my Electric Geo Metro)

They carry rock, sand, etc, which I would need for my project.

As I walked in the door, the owner immediately recognized me and correctly guessed that I needed materials for some sort of "eco-project".

Yep! I explained my greywater system concept and that I needed supplies to build a sand filter - stones, medium gravel, small gravel, and sand.

He walked me to the back room, where he snipped off a piece of felt-like landscaping fabric. He then showed me where in the yard the cheap stone, pebbles, and sand were in the yard.

When I asked how much for materials, he said something like, "No charge, just let me know how it turns out. It's always interesting to hear about your projects."

I'm sure he read about my electric car speeding ticket....

I filled the 5-gallon bucket with a layer of big stones, small stones, big pebbles, small pebbles, and a top layer of sand.

I then stuck the flat piece of fabric as best I could into the cylindrical bucket.

I played around with the garden hose a bit, to see how fast water would drain from the bucket. I figure my washer probably drains roughly the same speed as the garden hose feeds. The bucket did seem to empty fast enough.

I brought the sand filter bucket inside.
Hmmm... Not sure of the best way mount the bucket in place. Oh well, it's still experimental anyways. I grabbed a chunk of scrap aluminum and set it over the top of my greywater storage drum. The 5-gallon bucket has a nice lip all the way around. That lip set on the edge of the storage drum and the aluminum cross bar. Good enough for now, but I will have to do something nicer later.

I ran my first load of laundry, and the filter seems to be working the way it should be.

I will let you know more if anything else happens.

07-31-09, 07:57 PM	#42
bennelson Home-Wrecker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 546 Thanks: 3 Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts	UPGRADE: Added Home-brew Sand Filter System I have still had a few concerns about filtering on my system. Yes, a toilet is designed to have big things go down the drain, but the pump and the toilet water valve aren't. The last load of laundry had some chunks of zucchini skin come out in the "lint sock". We have been using cloth napkins, and it turns out my wife was using one to squeeze the extra water out of shredded zucchini for a recipe. (Chocolate Zucchini Bread - it was great!!!) Anyways, I would rather not have little bits of organic matter like that to go through my pump. A while back, somebody mentioned "sand filters". I looked up some basic information and found out that they are used on swimming pools and are rather expensive. However, a home-made version is pretty straight-forward. I grabbed a 5 gallon bucket and drilled a number of small holes in the bottom of it. Then, I went down the street to the local landscaping supply. (The same place that I used their scale to weigh my Electric Geo Metro) They carry rock, sand, etc, which I would need for my project. As I walked in the door, the owner immediately recognized me and correctly guessed that I needed materials for some sort of "eco-project". Yep! I explained my greywater system concept and that I needed supplies to build a sand filter - stones, medium gravel, small gravel, and sand. He walked me to the back room, where he snipped off a piece of felt-like landscaping fabric. He then showed me where in the yard the cheap stone, pebbles, and sand were in the yard. When I asked how much for materials, he said something like, "No charge, just let me know how it turns out. It's always interesting to hear about your projects." I'm sure he read about my electric car speeding ticket.... I filled the 5-gallon bucket with a layer of big stones, small stones, big pebbles, small pebbles, and a top layer of sand. I then stuck the flat piece of fabric as best I could into the cylindrical bucket. I played around with the garden hose a bit, to see how fast water would drain from the bucket. I figure my washer probably drains roughly the same speed as the garden hose feeds. The bucket did seem to empty fast enough. I brought the sand filter bucket inside. Hmmm... Not sure of the best way mount the bucket in place. Oh well, it's still experimental anyways. I grabbed a chunk of scrap aluminum and set it over the top of my greywater storage drum. The 5-gallon bucket has a nice lip all the way around. That lip set on the edge of the storage drum and the aluminum cross bar. Good enough for now, but I will have to do something nicer later. I ran my first load of laundry, and the filter seems to be working the way it should be. I will let you know more if anything else happens. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.