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Old 04-28-09, 01:24 AM   #27
Otto
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Excuse me, as I've not read the whole thread, so this may have already been discussed:

Why not use a branched-drain greywater system? Uses only a surge tank, perhaps a plastic garbage can, of ~40 gallons, to briefly detain the sudden discharge from the washing machine or bathtub. The greywater then goes out through ~1.5" tubes arranged with a downhill slope so there is no pooling anywhere along the line. Goes through a series of Y branches, dividing the flow at each, ultimately into plenums below grade, preferably at the bottom of a tree. Each plenum is made with an inverted plastic plant pot or bucket, such that the inlet is at least a few inches higher than the sand/gravel at the bottom, and no roots can reach up and block the inlet. This way, the greywater never pools or collects in a septic tank, which would give it time to go septic and become blackwater. The ~1.5" pvc pipe is too wide for blockage, and hair, etc. is filtered as it comes out of the washing machine or bathtub: Nylon stockings make a good filter. The plenums/inverted buckets are below grade to keep the flow away from kids and pets, going directly to tree roots, which then use it and disperse into the atmosphere via evapotranspiration.

Plants, btw, will dissipate such water ~1,000 times faster than simple evaporation. You would not want to use this to irrigate tomatoes, but fruit or other trees esp. willows would be fine.
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