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bennelson · 07-28-09, 06:21 PM

I am now going away from using the waterbed mattress.

The mattress is out of the way, but that means that it is harder to pay attention to, so I can make sure everything is working right.

Also, filtering, draining, etc are harder with the waterbed.

What I really need is just more space next to the washer. My wife suggested that we really don't use our washtub at all. BRILLIANT! Removing the utility tub next to the washer frees up another two feet of space that could be dedicated to a greywater holding tank or filter system.

Removed utility tub temporarily moved to back porch.

I took out the tub, and now had space for a big plastic drum. I am not sure what size the drum is - I think it is about 40 gallons. By using both the garbage can AND drum, I should be able to do two or three loads of laundry at once.

Also, with the utility tub removed, that frees up both a hot and cold water source AND a drain.

I should be able to design an "overflow" so that if the greywater tank is full, any extra laundry water will simply go down this drain instead.

Also, I could use the cold water supply for a "makeup water" supply.
For example, I could design something similar to a toilet float system that sits on the bottom of the tank. If all the water in the tank gets used up (party at our house - too many guests peeing!) cold water will be automatically added to a certain minimal level.

At this point the plan is to get some sort of a larger container that will maximize water storage in the available space. I also plan to add some sort of filtering as well, although just a plain "lint sock" seems to be working OK so far.

07-28-09, 06:21 PM	#39
bennelson Home-Wrecker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 546 Thanks: 3 Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts	I am now going away from using the waterbed mattress. The mattress is out of the way, but that means that it is harder to pay attention to, so I can make sure everything is working right. Also, filtering, draining, etc are harder with the waterbed. What I really need is just more space next to the washer. My wife suggested that we really don't use our washtub at all. BRILLIANT! Removing the utility tub next to the washer frees up another two feet of space that could be dedicated to a greywater holding tank or filter system. Removed utility tub temporarily moved to back porch. I took out the tub, and now had space for a big plastic drum. I am not sure what size the drum is - I think it is about 40 gallons. By using both the garbage can AND drum, I should be able to do two or three loads of laundry at once. Also, with the utility tub removed, that frees up both a hot and cold water source AND a drain. I should be able to design an "overflow" so that if the greywater tank is full, any extra laundry water will simply go down this drain instead. Also, I could use the cold water supply for a "makeup water" supply. For example, I could design something similar to a toilet float system that sits on the bottom of the tank. If all the water in the tank gets used up (party at our house - too many guests peeing!) cold water will be automatically added to a certain minimal level. At this point the plan is to get some sort of a larger container that will maximize water storage in the available space. I also plan to add some sort of filtering as well, although just a plain "lint sock" seems to be working OK so far. __________________ 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.