How do I create a greywater system?

Question

do I need a plumber?

Answer 1

My state encourages gray water systems.

The thing is, by the time the money and effort is spent to satisfy regulations, it's not really worth it, just to save a little on watering.

Basically, you'll be putting in a miniature septic drainage system with little leach lines to water the yard underground. The law forbids open standing gray water, including washer waste.

Answer 2

Disregarding the legal aspect, I ran piping from near the clothes washer drain hole in the wall to the outside. At a point low enough in elevation to permit drainage, I have a barrel with a sump pump. A wye permits connection of two hoses to the pump discharge. One connects to a pipe which runs under the house to a hose outlet in the back. The other connects to a hose in the front.

My bathroom is a long way from the water heater, so I keep a bucket to catch water while hot water is getting to the shower. This water goes in the clothes washer, but could go into the barrel.

I think water from kitchen or other sinks would have too much stuff in it to use for irrigation.

Answer 3

I'm not a plumber but wonder; are you speaking of a recycled/ non potable water system such as is used strictly for irrigation, etc?

I'll assume you'd need a cistern/capture tank, and at least a pump and plumbing. You might also check with local code enforcement or zoning. I suspect you might have more issues than just reclaiming the water, if any of it happens to be sewage related.

If this is what you are talking about, many cities have GREEN lines, deicated strictly for the purpose, but they alos involve treatment plants.

Steven Wolf

Answer 4

There's considerable information at:
http://www.graywater.net/

It also includes a number of external links that might be helpful.

Also, the state of California has a greywater guidebook at:
http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/docs/graywater_guide_book.pdf

Hope this is useful!

--Bill Pardue
Arlington Heights Memorial Library http://www.ahml.info
Librarians--Ask Us, We Answer!
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Answer 5

Depends on how thorough a system you wish to create, and your own plumbing skills...

Back in the 1970's during water rationing during a California Drought, my Dad and I build a QUICK, simple, and effective grey-water system:

We took a standard plastic garbage can, hooked the output from our clothes-washer over the lip, dropped in a simple submersible pump, and ran the hose for THAT out the garage onto our lawn !!

We LATER improved it by: putting the sump-pump on a timer and hard-plumbing the output from the sump-pump to a hose-bib outside for the sprinkler.

My Little brother has a 25 acre goat/ horse ranch, and two summers ago, WE took all sink, shower, and washer outputs, replumbed THEM to a LARGE buried cistern for irrigation and fire-supression.

He lives in the Sierra Foothills, and the Summer months are HIGH fire-danger. His system saves him $75 each month on his Homeowner's Insurance... so it will have paid for itself next year. That doesn't take into account the money he saves on veggies and the well-water he doesn't have to use for irrigation.

Answer 6

usually gray water is easy to purify and could be used on toilets or watering a garden, you need to separate plumbing to not be disposed on general black water pipe, so you will need plumber, ask him for efficient purifying/filtering system, and direct purified water to your purpose destination.
cheers

Answer 7

the web content given till now ought to help you. I purely opt to show that it can be a sturdy concept to reuse bathtub water any time you are able to. instead of draining the bathtub, dip it out, use to water plant life, grass, etc.. This somewhat facilitates to guard and this is not suitable regardless of if this is slightly grimy out of your bathtub it nevertheless is powerful for plant life, etc...