plumbing question

Started by Homegrown Tomatoes, July 25, 2008, 12:49:24 PM

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Homegrown Tomatoes

July 25, 2008, 12:49:24 PM
Is there any reason you couldn't use greywater as the water supply to the toilet?  It seems silly to use clean water to flush a toilet.

muldoon

#1
July 25, 2008, 02:28:11 PM
Where would you store the greywater prior to using it though?  If you do store it in a tank or cistern then dont you have to worry about the pathogens in the water breeding up before being used?  Or even the trace amounts of grease and detergents clogging it up.  Seems microbes in grey water could make for some smelly and maybe stained toilets.  If it were filtered perhaps it would be a good option. 

Call me a city folk, but I don't think its silly to use clean water in the tank or bowl.  At least no more silly than cleaning the thing. 

peternap

#2
July 25, 2008, 02:30:14 PM
Yes and No (Don't you love those positive answers)

Actually, it's a perfect use for greywater. There's only one problem. Greywater is contaminated with grease, fat, flecks of skin, etc. If allowed to sit, it becomes septic. It smells and can spread nasty stuff.
If you run it through a simple grease filter, either homemade or storebought, it's just the thing.

Take a look at this group. You'll get lots of ideas.
http://www.greywaterguerrillas.com/greywater.html
These here is God's finest scupturings! And there ain't no laws for the brave ones! And there ain't no asylums for the crazy ones! And there ain't no churches, except for this right here!

ScottA

#3
July 25, 2008, 02:40:41 PM
A better use for grey water would be to water the lawn or garden. I agree with what the others said. It could get nasty. Ewwww

glenn kangiser

#4
July 25, 2008, 10:14:45 PM
...and my wife thought it was nasty because I pulled a big fat tick off of the dog and threw it in the toilet and it was slowly crawling up the side of the bowl...

Ewww --- what if it gets to the top and attaches to my.....   oh well.   I guess you had to be there. [crz]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

MountainDon

#5
July 30, 2008, 01:34:09 AM
Areas that allow the use of graywater, like AZ, do not allow its storage for all the reasons listed above. Also kitchen sink water is generally considered "black" not gray.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Homegrown Tomatoes

#6
July 30, 2008, 10:23:22 AM
Wouldn't be possible to build some sort of solar/UV sterilizer?  Maybe just build an outhouse instead of messing with a fancy-schmancy grey water system?

muldoon

#7
July 30, 2008, 01:46:17 PM
HG, I picked up a book last year called "Cottage Water Systems: An Out-of-the-City Guide to Pumps, Plumbing, Water Purification, and Privies"  It's not too entirely detailed, but a great resource for water systems.  It includes wells, creeks, tanks, cisterns, purification, septics, outhouses, and a lot of good usable information for small water needs.  I got some of my ideas for rainwater collection and storage from it (although he doesn't really cover that exactly)

Amazon has it for the ridiculous price of 45 bucks because it's discontinued now.  but http://www.hometime.com/store/b_0169.htm seems more reasonable.  You might want to google around for it and read the reviews.  Your library might have it or be able to get it for you also. 

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