Gray water

[Chuckca]

Need some ideas for managing GW.....has anyone here built a GW system or can show/explain the concept?

I'm looking into building the  20/30 w/one bath room and using a Sun-Mar composting toilet system model (TBD)...use the sink and shower water for the garden and plants.  Seems so logical....why spend thousands for a septic system - when 2/3 of the gray H20 will go to waste....any help is appreciated!

Thanks

[Daddymem]

A little more explanation on what you are looking for?  Do you mean to recycle the greywater or do you mean disposal of greywater separate from blackwater disposal.
I've worked on a design to recycle greywater for a hotel in Bermuda.  I've also researched greywater/blackwater septic systems for single family homes.  I'll provide as much information as I can.

[Kevin]

The one i know of is you run a separate drain to a dry well. I have never done one but I have read over time you will have to clean it.
here is a liunk to get you started
http://www.graywater.net/
Kevin

[Amanda_931]

[glb]It all depends[/glb]

on how you define graywater.

I do know (at least on the internet) people who have traded their store-boughten composting toilet for either a mouldering or a sawdust toilet.  Since they may be half the price of a septic tank....

I believe that water going down the kitchen sink is not gray water[/b.  Just washing machine and shower/tub/bathroom sink.  Gray water cannot be kept for long (from experience, it turns into black water, really nasty and evil smelling).  So you may need a septic tank anyway, to do something with your washing machinewater when it's really too wet, and/or to run the (greasy) kitchen sink water into.

Our area would require at minimum a serious look by an engineer (one who knew what she was doing, I'd hope) before the local electric utility would allow you to go on-grid without a septic tank.  

The Earthship^tm people do tout a 100 per cent waste system.  But then they are usually off grid.  Toby Hemenway in Gaia's Garden talks about a double pond system in a non-freezing part of the country.  Highly recommended book, by the way, permaculture with a lot of water management ideas.

Art Ludwig is kind of God on irrigation with gray water.  Here's his site with the Arizona Gray Water code.

http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/law/arizona/

And yep, that other link was also to Art Ludwig.

I want to ease my way into this, which means a septic tank, even if I rarely use it.

[Amanda_931]

 [glb]I lied[/glb].

At least in Arizona, they are starting to allow kitchen sink waste, with various conditions.  Arizona apparently has the good gray water law.

AZ DEQ is planning to revise the rules in 2003. They are considering allowing kitchen sink water if a grease trap is used, and kitchen sink water is applied subsurface. This would solve the composting toilet issue, as kitchen sink water wouldn't be left out in its own, awkward third system.

also from an Art Ludwig site.  This one, this time:

http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/law/index.htm

[spinnm]

Hey Chuck

Don't know where you're talking about...but...some states have a separate grey-water code.  You need to talk to the plan/check...code/enforcement people in your area.  They're way different depending upon state.

[glenn-k]

They have learned to make it very expensive in California - used to be allowed here but apparently they figured out a way to wring a few more bucks out of us (that care to ask).