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Greywater recycling projects

Pedal powered washer made from a 55 gallon drum

Site location: 
Oakland, CA

This was built in 2 days from scrap material. Put your clothes and some soap (garden-friendly, like Oasis) in, fill it up with water, let it soak for half an hour, then agitate. It lives outside, so when you're through, the water drains out a hose in the bottom, ready for convenient watering.

Submitted by laura on August 29, 2009 - 9:25pm
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Pedal powered washer from an old wringer washer

Site location: 
San Diego, CA

 

This pedal power power washer was made by connecting a belt to a stationary bicycle to the drive shaft of an old wringer type water.

Submitted by laura on August 29, 2009 - 9:32pm
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Laundry drum

Site location: 
Oakland, CA

The hose from the washing machine is placed out an open window into a surge tank. A garden hose is attached to the bottom of the tank and is moved around the yard to irrigate.

Submitted by laura on September 5, 2009 - 10:54pm
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Kitchen sink system- branched drain

3-way valve3-way valveThe water from the kitchen sink is diverted with a 3-way valve, and then sent out to the landscape. The flow is divided using flow splitters and irrigates fruiting shrubs.

Submitted by laura on September 6, 2009 - 8:16pm
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Branched drain system from a shower

Site location: 
Richmond, CA

Greywatered yardGreywatered yardThe water from a shower goes outside to two separate irrigation zones. An electronic switch controls the 3-way valve under the house. Greywater irrigates six young fruit trees in the front yard.

Submitted by laura on September 6, 2009 - 9:33pm
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Laundry to landscape- raised beds

Irrigating a veggie bedIrrigating a veggie bedThis duplex uses the laundry water from each washing machine to irrigate the back yard. Two raised beds receive greywater growing crops with the edible portion above the ground.

Submitted by laura on September 6, 2009 - 10:18pm
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Branched drain with exposed pipes

Site location: 
Oakland, CA

labled 3-waylabled 3-wayThe pipes from the shower were exposed in an unfinished wall. A 3-way diverter valve is installed and takes greywater outside, to irrigate fruit trees and vines.

Submitted by laura on September 9, 2009 - 2:18pm
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Laundry to landscape

Labeled 3-way valveLabeled 3-way valveIt's easy to follow the guidelines required for a no-permit system from the new California plumbing code. The system needs to have a way to switch back to the sewer/septic, not have any pooling of greywater, be discharged under 2 inches of mulch, and a few more basic guidelines.

Submitted by laura on September 12, 2009 - 9:47pm
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Woodchip biofilter for kitchen sink wetlands

Assembling a woodchip biofilter to trap grease and food particles.Assembling a woodchip biofilter to trap grease and food particles.Greywater from the kitchen sink contains grease and food particles, which can cause clogging and slow infiltration into the soil. After years of sometimes foul-smelling experimentation, greywater pioneers have concluded that the best way to trap grease and food particles and create habitat for decomposers is with woodchips in a mulch basin.

Submitted by Anonymous on September 12, 2009 - 10:33pm
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Systems for cold climates including wetlands

Year-round greywater reuse in cold climates can be a challenge. What to do with all that water when the garden's under snow? Will greywater freeze in the pipes? Many greywater users divert greywater to a sewer or septic system during the cold season, but it's possible to ecologically dispose of greywater even in the dead of winter.

Submitted by Cleo on September 13, 2009 - 6:32pm
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