Sanderson Media

Greywater system for under $300

Thursday, October 18, 2007

John Sanderson installs an extra strainer to stop human hair going through his pump.

It took years to realise the full perversity of my situation. Every day around three X 44 gallon drums of my precious went down the sewer, back to the people that sold it to me, free of charge.
It travelled back to a council that didn’t pay me one cent for this liquid gold. But today I have lush gardens for an outlay of close to $300. John Sanderson tells how:

Tapping into liquid gold greywater

It was a shock to find out that on the average day I donated around 600 litres of water back to my local council without getting reimbursed one cent for it.

My plumbing rebellion began a couple of months back when my gardens developed a brown hue. I sat sipping a glass of red wine, focusing on my water pipes and came up with the universal question: whose water is it anyway?

As my DIY greywater system took shape, the murky smelly stuff changed from grey to liquid gold and took on a pleasant odour.
Years of being bigheartedness to my local council could no longer be justified.

Within two weeks I’d inspected a friend’s greywater system and added some refinements.

Firstly, it is important to locate a point in your waste system that can be accessed easily, a point before the greywater and black water meet. In some ground-level constructions, this may prove problematic but don’t give up. I installed a plug in my ancient clay pipes and the greywater flows backwards, up to my decanting pipe and into my holding tank. It is called a testing plug and can be purchased from any good plumbing supplies shop. A butterfly nut means it can be tightened when inserted into a pipe.

The strainer system

I made some adjustments so that kitchen water and food scraps still go down the sewer and is not allowed to enter my greywater, leading to over-the-top smells and too much bacteria.
Ensure that you have at least a 25mm drop from where water leaves the house to the temporary storage inlet. A 50mm drop is even better as it will prevent the water backing up when dishwasher and washing machine are used at the same time that someone has a shower.

For temporary in-ground storage, I used a 200-litre PVC olive transporting barrel costing $66 at my local irrigation shop. It has a large screw on lid and is much safer when curious toddlers visit.
Then I used about $100 worth of 50 mm pipes and T-pieces to bypass the normal plumbing, sending the water underground to the olive barrel, via two strainers, one worth $20 for a rainwater tank and a $15 strainer made for a swimming pool (adapted for the job of straining out human hair etc).

The submersible pump cost about $170 from the irrigation shop and the irrigation system with connections and taps came to around $100. (I already had the irrigation system before I turned to greywater so I won’t add this onto the cost)

You can use a flexible to take your greywater through the brick wall and directly into the new pipes leading to the underground reservoir.

Having a lush garden during the worst drought is well worth the effort of cutting through your footpath etc.

This allows me to alternate the trickle irrigation between the front and back gardens. If you have a friend who is an electrician (to install the underground orange electrical conduit to the submersible pump, in exchange for two cartons of beer!) the cost won’t escalate.

A great source of water, the dishwasher is also hooked up using a flexible extension that hardware stores currently sell for about $15. The hose goes through the brick wall, is strapped to the waste pipe and is fixed into the sullage inspection hole with silicone.

We even collect the kitchen sink water in a rectangular 2 gallon basin the exact size of the sink and empty it into pot plants etc.
In this way, close on 95% of my greywater is recycled onto gardens and vegetables.

After a few weeks the drip nozzles clogged up with soap residue so I went around with a 1/8th drill and made new holes beside the nozzles. Those holes have not clogged up since. If a hole clogs up with soap deposits, then make a new one.

You might have to use a concrete cutter to get the pipes in place but it is well worth the end result.

Don’t feel bad about cutting into your concrete footpath because you will never regret it and the concrete can be repaired.

I have a third pipe that runs to two garden sprinklers and can green up my lawn any time I wish. The soap is biodegradable anyway. Our family cooperated by changing to friendly detergents and shampoos – and about time too.

I take seriously my responsibility not to allow greywater to come in contact with humans or leafy vegetables and this is not hard to maintain. All your microbiologist friends will be thrilled if you say something like that if the tank pumps out during a backyard barbecue.

You can use a flexible to take your greywater through the brick wall and directly into the new pipes leading to the underground reservoir.

Summary of the Greywater system

44 gallon olive barrel for storage $66
Submersible pump $170
Rainwater tank strainer $20 (it is a bit too fine and I will replace the strainer gauze with flywire)
Plastic pool strainer $15
Flexible hose to redirect dishwasher$15
Allow $80 to hire a concrete cutter if you have to cut into the footpath.
Allow two cartons of beer if you can dig a trench and an electrician friend can lay the orange conduit and electrical cable $60 for beer
$60 for conduit and cable
Total $406

An optional extra outlet can feed sprinklers that can be moved anywhere in the yard.

Ed’s note: Please remember to refer to the regulations for the reuse of greywater in your area.
Having a lush garden during the worst drought is well worth the effort.

(The following is an Expert opinion on reuse of greywater and effluent water)

(environmental scientist’s comment)

‘In Australia the promotion of water recycling is a battle for the minds of people affected by misinformation. The phobia of recycled water is curable. Today no one refuses heart surgery because this is safe technology. Similarly we need to be properly informed about the safe science of water recycling, particularly as weather extremes are increasing’ … Environmental scientist, Justin Holbrook

Environmental Scientist says councils reluctant to encourage DIY approach

Contrary to what many green-fingered householders think, their local council may not be comfortable with them installing a greywater recycling unit. Furthermore councils may be even less tolerant of inventive people who design their own water recycling systems.

Environmental scientist and water recycling campaigner, Justin Holbrook, said that a lack of tolerance from councils for greywater units is in contrast to what they say publicly on the subject. ‘I realise that many homeowners are mad keen to recycle their greywater but they should be aware of the pitfalls’ he said.

‘Local authorities across the country seem to be turning a blind eye to some grey water being directed to gardens because of severe drought conditions, however councils are normally very strict with this sort of thing. They often say they are happy to see people install properly manufactured greywater units but, in practice, they give ratepayers so much red tape that in the end you wonder if it was worth it.’

‘On the other hand, if a homeowner wants to do their own greywater system, councils view it a bit like someone who wants to build their own house. They welcome our efforts at recycling or building but they reserve the right to fail us on our efforts and this is what usually happens with DIY greywater. I predict that councils will one day codify and regulate all greywater reuse which will probably put an end to DIY efforts.’

The average home can now have a water recycling plant installed for well under $10,000. Domestic recycling units have come down in price and can be purchased for around $5,000, with freight, plumbing and electrical installation to be added to that. However, the inconsistency of environmental standards has frustrated some people. Justin has a history of cutting through red tape, so if a properly manufactured system causes a blockage with your council, he can help you overcome the problem.
Justin Holbrook 0439 715 730.

If you want to pay for a commercial unit, this is about as cheap as it gets…..the Facts sheet for Ozzi Kleen:

The cost: Well under $10,000 and should include freight, electrical and plumbing installations.
What do you get: A 5,000 litre in-ground greywater system.
How long does it take to recycle: About 90 minutes in total, including the aeration cycle, the settling cycle and the pumping cycle.
Will it last: It is made of polyethylene, can be buried underground and has a 25yr warranty on the tank.
How heavy: 350 kilograms.
Household cleaning agents: These don’t affect its running efficiency but if you care about your veggies and flowers you might want to change to green detergents, and use trickle irrigation rather than spraying.
Running cost: Around 25 cents per day in electricity.
Ongoing costs: It has to be serviced every 3 months at a cost of around $60-$70.
Why: A regular service should include cleaning out the pump and air blower, washing it down and filling the chlorine canister.
Toilet and kitchen waste: You don’t put them through this system.

1800 450 767, www.ozzikleen.com

(Sanderson Media's breezy writing style and great images can get your message out to the world) contact john@sanderson-media.com

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