Friday, March 14, 2014

Low Cost Grey Water Irrigation

I am going to be very careful how I write this post. Each state, county and city has their own ordinance and regulations regarding the use of grey water for irrigation. Before you start any project contact your state, county and city planners/ordinance/HOA to determine if it is possible to create your own grey water irrigation. 

Small scale can be done portable and cheap. 

Materials:

1-2-to as many as you need 5 gallon buckets. We use ACE Hardware, but the other stores work too. Depends how colorful you want to be 
1 Commercial drip irrigation system  1 5 gallon bucket per 2 foot square bed. 
Drill
Garden hose tap 


Direction:
1. Drill a hole (we use the hand drill to prevent cracking but an electric drill can be used if drilled slowly.)
2. Insert a garden hose size tap. Cover the tap with Teflon tape to prevent  leaking.
3. Place washer on the inside of the bucket and use a plastic hose coupler to secure the tap. 
4. Hook irrigation kit to the tap.





Collect water from your kitchen, bathroom sinks and if you have a larger holding area your laundry. You can also collect the run off water from your shower that runs while you wait for it to warm up. Believe it or not you can collect between 2 1/2 to 5 gallons in that waiting period. Keep in mind that all soaps, toothpaste or other items you put down the sink will find its way to the catch basin. Try using organic and biodegradable products.   Collecting rain water is always a good thing too. Check out my previous post here  and here about setting up your own rain water collection. 

Things to keep in mind.

DO NOT USE BLACK WATER- Black water is toilet water waste or any other water source that human waste has been placed in it. This can include the dishwasher water too. 

DO NOT USE GREY WATER DIRECTLY ON FOOD THAT IS EATEN RAW OR SLIGHTLY COOKED. There still could be dangerous microbes in the water that can contaminate the food. 

DRAIN HOUSEHOLD BASINS DAILY OR AFTER EACH USE. DO NOT KEEP THEM INSIDE FOR THEN 12-24 HOURS. IT JUST SMELLS ROTTEN!!

No comments:

Post a Comment