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Using Gray Water
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Posted by rainydaywoman_z8 OREGON (My Page) on Tue, Oct 20, 09 at 4:22
| A couple of years ago I read a detailed article about using all the household gray water for gardening. I think they routed all the water into a holding pond, along with rain barrels, & then pumped it out for irrigation. So I routed my washer hose to a flower garden & killed everything there. I was careful not to use bleach or hot water. So can someone tell me how to do this? I hate it everytime I hear wash water going down the drain! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Using Gray Water
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| If you ran the wash water direct, maybe you were just using it too strong, as in too much detergent/soap. Mixing it with bathwater or rainwater might help. Are you sure your detergent is non-toxic? |
RE: Using Gray Water
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The only gray water watering system I've seen is a 55 gal. barrel filled with gravel. The gray water flows in the top, is filtered somewhat by the gravel, and there is a tap at the bottom to attach a hose or pour the water into a bucket.
The recommended detergent is washing soda.
Gray water is regularly used in the Caribbean to water lawns at resorts and estates. It really should not be used on edible crops. |
RE: Using Gray Water
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| I don't think you can use regular detergent. There are brands that are specific to your needs. Also running the water through a pond definately filters the water. If you really want to use your grey water a swale to a raingarden would work well. |
RE: Using Gray Water
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| Thanks for all the info. I changed my laundry detergent and the dishwasher detergent to a recipe I make myself, & I only use vinegar, soda, or borax to clean. Looks like there is still another step, tho, to make this work. I'm going to investigate the 55 gal barrel system---I have an artificial bog garden that I would love to use gray water on. |
RE: Using Gray Water
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| Sounds like you might have been getting too much water in too small a space with too much pressure too.... Most washers plow through lots of water... |
RE: Using Gray Water
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- Posted by pris 8B TX (My Page) on
Thu, Nov 19, 09 at 17:21
| You can't leave your drain hose in one place. Move it from place to place in your yard and it works best this way for lawn watering. You can also run it into barrels with the soapy water diluted by the rinse water. Attach a hose to the barrel and hand water your gardens from there. By doing this, I don't feel quite as guilty using the second rinse cycle when washing clothes. Soap residue left in clothes causes them to age faster, so, I'm saving my clothes and watering the garden as well. All with the same water. It goes without saying that you can't use kitchen sink, dishwasher and toilet water for this. Bath, shower and washer water is OK. |
RE: Using Gray Water
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| Thx for the ideas. I will start a barrel for the water and go from there. Wish I could get the bathwater rerouted---I think about the amount every time I shower. Every little bit helps, even here in rainy Oregon. |
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