With the current drought threatening our country and our wallets,
we decided to try and utilize as much of the “grey water”
we produce as possible.
This is all that is visible of the system that we recently had installed.
The rear of our property was not a problem as the outlet pipes are easily accessible,
and it was relatively simple and easy to attach a pool cleaner pipe
to those to water the vegetable patch and some of the garden.
There is still more work to be done in this area,
but as can be seen from this photograph,
our vegetables are benefiting!
The solution for our en-suite bathroom was not as simple,
given that the existing pipework was “hidden” behind the house
and if I had just put in a pipe the water would still have been wasted
as there are no flower beds or lawn close by.
As a result of the foundations,
the new pipework was going to be surface mounted.
I was therefore surprised to find that they had been able
to partially bury the new pipes.
The water from our bath, basins and shower first flows through this filter box.
The dirt inside is NOT what you might think…
it is, in fact, mud…the toilets and kitchen sink are not included
in either of the water saving solutions on our property.
From the filter box, the water flows into this containment tank.
There is a submersible pump in here that is the “heart” of the system.
This allows us to get the water to where we need it via a hosepipe.
There is a float switch on the pump that makes certain that it does not:
a] Run dry
b] That the tank does not overflow
c] That the water is used immediately
and does not stagnate in here.
This is used as a “pressure valve” and can reduce the
water out flow should you want you make the watering last longer.
Instead of flowing through the hosepipe,the water circulates within the tank
The system was supplied with 30m of hosepipe
and a sprinkler…there is enough pressure to use a nozzle.
This dedicated tap is also part of the system and was installed
close to the containment tank, but accessible enough
without having to fight foliage to get to it.
The end result!
The team that did the installation were brought to site by the owner.
They arrived on time(always a good sign)
and the installation was quicker than I expected.
Work started at about 9am, and completed by 2.30.
The site was cleaned and tidied up before departure.
If you are looking for a solution to YOUR grey water problems,
give them a call for a quote:
Sarah Reid
Eco-h2o Water Conservation Systems
Cell: 083 654 9613
(O) 011 679 1579
e-mail: sarah@eco-h2o.co.za
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