Grey water systems offer an easy way to save on your monthly water costs and help the environment. While you may already be active in recycling paper, plastic, and other items that have a useful second life, a residential greywater system also allows you to recycle the water you use! Learn more about grey water, how it can be reused, and whether a residential grey water system may suit your home.
What is Grey Water?
Grey water has been used previously but is free from very harmful contaminants. You may also see grey water written as “greywater” or “gray water.” Grey water typically goes from your house to the sewer after its first use.
It is very important to distinguish grey water from black water. Black water contains toxic contaminants and should be sent straight to the sewer line. Black water comes from the toilet, the dishwasher, or the sink equipped with a waste disposal system (read below for where grey water comes from).
Where does Grey Water Come From?
In a residential setting, grey water most frequently comes from the following places:
- Your sinks
- Your showers
- Your clothes washer
If you want to rereuseour household’s grey water, it is essential to keep it grey by not using toxic contaminants like bleach. You can feel confident using safe, natural soaps and cleaners labeled earth-friendly.
How a Residential Grey Water System Works
When a residential greywater system is installed, it captures the water before it enters the sewer line and routes it back to the house for reuse. Diffuse systems can accomplish this. Choosing the right system is essential to ensure that you capture all available greywater and route it to the areas where it is most needed.
One way would be to connect your sinks, showers, and clothes washer lines to your grey water system, which then reroutes the water back into other functions, such as drip irrigation or watering a vegetable garden, lawn, or flower garden.
Handling Grey Water
Grey water is beneficial when it is fresh. However, there are long-term dangers when you try to store grey water because toxins can then build up. So, any grey water you can’t use should be routed back to the sewer system for processing in the usual way. Here, it is essential to set up your greywater system so you can switch between greywater and sewer routing. This will keep water from pooling and attracting bugs or rotting roots. The more you can learn about your household’s average water usage (and how much usage could come from grey water instead), the better you will be at fine-tuning your initial system setup.
With Grey Water, Simple is Best
Greywater systems don’t have to be complex – in fact, most residential systems are designed to be simple and relatively maintenance-free (except for periodically changing the filter). Apart from the one-time cost of setting up your grey water system, using the grey water to water your plant life will happen automatically and can potentially lower your water bill by hundreds each month, especially in the hot summer setting.
Alvarez Plumbing will answer any questions or concerns about changing your plumbing to conserve water. To lower your monthly water bill, contact us at www.alvarezplumbingsalinas.com.