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slemke (/member/slemke/)
Water Recycler (Grey Water) by slemke (/member/slemke/)
Collection I Made it!
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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1 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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The area that I live in has been in a drought for a year or
more. As such we nowhave water restrictions on washing the car,
watering the garden etc. Initially I setup a drainage hose from the
washing machine outlet to containers outside toenable me to collect
the waste water so I could water the garden. This processworked
fine except for the back breaking work of emptying the waste water
(greywater) onto various places in the garden.
The next stage was to develop an automatic system that would
distribute the
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More by slemke
grey (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-grey/)
gray (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-gray/)
water (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-water/)
recycler (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-recycler/)
recycle (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-recycle/)
pump (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-pump/)
irrigation
(/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-irrigation/)
Tags:
Home made DIY Grey watersystem water
recycling.(http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-made-DIY-Grey-water-system-water-Water
Your Garden withGray Laundry
Water(http://www.instructables.com/id/Water-Your-Garden-with-Gray-Laundry-DIY:
Drip Irrigation in theHome Garden with
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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2 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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grey water into the garden and have the following features.1)
Filter the water before sending it to the garden.2) Automatic pump
to allow water to be delivered to the high end of the garden.3)
Timer to prevent water stagnating in the tank.
The system uses a wheeled trash bin which is made out of 5mm
thick plastic(nice and sturdy). Grey water comes into the top of
the bin into a filter. When thebin fills to around 3/4 full, a
water level switch triggers the pump controller to turnon the pump
sitting at the bottom of the bin. The pump continues to operate
untilthe lower water level switch is triggered.
The pump controller also has some logic built into the program
to detect if wateris in the bin but not high enough to operate the
high water level switch. If thissituation occurs, at 10 hour timer
is started. If the water stays in the bin for 10hours the pump will
start and empty the bin. This stops the water fromstagnating. I
also have another timer that detects the run time of the pump. If
thepump runs for longer than an hour (without any of the level
switches beingtriggered) then the fault LED will be lit and all
pumping will stop. This wouldindicate that the output pipe is
blocked.
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Step 1: The schematic
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id/?q=&utm_source=base&utm_medium=related-instructables&
utm_campaign=related_test)
Recycled material(http://www.instructables.comDripper
irrigation. This ledto "tcmtech dripperirrigation". Check it
outinstead. I(http://www.instructables.comGreen Drip
Irrigator(http://www.instructables.com/id/Green-Drip-Irrigator/?utm_source=base&utm_medium=related-
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Water-Recycler-Grey-Water/?ALLSTEPS
3 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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The pump controller is built around a PICAXE 8m PIC. The reason
I chose thisparticular PIC is that it is programmed in BASIC and is
cheap ($4 AUD) and Ican't program in C to save myself.
There are 3 float sensor switches used in the project. Two of
these float sensorswitches detect high and low water levels of the
tank. The third sensor detectswhen the water filter needs a
clean.
The controller also drives 3 LED's that are mounted on a remote
indicator panelin the laundry that indicates pump running, filter
clean required & fault condition.
The transformer I used in the project has a 24VAC tap that I was
going to use topower some water solenoids. Any voltage from 12VAC
to 18VAC can power thecircuit. The voltage regulator doesn't get
hot as the PIC only draws a fewmilliamps. I also use a resistor to
reduce the unregulated voltage to the pumprelay which may need to
be altered depending on the relay voltage.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FOX/Z1PI/F6S8Z2LU/FOXZ1PIF6S8Z2LU.LARGE.jpg)
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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water.sch (/files/orig/FQW/Z3Y2/F6S8Z1Q0/FQWZ3Y2F6S8Z1Q0.tmp)218
KB
Step 2: Make the PCB.
Make your PCB. I used the tried and tested toner transfer
method. The attachedschematic & PCB were done in Eagle. I'm
just learning Eagle so please excusemy mistakes. I placed vias on
most of the pads to increase there size. I found Ijust couldn't get
the DRC rules right so I found this method easier.
Parts List
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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5 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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1x 8 pin IC socket.1x PICAXE-8M1x 7805 5v regulator.1x 1amp
bridge rectifier.2x PCB mount fuse holders for M205 fuse.1x 500mA
M205 fuse.3x BC639 transistors.12V relay with switch contacts rated
at 240VAC 10 Amps.3x 3way PCB screw terminal blocks 5mm spacing.2x
2way PCB screw terminal blocks 5mm spacing.1x 1N4004 diode.1x
1000uf 35v (or higher) electrolytic capacitor.6x 2.7K resistors 1/4
watt.3x 10K resistors 1/4 watt.1x 100nf ceramic or mylar
capacitor.1x 180ohm 1 watt resistor - note resistance and wattage
may need to be varieddue to supply voltage.2x 5mm green LEDs.1x 5mm
red LED.1x 5mm amber LED.1x weatherproof box to house the
controller.1x small box to house the 3 status LEDs.4x waterproof
cable grommets with internal rubber glands.Various size cable ties,
heat shrink.
Parts list for the PIC programmer circuit1x 10K resistor.1x 22K
resistor.1x 9 PIN female DB connector (this connects to your PC /
MAC).
water.brd (/files/orig/F9F/XJTK/F6S8Z1Q2/F9FXJTKF6S8Z1Q2.tmp)26
KB
Step 3: Programming
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6 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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The PICAXE-8M is programmed via the serial port of your PC. The
PICAXEeditor and data sheets can be obtained from the following
URL:-http://www.rev-ed.co.uk (http://www.rev-ed.co.uk)
The code is easily modified however I didn't put any "in
circuit" program headerson the PCB so you'll have to take the PIC
out to re-program.
The schematic & PCB could be used for other switching /
sensor purposes withthe required code changes made.
Here's the BASIC code:-
;Grey water controller MK2
symbol PUMP=0 ; name output 0 as the PUMP
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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7 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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symbol ERROR_LED=1 ; name the output 1 as the error (fault)
LED
;high waterfloat switch = input 3, low water float switch =
input 4
let dirs=%0000111let pins=%0000000 ;ensure all outputs low
;float switches are inverse logic, a 0 means it is turned
onmain_loop:if input3=0 and input4=0 then debounce ;high water
float markif input4=0 then inc_timer ;low water float markgoto
main_loop
inc_timer:let w0=w0+1if w0=36000 then start_pump ;if water is in
the tank for 10 hours, start pumppause 1000 ;pause 1 secondgoto
main_loop
debounce:pause 500if input3=1 then main_loop ;check if the float
is still high
start_pump:high PUMP ;turn on pump relay
pump_loop:if input4=1 then stop_pump ;check to see if low
waterif w1=3600 then pump_error ;error if pumps operates
continuously for more than60 minuteslet w1=w1+1pause 1000goto
pump_loop
stop_pump:low PUMP ;stop pumplet w0=0 ;reset stale water
counterlet w1=0 ;reset error countergoto main_loop
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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8 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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pump_error:low PUMP ;stop the pump
error_loop:if input4=1 then exit_loop ;stay errored until tank
emptyhigh ERROR_LEDpause 500low ERROR_LEDpause 500goto
error_loop
exit_loop:let w0=0 ;reset counterslet w1=0low ERROR_LED ;reset
error LEDgoto main_loop
I set up the following circuit up on a prototyping board to
program the PIC.
grey_water_mk2.bas
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Step 4: The mechanicals of the project.
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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10 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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The pump I chose was a submersible type designed for dirty
water. It wassuppose to operate in the vertical position but it
would not reliably deliver waterafter a few months of operation. I
tracked the issue down to air in the impellerchamber. There was a
small ball bearing that was suppose to let air escape andclose the
bleed hole when the pump was running. However grey water has soapin
it. After some months this ball bearing was stuck in its hole
preventing airescaping from the chamber.
The solution was to put the pump on its side to prevent air
pockets from beingcreated. A year later I think this mounting
method was not in the best interest ofthe pump. The pump seems to
have lost its punch, it still delivers water but notlike it use to.
I suspect the pump being on it side has let water seep into
themotor bearings (only a theory).
The pump is mounted on a aluminum frame. The frame is secured to
the bin atthe top of the frame. This was done so that the bin is
watertight. Any mountingholes in the bin are above the high water
line. Also mounted on the aluminum
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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11 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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frame is the 2 water level switches. These are sealed magnet
& reed switchunits and can be purchased at spa shops or here in
Australia at Jaycarhttp://jaycar.com.au (http://jaycar.com.au) or
Altronicshttp://www.altronics.com.au
(http://www.altronics.com.au).
To stop the pump from sliding around at the bottom of the bin it
is cable tied tothe aluminum frame.
Step 5: Wiring it all up.
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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13 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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The following instructions show how to wire up the controller to
the pump andremote indicator panel.
For the power cord I used a power extension lead and chopped it
in half. This
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FZ4/HGHT/F6S8Z2LN/FZ4HGHTF6S8Z2LN.LARGE.jpg)
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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14 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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method left me with a molded power socket for the lead that goes
to the pump.That way I didn't need to butcher the existing power
cord on the pump.Alternatively you could mount a power socket on
the case of the controller.
Please ensure that the earth wire (green/yellow stripe) is
connected from thepower cord through to the lead going to the pump.
To join the earth wirestogether I used a crimp lug that was then
bolted to the transformer chassis(using star washer to ensure a
good connection to the metal).
The transformer I used had flexible leads so I crimped the 3
neutral wires (blue)together using an insulated joiner (then
heatshrink was placed over it).
To connect the 3 LED's on the remote indicator panel you need 4
wires. You canuse Cat5 or phone cable. I also had a power LED that
is mounted in thecontroller box itself (not remotely).
The remote indicator panel is made from a hobby box that you can
purchasefrom electronic stores like Jaycar, Altronics, Dick Smith,
Radio Shack etc. Thelettering I used was Letraset rub on lettering.
The weatherproof polycarbonatebox was purchased from an electronic
supply store. Ensure that it can be sealedto prevent rain from
getting in.
Since you will be having a pump that is submerged in water you
must power thecontroller / pump from a safety switch protected
power outlet. You can findcheap extension cords that have a safety
switch built into the plug.
Step 6: Setting it up outside
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Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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I installed the Grey Water recycling bin up the side of the
house that has all theplumbing. The recycler needs a sewage inlet
that the overflow pipe can connectto. It also needs a hose run from
the outlet of the washing machine to the inlet(top) of the bin. You
can connect your shower or bath to the bin but this wouldrequire
major plumbing alterations. Also hear in Australia any
permanentplumbing needs to be carried out by a licensed plumber.
You also must not usethe recycler for Black Water e.g. water from
sinks & toilets for obvious smellyreasons.
The outlet of the recycler is feed into the garden via 19mm
(3/4" I think) gardenpoly tubing. This is nice and cheap. In the
garden I have buried slotted polydrainage pipe which the Grey Water
empties into. You can't use sprinklers as thesoap in the water will
clog any small nozzles and also spraying the water couldbe a health
hazard as any water left in the tubing will become stagnant. There
isalso the risk of inhaling waterborne bacteria so don't use
sprinklers.
I have also noticed a range of low pressure drip hoses designed
for tank water /gravity feed irrigation systems. I'm not too sure
how long these hoses would lastwith the soap content in the water.
They also could be used to deliver the waterto the required
locations in the garden.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FD5/DF4A/F6S8Z30I/FD5DF4AF6S8Z30I.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FET/YZC5/F6S8Z30K/FETYZC5F6S8Z30K.LARGE.jpg)
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We have a be nice comment policy.Please be positive and
constructive. I Made it! Add Images Make Comment
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1-40 of80
Next
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Water-Recycler-Grey-Water/?&sort=ACTIVE&limit=40&offset=40#DISCUSS)
beetpickles (/member/beetpickles/)My plants love greywater! It's
not recommended to use greywater on foodcrops that grow underground
(carrots, potatoes, etc), but in general it is fine touse on the
garden. The plants like the nutrients. I have a low tech system
thatdelivers my laundry water to berry bushes and cherry trees: I
am careful to useonly Eco soap with no salts or phosphates and have
a three way valve to sendthe water to the sewer if I need to use
bleach or am washing something that'snot good for them. My plants
are very happy and growing like crazy!
lionelb (/member/lionelb/)What about using the dish-washer and
clothes washing machines' waste waterto flush your toilets ....
hygienic too !
4 Pumps (/member/4+Pumps/)Hi,
Good to see someone thinking ahead. You could use a similar
system to pumpgrey water with a submersible pump
(http://www.4pumps.com.au/categories/submersible-pumps/). You could
use a pump with a rigid float and a timer onthe power source. This
way you could set the system up with a much lowervolume of water to
get it started. It would also save you having to design acontroller
but it looks like you are pretty good with that anyway :)
hhamilton2 (/member/hhamilton2/)Since you have an interest in
sustainability, you might like this as well.
http://www.growingpower.org/aquaponics.htm
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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18 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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(/member/G+Gurunadha+Reddy/)
4 years ago Reply
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4 years ago Reply
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(/member/slemke/)
4 years ago Reply
(/member/notsogoldenoldie/)
4 years ago Reply
G Gurunadha Reddy (/member/G+Gurunadha+Reddy/)How does this
stuff work.
G Gurunadha Reddy (/member/G+Gurunadha+Reddy/)Does this project
have a purification or afitration device.
harry88 (/member/harry88/)thanks
harry88 (/member/harry88/)does it have to run on ac i was
thinking running it on solar pannels
slemke (/member/slemke/) (author) harry88Just connect the 12VDC
(I'm assuming the output is 12V) from thesolar panel up to the AC
terminals on the PCB. Don't use the ACtransformer. This will then
feed 12VDC strait into the voltage regulator.Don't worry about the
polarity of the 12V from the solar panel as thebridge rectifier in
the circuit will sort it out. Note that you may need toreplace the
resistor just above the relay with a wire link as I originallyused
a 12V relay which was running off 20V. Use a 12VDC pump.
notsogoldenoldie (/member/notsogoldenoldie/)Hi,
for those interested in grey-water systems, check out Art
Ludwig's 'laundry tolandscape' system. It's similar to slemke's but
uses the washing machinepump to directly deliver the water to the
mulch-beds, bypassing the need for a
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19 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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(/member/gardenResQ/)
5 years ago Reply
(/member/Derin/)
6 years ago Reply
(/member/Master+Yoda/)
6 years ago Reply
(/member/Derin/)
6 years ago Reply
sump/bilge pump. I believe Art also uses a fairly large bore
pipe to avoid lintblockages.
Here's the link...
http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/laundry/index.php
gardenResQ (/member/gardenResQ/)Grey is now the new green. Grey
water, if utilised immediately in exits yourbathroom, is considered
safe. However we need to be responsible with ourgrey water and how
we use it. Go easy on chemicals in the bathroom whencleaning the
bath and shower. Divert the grey water to the sewer if you have
afamily member with a "funny tummy" and never use a fine mist
sprayer toirrigate with. Choose a low pressure pump with a sprayer
that results in largewater droplets. This consideration will
prevent your grey water entering yourneighbors garden as well as
public walkways and storm water drains. As far asexpense is
concerned a good grey water product, one that does not storewater
but simply filters and diverts, should cost no more than $400.
Derin (/member/Derin/)could you use grey water from the balcony?
that would be rare but would stillbe good
Master Yoda (/member/Master+Yoda/) Derinis your picture a
penguin from miniclip.com and the game clubpenguin?
Derin (/member/Derin/) Master Yodayes
Derin (/member/Derin/) Derinit has its own official site
though
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5 years ago Reply
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(/member/Dru77/)
6 years ago Reply
dove cottage (/member/dove+cottage/)This is a beautiful setup.
Mine works off two trash cans, a hose and gravity. Isimply haul my
hose to the plants and set the timer on my watch. Our wellwent dry
a year after we bought our home, so we haul in our own water. With
afamily of 7 we generate a lot of laundry & now we have a nice
green landscapewith a little bit of work. I do not recommend Borax
. I have tested it two times, itwill kill the plants. I use bleach
occasionally ,so I don't worry about it. If it wasregular I
wouldn't dump it on your plants though.
boarder2k7 (/member/boarder2k7/)It seems like putting soapy
water into the garden is going to have a detrimentalimpact on plant
growth.
ausisit (/member/ausisit/) boarder2k7no in fact it will help as
when you buy wetta soil and other wettingagents they contain
similar materials and the soapy water is good toget rid of
aphids
Dru77 (/member/Dru77/) boarder2k7Actually, the soap (phosphate
or otherwise) is a great fertilizer for yourlawn or garden. You
have to make sure you switch to organic soaps,use NO bleach or
powdered detergents (which contain heavy salts) inorder to use this
system. But liquid detergent can be great plant food ina system
like this. What you don't want to do is put grey water ON
theplants, but water the ground by running the outflow into a
shallow pitnext to the plants, which is filled with bark, stones or
other porousmaterials.
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(/member/boarder2k7/)
6 years ago Reply
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(/member/ausisit/)
7 years ago Reply
boarder2k7 (/member/boarder2k7/) Dru77Alright yeah that makes
sense, because I was thinking ofthe ramifications of putting all
laundry water on the plants,and it didn't seem like it would be
good. I guess you couldadd some sort of a bypass valve to the
system to go intothe regular sewer/septic system when you needed to
usebleach or something in the load.
lilykoart (/member/lilykoart/)Great Idea! i was looking into
rainbarrels, but saving waste water especiallyfrom my washer is
also a good way to get "free" water. i use a
biodegradabledetergent, plus borax powder, and a bit of vinegar in
the bleach dispenser.wonder if borax would be ok for the plants?
btw, borax is an ingredient used inthe most effective ant
killer...
ausisit (/member/ausisit/) lilykoartBoth borax and vinegar are
good to help keep the ph adjusted. TheBoron in the borax will help
with the roots and any fruit growing on theplants
ausisit (/member/ausisit/)This is a great idea as the
politicians restrict the water be used the water goingup to form
rain reduces so there fore less rain. I am going to use this idea
itrocks.
Now if you put some sponge rox in your filter as directed at
ausis sponge rox(http://www.ausis.info/sponge_rox.html) page you
would be helping theenvironment greatly.
Reducing heavy metal bioaccumulation we understand is a big
phrase todigest however it is described simply as follows: Heavy
metal bioaccumulationsuch as in large fish they build up toxic
levels of mercury which we all know ispoisonous, our sponge rox
help in reducing heavy metal bioaccumulation bytrapping these
poisons FOREVER...
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5 years ago Reply
(/member/oakironworker/)
5 years ago Reply
(/member/RadBear/)
7 years ago Reply
(/member/Drew-Oz/)
7 years ago Reply
lilykoart (/member/lilykoart/) ausisitDetoxamin the heavy metals
out. google Detoxamin :)
oakironworker (/member/oakironworker/) lilykoartChelation =
snake oil =stupid = detoxamin
RadBear (/member/RadBear/)I have three questiions. 1) Can you
give us more info on your filter? 2) Doesthe detergent harm the
plants or degrade the quality of the soil? 3) forelectronically
challenged folks such as myself is there a off the shelf
pumpcontroller available? Excellent idea, great executuion and a
very goodinstructable!!!
Drew-Oz (/member/Drew-Oz/) RadBearI've only just found this
instructable and am reading the responses first,so this might be
covered in the text, but...
Easy solutions..?
Laundry detergents generally contain things that gardens don't
like inbig quantities, such as salt and phosphorous, so best just
to buydetergents that are formulated specifically for grey water
systems. Herein Aus, there are an increasing number of brands that
produce such aproduct, and it would appear the market is growing.
If your supermarketdoesn't stock these, maybe you could buy online.
So detergent worriescould be easily sorted when you buy. Hand soap
or shower products(shampoos etc) are a little more tricky, so be
cautious about using yourshower/hand basin water too.
Pumps are used in the boating industry a lot, especially
water-level-triggered bilge pumps. They're almost always 12V so
should be easy tohook up to a common, or garden variety, mains
transformer. Now
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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23 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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(/member/smokehill/)
7 years ago Reply
unfortunately, as soon as you attach the word "boat" to any
product, youcan almost double the price, so you'll have to shop
around, but there areloads of different models and capacities
available. Why not Google it?
Web references:There is a gardening programme that has been
airing in Aus for years.They publish "fact sheets" about all sorts
of
things:http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1366316.htm(http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1366316.htm)
Check out these guys
too:http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_greywater.html(http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_greywater.html)
Heck! Why not just Google "grey water"...?
smokehill (/member/smokehill/) Drew-OzBoat bilge pumps are one
of those tools that you keep find more usesfor. I've used Rule
(brand) pumps from online suppliers (cheap) foreverything from
basement sump pumps to watering saplings in remotelocations,
spraying, etc. My first $15 pump (no auto shutoff) served asa
garden sprayer, running off my 12v tractor btry, for almost 10 yrs
--until I drove over it. I think the auto shutoff for their 350
model (350gpm with no lift) is another 12 bucks. I use another for
the homemaderock waterfall in my front yard. They have a built-in
filter that's easy toclean, but if there's a lot of crud in yr gray
water it might be best to rigup some pre-filter to save constant
fiddling with it. Usually you can findbetter prices for their
hosing if you buy sump pump hose instead offrom the boat yard;
adding "boat" in front of something really doesmultiply the price,
usually. One of my neighbors whose well went dry forsix months used
one of these (bigger model, 1000gpm) to fill waterbarrels from the
river every evening, to water his livestock (andhimself). I'd do an
instructable on the big rock waterfall (total price $45),but am too
lazy to take it all apart. Basically two 7-dollar mortar tubs,the
pump & a 12v supply, and a scrap of old garden hose. Plus
therocks to hide it all. Anyone could figure it out, tho. The
advantage of theboat pump in this application is that you can
easily change the waterlevel it kicks on at by just hanging the
pump at different levels in thecontainer, since it operates
electronically by sensing when it's sitting in
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24 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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(/member/Culturedropout/)
5 years ago Reply
(/member/2+stroke+/)
5 years ago Reply
(/member/Derin/)
6 years ago Reply
(/member/Hawaii00000/)
7 years ago Reply
water -- thereby not having to muck about with moving floats
that hang up,etc. -- and cheap toggle switches can be easily rigged
up for different uses.I also feel better with only 12v going into
wet environments, rather than110v. Call me chicken .... Bilge pumps
should be listed right along with ducttape & baling wire --
essential for the survival of mankind.
Culturedropout (/member/Culturedropout/) smokehillThese guys
have a pretty good selection of various kinds of AC andDC pumps at
decent prices. I shop there a lot because they're local,but they
mainly do business via web and mail orders.
https://www.surpluscenter.com/water.asp?UID=2009042320224437&catname=water
(https://www.surpluscenter.com/water.asp?UID=2009042320224437&catname=water)]
2 stroke (/member/2+stroke+/) smokehillI also feel better with
12 volt going in wet environments
Derin (/member/Derin/) smokehillchicken(you asked for me to call
you chicken)
Hawaii00000 (/member/Hawaii00000/) Drew-OzYep, the drought has
really changed peoples lives in Australia (and iguess its for the
better). When I went back a few months ago I wasamazed at how
water-conscious everyone has become. I think youYankees could learn
a lesson from us Aussies.lol
Hawaii00000 (/member/Hawaii00000/) Hawaii00000Aussies RULE
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25 of 29 2/15/2015 12:47 AM
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7 years ago Reply
(/member/Hawaii00000/)
(/member/Noodle93/)
7 years ago Reply
(/member/DonQuijote/)
7 years ago Reply
(/member/shwa/)
7 years ago Reply
(/member/slemke/)
7 years ago Reply
Noodle93 (/member/Noodle93/) Hawaii00000Yeah but we're so
freaking far away from anything except Asia andNew Zealand.
DonQuijote (/member/DonQuijote/)excuse me if i misunderstood,
'cause I'm in a hurry right now, but, you AREusing the waste water
of your washing machine to water your garden.. right? isthat not
harmful to the plants, considering the detergent you use for
washing?
shwa (/member/shwa/) DonQuijoteif you use gray water for plant
irrigation,just be sure to usebiodegradable detergents no sodium
and no softeners,your best bet isto use it on the trees and
shrubs,and not on the plants you eat directlylike lettuce or
legumes.Yeah I would like to know more about the filter.
slemke (/member/slemke/) (author) shwaYes I use biodegradable
detergent and now only use either cold wateror warm water in the
washing machine. Definitely no hot water (I couldput a temp sensor
in the bin to prevent the pump from working if thewater's too
hot).
The plants seem to be growing better with the gray water. I also
use alot of mulch around the plants to stop evaporation. As the
water isdelivered underground via seepage you can water the
vegetablegarden. If you where delivering the water above ground,
this wouldn'tbe a good idea as the waste water could sit on the
leaves etc. After allyou put manure in your soil.
The filter is made from plastic fly screen material normally
found on
Water Recycler (Grey Water)
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(/member/boocat/)
7 years ago Reply
(/member/herebus/)
5 years ago Reply
(/member/xlioilx/)
7 years ago Reply
windows (to keep insects out). I sewed the screen material so it
forms abag. The opening of the bag is mounted on a 6" circular
aluminum frame.The filter doesn't filter chemicals rather it stops
lint from clogging up thetubes and pump. The cleaning sensor is a
float that moves up andoperates a switch when the filter gets so
clogged with lint that the wateroverflows over the top of the
filter. Note you have to mount the sensor andthe top of the filter
above the high water level to prevent false triggering.
The float switches I purchased are from a company in Australia
calledJaycar
(http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SF0920&CATID=&keywords=float&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=)
. The vertical float switch for the filter is from
Altronics(http://www.altronics.com.au/index.asp?search=float&area=srch&option=and&Submit=SEARCH)
Hope this info has answered most question.
boocat (/member/boocat/) slemkeYou're idea is marvelous! Thanks
so much. I can't believe this neveroccurred to me. I can easily set
something up from the washer waterline. Terrific.
herebus (/member/herebus/) boocatI just read an article from
ReNew (Aust), the research from thissuggests not to use hard soap
(cake soap), as it has to much salt(sodium) which can impact on the
soil structure, however body wash isOK, so is shampoo and
conditioner.
xlioilx (/member/xlioilx/) DonQuijoteI've personally used
detergents in hydroponic systems (not that its thebest thing to
use) the plants love the stuff just use unscented
1-40 of80
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