Do you need to purify the water to remove soap and other crud? So it doesn't make your plants angry, or build up grime in all the hardware? Maybe it's dilute enough not to matter. And what about infectious disease? Can you just add some bleach or something to kill whatever might be in there?

[–] microfiche@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

You have to use compatible soaps, glycerine based stuff. I also have a sand/water separator to remove beach sand/mud/dirt then it goes into the storage tank and leaves thru a pre-sediment filter, then a 5 micron and carbon filter to further pull floating stuff like lint out so it doesn't clog the jockey pump or the plumbing inside the walls. If you fill a bucket and stick your head over it smells the tiniest bit like soap, but that's it. The only hardware it really goes thru that I have to worry about is the jockey pump and pressure tank similar to a drilled well setup but much smaller. I have to change filters every couple months.

In theory, risk of infection is low because it is not in contact w humans, nor used for water consumables. It only comes from laundry and shower, so no shower pissing.

The greywater my house produces is not commercially treated so it's considered 'level 3'. By law, I can't spray irrigate w it because it's residential, but I can drip irrigate and hand water. I can't water edibles w it, so I only use it on two trees in my back yard and the front grass/trees. I have a very small square-foot-garden in my back yard so I don't use it near my garden. Inside it can only be used to flush toilets, and a couple other very limited applications.

It's handy, but I don't use a lot of water for one, so my tank is never really full and I don't water plants a lot as I don't have much of a flower garden so it's sort of useless for me. I mostly just did it because I have the licensure, the ability, and a whole bunch of liberated parts/materials.

[–] hellinkilla@hexbear.net 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

OK so it somewhat relies on controlling the inputs. How realistic do you think this tech is for use at scale? It's one thing in your home where you are both a skilled worker and the end user. Discipline is assured. But can the same expectations be put upon random people? What kind of soaps you can use and such. People are serious about that stuff.

I am curious if infection risk is low due to how uncommon such a system is. As fecal-oral type pathogens are not too much in circulation. But if suddenly everyone was watering the lawn with grey water, there would be more opportunities for transmission. Like herd immunity with vaccines. An occasional abstainer is OK because everyone else protects them by using the regular mass water system but if it catches on, the chance of problem could increase.

I mostly just did it because I have the licensure, the ability, and a whole bunch of liberated parts/materials.

My friend's partner is a semi retired engineer who took up gardening mostly as an excuse to develop a rainwater irrigation system for the yard. Last year it required zero extra water. So you aren't the only one to be doing it just because he can.

[–] microfiche@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago

It absolutely relies on controlling inputs. It is also technically an extra point of failure in the system, it's also something that requires extra regular maintenance to work properly. It isn't for everyone, because frankly not everyone cares enough to be willing to go the extra steps.

If it were to be used at scale it would work best in multi family dwellings I would think. Single family homes work, but it's a lot of extra shit to deal with and some folks just don't want the extra hassle frankly.