Creating a Home Graywater System

[steelalive2011]

All real gentleman...Great explanations, great tone, very patient! Keep up the good work buddy!

[CelticKraut]

More like GAY water! tehehehe!

[danfromabove]

@CelticKraut Zinger! *facepalm*

[Nicodemus98]

Built my gray water system ten years ago. Mine has five 300 gallon plastic storage tanks, and bio-filters and a timer to water at pre determined times. Since I generate all my own power by a hydro-electric system I built twenty years ago, power outages aren't an issue, since I never have them. Mine takes care of most of the water needs for two acres of vegetable garden and fruit and nut trees. My rain water cisterns take care of the rest. I live in the country, so zoning is not a problem.

[powerman1942yahoo]

I live in virginia and it gets cold. Can I still do this?

[peakmoment]

@powerman1942yahoo, probably yes. But you'll need to make sure you can empty the pipes during a freeze. It doesn't hurt if water expands in your collector tanks (as long as there's some extra air space when the water expands.

[lloyd23704]

@powerman1942yahoo i live in virgina to i run pipe for a living ...... you already have these pipes in your yard and they do not freeze all your doing is changing the place it ends up youd might want to skip his 5 gallon bucket idea but are frost line is 12 inches but i would run it the same hight as your pipes are already i even reused all my old piping to save money and be a lil greener

[Capewatersolutions]

Great work. Hope you continue to spread the news. The world should have been on to greywater many, many years ago. 

[trathendao]

We actually haven't had to specifically add mulch to the paths/basins yet. we haven't seen much change relative to the greywater. though it is breaking down. That said, we are nearly constantly adding recycled organic matter and mulch to resheet mulch the paths and build site fertility, water retention capacity. Over 35,000 lbs of mostly recycled organic matter added to our site in the 3 years we've been here. it's a 6,250 sq ft lot w/ over 200 varieties food, medicine, wonder...

[mrgrackle]

do you know how often he has to replace the mulch in the beds? i imagine it will become nice soil, but it seems it will need to be replaced every few years.

[friscoamm]

If I hear the words "global warming" one more time I'm going to puke. What a crock of absolute crap. That being said, I do like this idea and his design. Well done. Just drop the enviro-freak crap for crying out loud.

[dlamberson]

This is an awesome system and I would love to have something like this in my life but the guy did this very "yuppie-ly"

[peakmoment]

@dlamberson, it may seem yuppie-ish because Trathen set out to make a legal system, to pave the way for others to do likewise.

[salide]

Can you water the vegetable garden with grey water that has been "filtered" through a wetland? Is it safe?

[peakmoment]

@salide, Trathen says yes.

[truthisouttheir]

what about soap / detergent / and all the other chemicals that end up in gray water??

do you have to use natural products if u plant to water food gardens?

and does he change the wood chip filter ?

[zfair3850]

@truthisouttheir can someone reply to this question? thanks. just interested in how much chemical use can go on...

[nolejckr]

@zfair3850 I am inretested to know about this as well. Can you talk about the toxicity to the plants, ground water and to us eventually if we use strong chemicals in our detergents and soaps?

[themixturemedia]

This is a great idea I am thinking of doing this at my home.

[MrGabesutube]

I have a question I am starting a grey water system using the water from my washing machine. I cant find any laundry detergents that say its safe to use as grey water. I don't want to kill my organic vegetable garden. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[peakmoment]

@MrGabesutube, Great question. I use Oasis Biocompatible Laundry Detergent. It has no phosphates or plant toxins, and it biodegrades into plant nutrients. Developed by Art Ludwig, the graywater genius and author. He's at oasisdesign(dot)net. I get this detergent at our local natural foods store.

[alfaia]

@MrGabesutube Try Sapindus Mukorossi aka Soap nut tree! 100% Green Detergent!

[JesusChristRulesYOU]

Sorry but instead of polluting and wasting your money on Graywater systems, you people should donate your money to the needy. Don't be ignorant and give your life to Christianity or else you will burn in hell, fact.

[themixturemedia]

@JesusChristRulesYOU you must be nuts thats all I can say about you this is the best idea you much be the type of people that will site there and think that we should let what happens in the south with the oil. What we should not help out the enviroment you are a loser maybe you should burn in hell.

[ShadyMinor]

Definitely not a rich boy dream, this is doable. Grey water is another wasted resource in most communities.

[ShadyMinor]

Definitely not just a rich boy dream, this is doable. Grey water is just another wasted resource in most communities.

[Pyroscopy]

this is what were gona try to do to water the lawn. I just started doing research on the safety concerns about using grey water.

[EZRobbo]

Hi Pyroscopy! I would love to hear about how your research is going into the safety concerns of using gray water. Maybe we could collaborate!

[bicyclemichaela]

Should work OK in Maine once the frost is gone. During the winter, the 3 way valve should shunt the graywater to the waste disposal line. The lines freezing shouldn't be a problem because the pipes should keep a decent slope so they will drain out.

[paterzona]

Good times

[servswitch12]

How do these systems work in colder climates? For example we live in Northern Maine - is it possible to still use a grey water system?

How would it work when the temperatures get to -30?

[trathen1]

As to the 'rich boys' dream, i could afford to push the edge and because this, more folks will be able to put in cheaper systems. I wouldn't recommend peeps copying my system, but decide what is appropriate. my goal is that small water use houses drop out of policy and move to best practices, so the process gets easier and cheaper. This is possible in CA code. It's about understanding and utilizing the resources and opportunities presented to us each and being deeply proactive.

[trathen1]

The system intent was to save water, shift policy, educate citizens, leaders, tradespeople and media. It has, to an amazing degree with cheap DIY and permitted systems on the way because of it. Just as greywater use turns problem into solution, whether experiences are a nightmare or an opportunity is our choice. While sometimes frustrating, I had a great experience with officials. As for doing it alone, nothing in nature functions that way, why would I want to? Its much better in community!

[MrEarthWorker]

@trathen1 I have been using grey water collection for my landscaping for over 3 years now. I would like to garnish support within my community..thank you for the video

[telemarker77]

this is a 'rich boys' dream. graywater systems and solar should come as requirements on new homes. most slab homes cant be easily retrofited for gray water. it is far easier to collect your rainwater and just stop up your shower, or put a bucket under your sink. im an engineer by training and there is no way you can cost justify a system like this. just dealing with the local california government officials is a nightmare. i would have liked to see you do this yourself.

[PakaNoHida]

Rich boy dream? Hardly, these things are easy to make with all the crap people throw out on Craigslist alone. People should start growing food in their front yards and going more green so they can save themselves. A little knowledge and elbow grease will fix this planet of ours starting with our own homes.

[copefarms]

he could have easily have done it himself. Its pretty simple especially since he has a crawl space. Had he had a slab it wouldnt be cost effective.

You could easily do it without the knowledge of the California govt officials.

Obviously retrofitting any type of construction is more work than doing it from the start the way you want it.

[copefarms]

pvc pipe is cheap he said the whole system cost 4000 dollars if you did just the greywater it was 1000 he said thats cheap.

Lets see you dont need a plumber or engineer to cut and connect pvc pipe thats easy any idiot can do it.

to dig the trenches either use a shovel and hard work or rent a ditch witch at 55 dollars an hour. That small a yard you could easily do in a hour or less.

greywater systems are cheap and easy to design and build for do it yourselfers.

[quantumsolutions]

This was a true joy to watch. Thank you!

[PeakOilBoy]

at work as always!

- Randy White

[baubosophia]

Nice vid. What isn't said, just hinted, is that standard code for greywater systems guarantees system failure. If it's a retrofit, get Ludwig's book and do your best. Kitchen sink water is OK if you NEVER put grease down the sink. Soap & detergent are OK, not bleach. For toilet waste use a splitting composting toilet in which the pee is separated by a strategically placed funnel in the front and piped to a tank for dilution and fertigation. The poo goes straight down and gets composted.

[oneyaker]

Good pioneering work and the way of the future. One of the problems is the bureaucratic idiocy you would need to go through so that every department can do their little power trip like the leak test. So insane when you release the water few feet away anyway.

No wonder California, the land of milk and honey is completely economically hamstrung if every housing project is treated like a space shuttle mission in need of million stamps of approval. I think common sense is enough.

Good job though!

[Ape65]

Do you have to use bio-degradably soaps and detergents?

[baubosophia]

No, but skip the bleach or anything else that kills microbes (and roots). Absolutely NO grease down the drain. Lots of lint or hair can gum up the works. Get good drain strainers and clean often. The big toodoo about phosphate detergents in sewage is not important if your system works well. Phosphorus is fertilizer.

[valhala56]

What a great idea, If I had known about gray water systems I would have gotten a house with gray water system instead of the 3 bathrooms with Pergo tile and marble countertops. Oh well.

The Home builders are guilty of not offering this and solar etc when selling all the McMansions. Why did they not offer Home Gray water systems, direct solar water heaters, solar panels, and water wells.

Some people have some explaining to do!

[impalapez]

they're not offered....you have to get a house that you can invest in those technologies...It won't be done for you, you have to go out and do it....

good luck...

[valhala56]

I was being a little sarcastic, the biggest housing bubble the world has ever seen, Jumbo loans> over $400,000 and the gotta have were Italian tile floors and Granite countertops.

If the corporate Home builders "Toll Brothers" Shows on HGVT had advised people to get solar when they bought their MacMansion then we would be in less of a pickle now wouldn't we?

FHA, Fannie & Freddie should have done the same thing, this is massive failure to use technoligies & do it yourself is ok but it could

[impalapez]

sorry, can't read sarcasm all the time..agreed, the Publicly traded home builder companies were a bigpart of the problem...and the "flippers" who quickly appreciated any possible equity in months, that some buyers could have built over years...Have you looked at zero energy designs channel?? Check out the homes Larry Hartweg designed 30 yrs ago....Plus Enertia building systems are awesome as well....

[ubuibiok]

*****