Greywater – Washing machine

Today I am going to talk to you about greywater from the washing machine and how to reduce the water needed and reused the “waste” water.  Washing machines use about 80 litres per wash for a front loader and 170 litres per wash for a top loader. So the main way to reduce the amount of water you use for washing your cloths is what type you buy. Today we have the 6 stars efficiency rating in Australia and New Zealand, This can help you choose which models are best at saving you water, electricity and money.

Depending what you are going to use the greywater for determines if you need to treat it before use. If you are using this water to fill a toilet system it should need no filtering, though some form of filtering may slow down corrosion problems.

Watering plants with greywater is becoming a popular way of reusing “waste water”. Through working in the hardware I have even heard of a customer/plumber building a shed at the back of his yard just so his washing machine is closer to his plants and lawn. Most of the time grey water is alright to use direct on lawns or ornamental plants unless they are practically delicate or to be eaten.  You should always use greywater safe soaps.

There are some ways to treat greywater at low costs. One is to let it stand for a few days so the stilt which gives it that grey colour settles to the bottom. Another is to use filtering sand which many hardware and pool places sell, add the sand to a bucket or tank with a tap at the bottom and place some kind of material behind the tap that will stop the sand running out  but allow the water to flow. You may even want to plant small reed or sedge species who’s roots both help adsorb chemical and create a haven for beneficial bacteria to exist.

It is not recommended at all to use greywater for drinking even with filtration. I have not even  seen any commercial filter they say they can purify the water to the point of drinking. I have read of people who have used a big area to make a reedbed filter to create water drinkable however they get their water tested regularly to make sure it’s safe which should be done with any water being treated for drinking.

In the way of using other water source to fill a washing machine I’m not sure but you probably could hook up a way to feed it with rainwater and pump as an alternative. It most likely wouldn’t be something your landlord would want.

I personally have a portable plastic camping dishwashing basin that gets placed in our basin where our greywater diverter hose would normally go, when it over flows the water run out of the handle holes and down the drain to prevent flooding. I have also brought a water level alarm from a cheap shop so I know when to get my smaller bucket take out the water. The greywater goes into a large plant pot filled with sand in the middle of a temporary pod I made, as the water goes through the sand it filters some of the water and the dragonflies don’t mind it.

As always let me know your idea, leave a comment and subscribe

Brad

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