Homemade grey water recycler

[bishop]

My wife & I were trying to figure out how to use the water we let go down the drain, e.g. waiting for hot water (tankless isn't an option right now) or draining the tub when we use it.

I bought a two-gallon plastic pail ($3) with two lids ($4) and two lengths of tubing ($4). I cut two holes in the lid, one for a siphon line and another for the water. Insert tubing, secure lid on pail, and presto, a cheap water siphon that holds enough water to flush a toilet.

Simple but effective.

[lpkitten]

maybe i'm not reading it right, but did you say where you put it? is there one centralized place where your water drains? (me thinks i'm having a blonde moment).

[bishop]

Originally Posted by lpkitten

maybe i'm not reading it right, but did you say where you put it? is there one centralized place where your water drains? (me thinks i'm having a blonde moment).

No problem, I sort of rushed through that description anyway. When the build is finished, you'll have a bucket with two tubes coming out of the lid. One of the tubes is to draw air through (pretend it's a big straw, but just take a draw on it long enough to get started) and the other tube is to put in the sink full of water. After the water is collected, the bucket just sits in the bathroom until we need to flush the toilet.

I did it this way because there isn't any way to do what you described, e.g. redirect the grey water from sinks to a central holding tank. This just pulls the water out of a sink and into a bucket I can pick up.

[lucille]

That sounds like quite a bit of work in order to flush a toilet. I am assuming you could remove the set up like in the instance that you sold your house. I can see that being a serious negative for most people looking at a property.

I have seen some neat grey water systems in earth ship house plans.

[bishop]

Originally Posted by lucille

That sounds like quite a bit of work in order to flush a toilet. I am assuming you could remove the set up like in the instance that you sold your house. I can see that being a serious negative for most people looking at a property.

I have seen some neat grey water systems in earth ship house plans.

For the instances in which I run a sink full of water before the hot water comes out, it is worth the trouble. My wife doesn't bother with it but I use it whenever I can. What can I say...I'm cheap.

The setup is simply a 2 gallon paint bucket with two tubes coming out of the lid. It can be carried anywhere. The tubes don't connect to anything - I put one in the sink full of water and take it out when done.

[Finally_Frugal]

I plan to set something like this up in the dry summer months---so much water goes down the drain during showers, and I'd like to collect it and use it to water the flowers (when it gets warm enough to plant some!) Thanks for the how-to!

[Greywater Guy]

Build your own DIY Greywater Recycling System for $350 and save over 30% on your monthly water bill. For details, visit www.grey-is-green.com.