Flatcapdriver

Two questions on a similar topic.

1. Is there a cheap method of pumping bathwater out onto a garden using a hose and pump? I have this thing, which I've never tried that you attach to a drill which pumps the water out but with my history I don't fancy introducing water and electricity.

2. Grey water. Would it be possible to recycle this into a water deposit with some form of charcoal filtering system? The concerns are bacteria/legionnaires type build ups although the recycled water would be used to replenish a swimming pool (chlorine etc) if that makes any difference.

Cheers for any input.

Butty

iTrader: (2)

If your bath is on a first floor and the garden is flat then let gravity do the work.
Alternatively a hand bilge pump would do, but you'll need the bath outlet disconnected from the main pipework to do any of this.

The level of treatment needed to use grey water for high quality domestic water will be solids removal, organics removal & disinfection and won't be cheap. Start at several thousand pounds.
I'd would be better to have lower forms of treatment and produce water where low quality is needed such as the garden or toilet flushing.

Nick

Chip Sengravy

If you want a fix around the hosepipe ban, dig yourself a garden pond, and chuck some goldfish in it.

then water the garden from the pond, top the pond back up with the hosepipe. This is allowed as the ban does not cover ponds

Brendan Hughes

I think grey water is more rainwater than lightly soiled household water? To be used for flushing loos, normally. I think it's quite big in Germany, if you can read any of their websites.

OllyK

Implemeting this in my garden. We've just built a large double garage, the gutters from these will drain in to an underground pit 2m x 1m x 1m. The pit will be formed from blockwork and will be sealed. I'll then be dropping in a submersible electric pump (have a look at screwfix) with power coming from a switch in the garage and the output from the pump connected to standard 15mm piping connected to a makeshift standpipe.

I'll just hook up the hosepipe to this and flick the switch, garden watered, and we don't even have a hose pipe ban. Guess I need to do something to offset the firepit I've built to save me the hassle of recycling anything flamable. Amazing what will burn with enough unleaded on it

TheBigMan

Bet your neighbours love you.

OllyK

Indeed, I usually burn a lot of stuff for them at the same time - see previous bonfire threads!!

TheBigMan

lol.

Leslie

We catch the water with a bowl as it comes out of the drain pipe, handy if you can do that, but a bit more of a nuisance to have to do.

Les

Brendan Hughes

Parents have a couple of caged 1000-litre (1m3) tanks under the main drainpipes above ground level; no need for construction or for a pump, but they do look unsightly.

Chrisgr31

I have one of those as well. Works well and has enough water pressure to attach a hand held house to.

Problem is that I am using it faster than the rain is refilling it! So contemplating putting bathwater in to it as well. All you need is a surbersible pump from your local caravan shop and some piping. Drop pump in the bath and off you go.

Brendan Hughes

I shouldn't, but

andypugh2000

An OASE 5500 pond pump will cost a lot less plus pump more water faster, failing that get a pump from a power shower and attach it remotely

Flatcapdriver

Have you seen any recycling systems in Portugal? I think I have the one here cracked based on a smaller version of Olly's idea but I'd like to get the pool water sorted out in case the Ayuntamiento start creating!

Brendan Hughes

No. I said about Germany as a German colleague is talking about doing it to her house nr Lisbon, but that's in a rainy microclimate. Wondered about it myself, and looking at converting a raised flowerbed to a storage tank of maybe 1500 litres, but apart from last year we tend to get enough rain. Aside from the lawn of 8x5m, which I have on timed sprinkler at night (as you remember) I'm trying to plant the flowerbeds with sensible choices and not water lilies or some such. Sprinkler even hits the flowerbeds too

My house doesn't even have guttering FFS, and it all runs down to the bottom drain where I pay for the electricity to pump it back uphill to the street drain Focused a lot of it onto the lawn with a well-placed channel now though, WAY better than it was

I don't have a pool, just a pond 1.5x0.7m, and I think the dog drinks more of that than it evaporates.

Flatcapdriver

I've revived this as I have finally got round to installing the system which consists of a submersible pump off Ebay (£30) hooked up to a hose, which then fills up the water butt.

Within Sutton & East Surrey's area, there is a drought order in place so having checked with them that this is legal I've 'registered' the system with them in the hope that one of our neighbours grasses me up for using a hose pipe. The plan is to go mental watering everything in sight over the weekend to wind them up plus I'm experimenting with the grey water for car washing.

If anybody's interested, I'll figure out how to post piccies later.

David Lock

Sorry to hear that - my parents didn't look too bad........

Reality

for someone who can work out how to re-use grey water posting pics on the internet should be a doddle

Flatcapdriver

The system is simple but I don't 'get' computers.

The pump...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...3/pumpbath.jpg

The water butt...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../waterbutt.jpg

One knackered lawn...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...hosegarden.jpg

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes the lawn to recover.