Aussie Gardening

[Correa]

I'm currently researching greywater (to free up potable water because it’s a precious resources) and it really appears to be a really viable option as long as what goes into the water is monitored closely, to avoid damage to the soil profile and plants.

I want to install an at home grey water system, and I was wondering if anyone already as a greywater system that could recommend or advise an alternative.

There are lots of different systems out there and I am a little over whelmed with the information.

[MuddyKnees]

We use a simple water diverter "switch" under th\ elaundry tub ( where the washing machine water is pumped into). Since I was going to the great expense of having a plumber actually fit up the new 21,000 litre (5000 gals) rainwater tank ( to get the tank rebate and ensure the tank warranty was covered.. And..OK.. I don't like digging deep narrow trenches anymore! ) I got him to do it. He put a hole throught the brick wall to bring the outlet pipe through. I bought some nicely flexible, presumably weather resistent 32 mm plastic pipe (corrugated ) and routed it out of the way and down slope to the flower garden ( mostly roses and irises). After a couple of summers the piping was not liking the U.V. overdoes so I bought some cheaper , larger 50 mm diam stuff and slid the good piping inside it, save the last few metres which is of pretty cheap, easy to replace flexy hose. My good wife turns the diverter off, that is, straight down the gurgler during winter.. In watering weather then lets the first pump-out also go down it but then diverts the rest onto the flower beds.. She uses"Bio Attack" detergent..
If I knew how I would post a photo or two of the flowers.. it shows that they suffer not in the least for the experience..
I never entertained the thought of storing the grey water.. in it's untreated form it..well..stinks!
Your own system will depend on where you save the water from, how much, and to what expense are you willing to go to achieve it.
Hope this helps!

[micks74]

i have been pumping my washing machine water on my lawn for years, i have the best grass in the street !
people tell me to divert the first rinse but i dont bother.
not sure how this water would go on your vegies & more delicate gardens though, but for your lawn, just pump it straight out

[Correa]

Thanks that’s all very helpful.

I currently just have a hose hooked up to my washing machine with a sprinkler on it. Then I move it around as I please, simple, easy and it works fine. A few people I know have had trouble with dripper systems because they keep clogging with hair, fluff and then algae were building up in the pipes. I haven't had any of these dramas have either of you?

The storing of grey water honestly sounds like a pain, it shouldn't be stored for any longer than 24 hours and your right it does smell, and it goes anaerobic.

Just the thing about the vegetables, the EPA lists grey water as not suitable for use on vegies. However research has currently been done by my lecture at uni, that somewhat disagrees with what the EPA have to say.

The main point of focus were don't use grey water on the vegetables 7 days prior to eating, avoid if possible shower and sink water because that’s contains most of the potential nasties in our home and avoid direct contact with the foliage. It’s all very interesting however I can't guarantee that information its just research, its just not as bad as the EPA make it out.

I find all this very interesting and there is a downloadable pfd called "Amenity Horticulture Recycled Water pdf" and if you type that into Google it comes up. Absolutely fantastic read, and well worth at least looking at if you’re considering using recycled water at home or at your business.

I’m glade your lawn and flowers look fantastic. How many years have you been watering them? I was a little concerned, because there is still a lot of unknown about potential long term effects on the soil and if neither of you have noticed any effects that’s a comforting thought.

Thank you again

[grosh147]

our laundry water is piped under a footpath and i have grown taro with only it for the past 5 years and no other water i also grow a sea grape and it is about 7 feet tall and also only on grey water. none of these plants would survive hear otherwise as they are both waterway plants and i wandered if they would survive the detergents etc but they both thrive i've just planted a banana sucker there as well, and am waiting to see how it goes

[aussiegardener]

Heres some links on grey water use, including the one mentioned above:
http://www.irrigation.org.au/assets/pag ... 0FINAL.pdf
http://www.recycledwater.com.au/

[Correa]

The first one is the same pdf, I was talking about! Thanks I was feeling a bit lazy and couldn’t be bothered to find and add in the link. It’s a Very long but invaluable resource, even gives you plant lists of there tolerances of salt, boron, nitrogen and a lot of others which are in excess in grey water.

That’s really interesting grosh, because the detergents are a bit of a worry. There is potential for them to form hydrophobic compounds within the soils that repel water and they would be extremely difficult in try to remove the compounds.

In my area however I was most concerned about salinity. My soil is quite saline as it is, and laundry water tends have a pH between 8 and 10 and have the most number of salts because of the washing powders. So I was really concerned with potential sodicity in the soil, which is the dispersion, swelling and then microscopic slaking of soil aggregates when wet. It destroys soil structure and it can’t be penetrated by roots or water. I also had a lot of old mature plants which are not tolerant of saline conditions.

Another great reference I remember is a company called lanfax who has done a lot of research into the different compositions of detergents, washing powders, fabric softeners etc. It’s really very interesting to compare the supposed ‘biodegradable detergents and powders’

This is there link. http://www.lanfaxlabs.com.au/laundry.htm

Sorry im going into so much detail but I have my final exam on recycled water next week and this is great revision!

[aussiegardener]

Its a very interesting topic and one that more people need to be looking into. Where I live on the Sunshine Coast it is very topical. We have just won a battle to stop the state government building a dam in a very environmentally sensitive area. And now they say instead they will whack a desalination plant on one of our beaches! Instead of spending all that money on those options they could subsidise rain water tanks, waterless toilets and grey water recycling.
Some reading if you are interested:
An opinion piece by a friend of mine and radio personality, Caroline Hutchinson: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/st ... -up-to-us/
And this from a guy who is working on new developments being able to supply 90% of their own water needs: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/st ... the-start/

There are so many other options when looking at our water needs.

[grosh147]

i dont know about the taro but the sea grape as the name suggests tolerates sea water so i assumed it would tolerate alkalines in the detergents, Correa, the other thing you mentioned the hydro whatsit that repels water, well the soil is always wet and grass and weeds flourish and have to be trimmed all the time and have to be pulled out carefully as their roots start choking the taro. also there are always cherry tomatoes which come up themselves, and they also flourish and give us a good crop every year. none of these plants seem to have any ill affects and are quite healthy

[aussiegardener]

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