How to Design a Grey Water System

In order to design a grey water system in your home, you will need to save the grey water from initial washing applications and store it for use. Water is considered "grey" when it has been lightly contaminated with detergent, food particles or soil. While grey water is no longer safe for consumption, you can put it to useful purposes. To save the water for a short period of time, a bucket may be all that you need. Water that you save for more than two days, or that you'll use on edible plants, should be treated and perhaps filtered to ensure safety.

Things You'll Need

• Large buckets
• Dishpan
• Eco-friendly dish soap
• Eco-friendly laundry detergent
• Eco-friendly body soap
• Bowl
• Washing machine
• Septic tank and accessories

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Instructions

• 1

  Collect water that normally would be wasted before you get into the shower. When you turn on the shower and wait for the temperature to warm up, place a large bucket below the stream to collect the water. Let the bucket fill and remove it. You can often transfer it directly to the toilet bowl the next time it needs to be flushed. Grey water poured into the bowl will pass on through the toilet without your pressing the handle. It is best that you pour the grey water directly into the bowl rather than saving it in the tank, because untreated grey water has the potential to cause bacterial growth if it sits in the tank.

• 2

  Scoop water out of the bathtub when you have finished bathing. Using large buckets, collect the bath water and store it for use. Be sure to use eco-friendly soap while bathing.

• 3

  Save grey water from dish washing. Instead of cleaning dishes under running water, wash them in a dishpan, using eco-friendly dish soap. This water can be used in many applications like toilet flushing, irrigation and other cleaning projects. This is true as long as the grey water does not contain large food particles, in which case it should not be reused. Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl and save this water, as well.

• 4

  Capture the water from the rinse cycle of your washing machine. Detach the drainage hose from the wall before the rinse cycle begins, and place the end of the hose into a large bucket. If the hose empties into a wash basin, plug the basin to catch the gray water. Remember to reattach the hose to the wall after the machine has drained. Use eco-friendly laundry detergent in order for the grey water to be safe for reuse.

• 5

  Give unused drinking water to pets to drink. Water that is left over from the tap or commercially produced bottled water qualifies as drinking water. Water given to animals should not contain soap, food or waste products.

• 6

  Treat grey water that is to be saved. Purchase a septic tank in which to store your grey water. The septic tank system will come with the chemicals and filters that you will need to clean and maintain the water's integrity. Use this water within one year of storage.