Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So I was wondering if some of you with gray water systems could explain a little about how you do it. I could easily drain my cloths washer to a bed, but would the soap not hurt things? I could take my kichen sink to one also, but then where do you wash your chicken hands in fear of somanilla in the bed? Other questions would including pumps, bio-filters etc... If anyone would take the time to explain what they do, it would be much appreciated!

Mark

Kitchen water not a good idea for the reason you stated, plus viruses live hepatitis can be present. Stick to just bathroom and laundry grey water.

The most simple method is a large pipe that won't get blocked with hair from your shower or washing machine going directly to a garden bed or tree. More complex and expensive systems involve stainless steel filters before a settling tank whcih pumps out to the garden on a float switch. You should switch to low or no phospate detergents to be kind to the environment as the grey water may leach into natural waterways.

I simply blocked the external pipe from my washing machine and redirected the flow to a garden where I grew chilli and herbs really well and it cost me very little. I would not spend much money on a greywater system because here (Australia) you get better value for money from buying a rainwater tank, greywater has limited applications, can be expensive to buy and install and in a hot climate an average family house will only produce enough water to keep around 8 square meters of lawn alive. You could potentially catch and use much more rainwater than greywater and you can drink rainwater.

Obviously it is all a balance betweem climate, costs and situation.

Hope this helps

Ah a subject I feel QUALIFIED to answer.

I would agree with most of what you said Simo, I just hope Mark was not intending to use grey water in AP GB's.

I'm not a huge fan of grey water systems either. The systems that have any sort of filtration are too expensive to bother with and at this stage the gov rebates are favouring rain water tanks installations (in Victoria). I think a lot of people are a bit too blazee about the use of grey water espescially from the washing machine.
A washing load of dirty nappies could easlily cause a young child or cat/dog to be quite ill (or worse) if they come into contact with the wastewater drained on to a lawn or veggie garden not to mention human waste (fiescies) is a bad idea for use on any veg garden or other garden for that matter.
The only system I would feel confortable installing would be from the bathroom (bath/shower/basin) and then only if "safe" soap and products were used for use on a rose bed or ornamental garden bed.
Also any STORAGE of grey water must be fully discharged to sewer every 24HRS and also only installed by a LICENSED PLUMBER who would only install a system that will do this.

As noted by the others..........

Gray water not compatible with Aquaponics!!!!!!!!!
Soap and cleaning products not safe for fish!!!!!!!!!!

That said, the best gray water systems are the simplest ones, like sending the washing machine water out to mulch pits around trees (probably not appropriate if washing cloth nappies of babies though, that should go to sewer or septic system.)
No storage of gray water because if it sits, it becomes septic and no longer safe.

Other simple means of using gray water. Kitchen sink, carry dishpan out and water garden plants or compost pile.
Bucket in shower/tub for flushing toilet. (I don't use this one as we humanure compost and therefore don't deficate into a bowl of clean drinking water in the first place so we don't need to flush the toilet.)

This is our grey water system...
sorry about the blurry pic.
It takes all grey water...washing machine, shower, kitchen dunny water is 'black water'.

It has been in operation for about 10 years, no one has gotten sick from it, and quite a few are happy to eat tomatoes from there.
Oh and bananas, citrus (grapefruit), choc mint.
The outflow past the maze ( a 30 mtr zigzag) with gravel dams and sedges seems to do a good job.
But the first chamber smells.

I will get another pic tomorrow.

Yep, I don't have a problem with using grey water (laundry and shower) on my soil garden...

But I wouldn't run it in my AP system... just too hard to tell what sort of stuff is in most hair products... and washing powders...

Having said that... I had a meeting today, with a company rep that manufactures "grey water" systems.... (incorporating RO, and a new propritary method) ... that have been tested to be better than local Sydney Water tap water...

They are looking at incorporating aquaponics as a further "polishing"/reuse of their water output...

That sounds promising!

Mark,
Check out this site
http://www.greywater.com/
Looks interesting.
KM

I have all the bits and pieces just not connected yet
2 black rubbish bins one is a bio filter rock sand charcoal
drains into a second bin with a sump pump
Will be plumbed to shower hand basins and eventually washing machine (but currently my dishwasher and washing machine share the same plumbing)
I have plumbing going up to the palm trees and will have to plumb down to the veggies.
Bought a tap/diverter that fits on the pvc outlet pipe

I already have three rain water tanks and I am also connected to town water (but its too expensive to use).

Keep the grey water system simple and cheap. I run the washing machine discharge to an alternative 2 inch pipe and drain it directly to a pit filled with one inch gravel and planted with bamboo. The pit is 6 ft. by 12 ft. and in one year the four sticks of bamboo has become several dozen, half filling the pit. The dairy goats love bamboo and will take care of thinings after the pit gets to full.

Some pointers..... keep elbows to minimum, use at least 1 1/2 inch pipe, keep discharge underground or gravel, place shut off valves in buckets to be assesable. Do not try to reduce flow to one area, use valves to shut off areas or will plug valves up. Do not glue fittings so that flushing and cleaning possible. Keep original drain in place and valve off grey water system if required because of plugging or freezing. Plant only stuff that will tolerate the sodium and phostphate build up, and during dry spells flood with clean water to prevent over dosing with those toxins.

i have seen two home made systems that looked great..

1 had the drain from the shower into a series of old baths... from memory there was 20 or so of them.. the baths had gravel in them and reeds... i guess it was the reed bed system.. they had donkeys that happily drank from about the 15th beds...

the other sysytem drained into a large worm farm..which i think took care of the soap residue...
draining from bath to a circle of bananas or bamboo would probably work too...

as long as the runoff didnt get into the natural water systems... by heavily planting out the area and using swales...

using a softer eco friendly soap would be a given in these setups...

i would argue that if you can get grey water through an R.O unit then its treated water not grey anymore, anything that can pass through a 1 ( might be 5 ) angstrom filter is unlikely to be considered dirty in water terms
guess its all in the name, good idea though
Cheers
pete

The company I met with manufactures "grey water" systems Pete... and utilise R.O as part of their "treatment".... exactly so that it is no longer "grey water"....

On a similar topic. does anyone know of any companies that supply, install and maintain blackwater recycling systems?

My banana patch already gets most of my greywater, but I would be interested to investigate actual costs to go pretty much off grid with sewer and water.

I don't know about installing a "blackwater system" but you could read the Humanure Handbook.
Read an older edition free online
http://www.weblife.org/humanure/default.html
Or order the book from the source
http://humanurehandbook.com/store/THE-HUMANURE-HANDBOOK.html

Skip wasting water on transporting waste and compost it. I've been humanure composting since 2006. We started doing it when we lived in an apartment which was kinda a challenge. Much easier with a big old fashion compost bin in the back yard. House has a regular flush toilet and a septic system but the flusher only gets used when there are guests that wouldn't understand a sawdust bucket toilet.