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Step 6Video Demo
Here's a video, just to show you a little better what I am trying to do with this system.
I have also started a blog on my home water conservation, solar power, gardening, and other ecological adventures at Ecoprojecteer.net
4/7/2010
I updated the system to a 50 gallon stock tank tub. That holds more water than the smaller tub that I had, and it "reaches" from the drain out to my crawlspace hatch, so I can see what the water level is.
I have also started a blog on my home water conservation, solar power, gardening, and other ecological adventures at Ecoprojecteer.net
4/7/2010
I updated the system to a 50 gallon stock tank tub. That holds more water than the smaller tub that I had, and it "reaches" from the drain out to my crawlspace hatch, so I can see what the water level is.
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then you could just use the same water over and over and over again for washing clothes, or if you wanted to get really fancy you could use a valve or something and use the water for the toilet occasionally (when you wanted to change out the water)
either way awesome idea
There was one time when I was sort of redoing the plants, and I just had some landscaping fabric in there. It would get wet and not dry. I got fruit flys for a few days because of that.
With the regular setup of plants over sand-filter, everything is fine.
The other odd thing is that the drain plug really isn't all the way to the bottom, I can actually get the tube lower than it would be connected to the drain.
That drain plug might make a good spot for an overflow. Instead of running a pipe straight out from it, I would put an elbow on there and have pipe go up to just short of the top of the greywater tank, then over and out.
I would just need to make sure there is an air break so that it wouldn't siphon ALL the water out if the tank overflowed.
I did end up doing exactly what I said above.
One time, my wife was doing laundry and not paying attention at all, and flooded the crawspace a bit...
I put a PVC pipe going into the drain port on the side of the tank. That splits up to a manual drain with a valve on it, and output to the pump, and a pipe that goes vertically up to just shy of the top of the tank, with a tee that's open to the air to prevent siphoning.
Should the tank get too full ( too many loads of laundry in a row for example... ) it will start going out the overflow drain before it would run over the rim of the container.
I have still not added any sort of "automatic filling valve" to the system. The single biggest idea of this system is to save water, and keep it as simple and passive as possible.
Should the toilet get flushed too many times compared to how much laundry we have done, the water level can drop too low. On the rare occasions that it does, I just run a little water from the laundry tub faucet straight down into the graywater tank...... Then I notice it was about time to do a load of laundry anyways.....
I measured, and when they were shooting up, the grew faster than an inch a day!
The marsh grass isn't doing as well. At first, it shot right up, and looked green and healthy. But then it flopped over and looks to be turning yellow.
Other plants are now growing in there as well. I am happy that these "weeds" seem to be springing right up!
The water in the holding tub stays very clean and clear-looking.
I did later replace the marsh plants with "spider plants" and some other plants that grow well in lower light.
I also installed an LED strip light under the upper cabinet, and had that on a timer. It takes almost no electricity, but still gives the plants some light. It's mostly just for winter use when the days are so short.
When there isn't enough water, and the pump runs, it sounds different. I can just run the faucet, and water runs down into the tub, and pumps from there.