What Is Graywater and What’s It Used for?
February 17, 2009 – 9:31 pm by LindsayIf you’re like me and live in a wet place such as the Pacific Northwest, you may not have paid much attention to graywater and water conservation overall, but knowing how to make the best use of the water we have helps protect us from the uncertainties of the future. Recycling graywater for irrigating our backyard gardens and orchards just makes sense, and that’s doubly true when you live in a dry climate where water is scarcer. When you combine graywater recycling with a rain water catchment system, you’re able to significantly lessen your reliance on city water infrastructures.
But let’s not jump ahead here. We want to start with the basics. Such as…
What is graywater?
Graywater is the used water from showers, sinks, bathtubs, and washing machines. It doesn’t include water from dishwashers or toilets (no water that is involved with human waste). In some areas, kitchen sink water is considered graywater (definitions vary a bit depending on local building codes).
In most households, over half the water used results in graywater waste. This means that fairly innocuous water is just being washed down the drains.
Uses for Graywater
The most common residential use for graywater is to irrigate lawns, landscaping beds, and gardens. It can be routed into a drip watering system so that plants can receive moisture even during dry stretches.
Not only does this make sense on the water conservation front, but it’s a heck of a lot easier on you to set up a largely automated system that doesn’t involve you standing outside with a hose and watering your lawn or garden in the evening!
We’ll talk more about installing a graywater collection and distribution system in the future. If you’re looking for more information right now, here are a couple books to check out:
The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems
Tags: graywater, irrigation
One Response to “What Is Graywater and What’s It Used for?”
where I live right now, this would have to be done ‘under cover’. The set up in the photo is quite interesting. Thanks for sharing.
By Carla on Feb 17, 2009