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Create an Oasis with Greywater

Integrated Design for Water Conservation: Reuse, Rainwater Harvesting & Sustainable Landscaping

Revised and Expanded 6th Edition by Art Ludwig







“Greywater for dummies and greywater encyclopedia in one information goldmine.”

—Dan Chiras, author, The New Ecological Home; The Solar House

$22.95 The New Create an Oasis only 978-0-9643433-3-7

New Greywater Book and Video Set: The New Create an Oasis, Builder's Greywater Guide, Principles of Ecological Design, Laundry to Landscape instructional DVD $51.80 ($13 savings)

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Create an Oasis shows you how to:

Save freshwater by irrigating with washwater

Relieve strain on your septic tank

Purify wastewater without energy or chemicals

Increase your water security

Make your home more resilient to drought, flood, and climate change

Other topics include: why to use or not use grey water, health guidelines, grey water sources, irrigation requirements, 17 system examples and selection chart, biocompatible cleaners, grey water plumbing principles and components, maintenance and troubleshooting, freezing, rain, preserving soil quality, storing rainwater, compendium of common grey water errors and preferred practices, suppliers, and references.

This 6th edition of the world’s best-selling greywater book includes extensive revisions to every page, a dozen pages of new text, and dozens of new photos and figures, as well as complete information on the Laundry to Landscape system (from the originator of this design). Do-it-yourself Laundry to Landscape is the simplest, least expensive, lowest-effort way to get the most greywater onto the home landscape.

This book is of interest to homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, back-to-the-landers, conservationists, gardeners, developers, builders, plumbers, regulators, policy makers, development workers, and researchers.

If your project is going to involve permitting, inspection, codes, building a system for someone else, writing or applying codes, or greywater research, you will also want our Builder's Grey Water Guide (book). These two are available as a set—see

Books & articles .

^ Top ^ | Reviews | What This Book Is About | Greywater Basics | The Gravity Drum | Health Considerations | More Excerpts | Table of Contents

“You’ll be in deep greywater without this book!”

—Jeff Oldham, Real Goods Head Technician

“The best, must-have resource on greywater. This thorough book presents almost every design variation on greywater systems, from the simplest to the most complex, and gives the pros, cons, and cost of each, both in dollars and environmental terms.”

—David Dobbs, Editor, Harrowsmith Country Life

What This Book Is About

Humans enjoying their role as responsible stewards of the water cycle.

Create an Oasis with Greywater describes how to choose, build, and use 17 types of residential greywater reuse systems in just about any context: urban, rural, or village. It explains how you can put together a simple greywater system in an afternoon for under $50. It also includes information for taking your greywater reuse to the next level: integrating it with water efficiency, rainwater use, and food production. This book includes:

How to clarify your goals, and how various greywater system options can serve you

The sameGreywater Site Assessment/System Checklist (PDF) and procedures I use for my design consulting

and procedures I use for my design consulting Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Greywater plumbing principles and procedures in detail

Information on soils and plants, tools and parts

Several of our own original design innovations to improve greywater systems' longevity, simplify maintenance, and reduce environmental impacts

Real-life examples of greywater designs for a wide range of contexts

This book offers underlying design principles as well as design specifics. If you run

into a situation not specifically covered, you'll likely be able to use these general principles to figure it out yourself.

Most of the world’s aquifers are being pumped faster than replenished, and all reservoirs are slowly diminishing in capacity as they fill with sediment. At the same time, natural surface waters and groundwaters are being degraded by the wastewater continually dumped into them. Greywater reuse enables you personally to do more with the same amount of water and to increase your water security. At the same time, your greywater reuse reduces the problems of supply and pollution for everyone.



Any greywater system will realize some benefits. Obtaining all the potential benefits is trickier than it seems. Many pitfalls await the unwary. In the average installation, this book will pay for itself many times over in savings on construction, maintenance, and errors avoided.



Most of the information otherwise available on greywater comes from vendors. Oasis Design doesn’t sell greywater systems, so you don’t have to worry that we’re steering you toward stuff you don’t need. Rather, we make our living by providing information to help people have a higher quality of life with lower environmental impact.

Wishing you the best of luck with your projects,

Art Ludwig

^ Top ^ | Reviews | What This Book Is About | Greywater Basics | The Gravity Drum | Health Considerations | More Excerpts | Table of Contents

“Ludwig is a water visionary... The most practical and complete presentation of the subject I have seen.”

—Michael MacCaskey, Editor-in-Chief, National Gardening

Chapter 1: Greywater Basics

First, let’s get your feet wet (so to speak)—what is greywater, what can you do with it, why, how, and some greywater lingo.

What Is Greywater?

Any wastewater generated in the home, except water from toilets, is called greywater. Dish, shower, sink, and laundry greywater comprise 50–80% of residential “wastewater.” Greywater may be reused for other purposes, especially landscape irrigation.

Toilet-flush water is called blackwater. A few systems that can safely recycle toilet water are included in this book.

Contaminated or difficult-to-handle greywater, such as solids-laden kitchen sink water or water used to launder diapers, I call “dark greywater”; most regulators consider these blackwater. However, the level of pathogens in even the darkest greywater is a small fraction of that in blackwater.1

Wastewater without added solids, such as warm-up water from the hot water faucet, reverse-osmosis purifier drain water, or refrigerator compressor drip, is called clearwater.

Reclaimed water is highly treated mixed municipal greywater and blackwater, usually piped to large-volume users such as golf courses via a separate distribution system. It is outside the scope of this book.

What Can You Do with Greywater?

Conventional plumbing systems dispose of greywater via septic tanks or sewers. The many drawbacks of this practice include overloading treatment systems, contaminating natural waters with poorly treated effluent, and high ecological/economic cost.

Greywater reuse follows the same principles that make wild rivers clean…even though they drain many square miles of dirt, worms, and feces. Beneficial bacteria break down nasties into water-soluble plant food, and the plants eat it, leaving pure water. The author is shown here deeply absorbed in his tireless study of this process.

Instead, you can reuse this water. The most common reuse of greywater is for irrigation—the focus of this book. It can also be cascaded to toilet flushing or laundry. Even a greywater-only dispersal system has less negative impact than septic/sewer dispersal, because the beneficial bacteria and roots in the topsoil are better than anything else at treating water.

Why Use Greywater?

It is said that there is no such thing as “waste,” just misplaced resources. Greywater systems turn “wastewater” and its nutrients into useful resources. Why irrigate with drinking water when most plants thrive on used water containing small bits of compost?

Unlike many ecological stopgap measures, greywater use is part of the fundamental solution to many ecological problems. It will probably remain an essentially unchanged feature of ecological houses in the distant future. The benefits of greywater recycling include:

Reduced use of freshwater —Greywater can replace freshwater for some uses. This saves money and increases the effective water supply, especially in regions where irrigation is needed. Residential water use, on average, is almost evenly split between indoors and outdoors. Most water used indoors can be reused outdoors for irrigation, achieving the same result with less water diverted from nature.

—Greywater can replace freshwater for some uses. This saves money and increases the effective water supply, especially in regions where irrigation is needed. Residential water use, on average, is almost evenly split between indoors and outdoors. Most water used indoors can be reused outdoors for irrigation, achieving the same result with less water diverted from nature. Less strain on septic tanks or treatment plants —Greywater, which comprises the majority of the wastewater stream, contains vastly fewer pathogens than blackwater and 90% less nitrogen (a nutrient that is a problematic water pollutant). Reducing a septic system's flow by getting greywater out greatly extends its service life and capacity. For municipal treatment systems, decreased flow means higher treatment effectiveness and lower costs.

—Greywater, which comprises the majority of the wastewater stream, contains vastly fewer pathogens than blackwater and 90% less nitrogen (a nutrient that is a problematic water pollutant). Reducing a septic system's flow by getting greywater out greatly extends its service life and capacity. For municipal treatment systems, decreased flow means higher treatment effectiveness and lower costs. More effective purification —Greywater is purified to a spectacularly high degree in the upper, most biologically active region of the soil. This protects the quality of natural surface and groundwaters. Topsoil is a purification engine many times more powerful than engineered treatment plants, or even in septic systems, which discharge wastewater deeper into the subsoil.3

—Greywater is purified to a spectacularly high degree in the upper, most biologically active region of the soil. This protects the quality of natural surface and groundwaters. Topsoil is a purification engine many times more powerful than engineered treatment plants, or even in septic systems, which discharge wastewater deeper into the subsoil.3 Feasibility for sites unsuitable for a septic tank —For sites with slow soil percolation or other problems, a greywater system can partially or completely substitute for a costly, over-engineered septic system. (In extreme cases this can enable otherwise undevelopable lots to be built on—a double-edged sword environmentally.)

—For sites with slow soil percolation or other problems, a greywater system can partially or completely substitute for a costly, over-engineered septic system. (In extreme cases this can enable otherwise undevelopable lots to be built on—a double-edged sword environmentally.) Reduced use of energy and chemicals —Due to the reduced amount of freshwater and wastewater that needs pumping and treatment. If you provide your own water or electricity, you’ll benefit directly from lessening this burden. Also, processing wastewater in the soil under your fruit trees definitely encourages you to dump fewer toxins down the drain.

—Due to the reduced amount of freshwater and wastewater that needs pumping and treatment. If you provide your own water or electricity, you’ll benefit directly from lessening this burden. Also, processing wastewater in the soil under your fruit trees definitely encourages you to dump fewer toxins down the drain. Groundwater recharge —Greywater application in excess of plant needs recharges the natural store of water in the ground. Abundant groundwater keeps springs flowing and trees growing in intervals between rains.

—Greywater application in excess of plant needs recharges the natural store of water in the ground. Abundant groundwater keeps springs flowing and trees growing in intervals between rains. Plant growth —Greywater can support a flourishing landscape where irrigation water might otherwise not be available.

—Greywater can support a flourishing landscape where irrigation water might otherwise not be available. Reclamation of nutrients —Loss of nutrients through wastewater disposal in rivers or oceans is a subtle but highly significant form of erosion. Reclaiming otherwise wasted nutrients in greywater helps to maintain the land’s fertility.2,3

—Loss of nutrients through wastewater disposal in rivers or oceans is a subtle but highly significant form of erosion. Reclaiming otherwise wasted nutrients in greywater helps to maintain the land’s fertility.2,3 Increased awareness of, and sensitivity, to natural cycles —The greywater user, by having a reason to pay more attention to the annual progression of the seasons, the circulation of water between the Earth and the sky, and the needs of plants, benefits intangibly but greatly by participating directly in the wise husbandry of vital global nutrient and water cycles.

—The greywater user, by having a reason to pay more attention to the annual progression of the seasons, the circulation of water between the Earth and the sky, and the needs of plants, benefits intangibly but greatly by participating directly in the wise husbandry of vital global nutrient and water cycles. Just because—Greywater is fairly harmless and great fun to experiment with. Moreover, life with alternative waste treatment is less expensive and more interesting...

Does Greywater Matter?

Viewed from any single, narrow perspective, greywater systems don’t look that important. A low-flow showerhead can save water with less effort. A septic system can treat greywater almost as well.

But when you look at the whole picture—how everything connects—the keystone importance of greywater is revealed.

Ecological systems design is about context, and integration between systems. The entirety of integrated, ecological design can be reduced to one sentence: do what's appropriate for the context.

Ecological systems—rainwater harvesting, runoff management, passive solar, composting toilets, edible landscaping—all of these are more context sensitive than their counterparts in conventional practice; that's most of what makes them more ecological.

And greywater systems are more context sensitive than any other man-made ecological system, and more connected to more other systems.

Get the greywater just right, and you’ve got most of the whole package right, and that’s what matters.

“It is amazing that human civilization has learned how to reach the moon and how to explode a nuclear bomb, but not how to use water properly. But now we have no excuse to remain ignorant. Art Ludwig’s books inform and inspire us to get in touch with the basic, precious, and sacred element of water. They are survival guides in the age of global warming.”

—Satish Kumar, Editor, Resurgence magazine

^ Top ^ | Reviews | What This Book Is About | Greywater Basics | The Gravity Drum | Health Considerations | More Excerpts | Table of Contents

Excerpt ~ Drain to Mulch Basin/Drain Out Back

Excerpt ~ Standard Mulch Basin For New Planting

Cutaway view of a double ell, a flow-splitting fitting that is largely self-cleaning with no filtration. This one is part of the first known Branched Drain network. I tested it for half a year: valiantly tried to clog it with pure kitchen sink water—took the sink strainer out and pushed bowls of soggy granola and pot scrapings down the pipe. The

P-trap clogged every other day, but the Branched Drain network never did.

Excerpt ~ Branched Drain

For sites with continuous downhill slope from greywater source to

irrigated areas, Branched Drain systems provide inexpensive, reliable,

automated distribution with almost no maintenance. Branched Drains have

no filter, pump, surge tank, or openings smaller than 1" (2.5 cm).



All variations of this system meet legal requirements in Arizona and other

states that regulate greywater rationally. A friendly inspector can issue a permit for this system under the CPC/UPC. Chapters 9 and 10 explore every aspect of Branched Drain systems in detail.

Excerpt ~ Laundry to Landscape

The Laundry to Landscape (L2L) system is the simplest, least expensive, lowest-effort way to get the most greywater onto the home landscape. It is the greywater system most suited for professional installation by landscapers, yet it is also DIY and renter-friendly. Odds are it makes sense

for you…and even if not, like the Branched Drain chapters, this section intersects some important

greywater design principles from a new angle and is worth reading. (The L2L is an Art Ludwig

original design, developed to address the need for a more prime-time-ready laundry greywater

system when California agreed to our request to make laundry-only systems permit-exempt.)

Laundry to Landscape (web-updated)

Laundry to Landscape (PDF 1mb) as it appears in the 2009 printing

^ Top ^ | Reviews | What This Book Is About | Greywater Basics | The Gravity Drum | Health Considerations | More Excerpts | Table of Contents

“The Oasis greywater book is a powerful tool for the professional and homeowner alike. As water becomes the commodity this century that oil was in the past, this book will be required reading for those who want to control their own destinies and responsibly steward an increasingly dwindling resource: clean water.”

—Jonathan Todd, President, John Todd Ecological Design

Excerpt ~ Health Considerations

In practice, the health risk of greywater use has proven minimal to nonexistent. It is, after all, the water you just bathed in, or the residue from clothes you wore not long ago. Despite all sorts of grievous misuse (brought on in part by lack of useful regulatory guidance), there has not been a single documented case of greywater-transmitted illness in the US. Nonetheless, greywater may contain infectious organisms. It's poor form to construct pathways for infecting people, and totally unnecessary. Keep this in mind when designing and using a system.

All greywater safety guidelines stem from these two principles:

Greywater must pass slowly through healthy topsoil for natural purification to occur. Design your greywater system so no greywater-to-human contact occurs before purification.

Here are examples of possible health-related greywater problems and their solutions:

Direct contact or consumption — Solutions: Carefully avoid cross connections (accidental connections between freshwater and greywater plumbing). Label greywater plumbing, including greywater garden hoses. Use gloves when cleaning greywater filters. Wash your hands after contact with greywater.

— Carefully avoid cross connections (accidental connections between freshwater and greywater plumbing). Label greywater plumbing, including greywater garden hoses. Use gloves when cleaning greywater filters. Wash your hands after contact with greywater. Microorganisms on plants —Direct application to foliage can leave untreated microorganisms on surfaces. Solution: Don’t apply greywater to lawns, or to fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw (e.g., strawberries, lettuce, or carrots). Greywatering fruit trees is acceptable if the greywater is applied under mulch.

—Direct application to foliage can leave untreated microorganisms on surfaces. Don’t apply greywater to lawns, or to fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw (e.g., strawberries, lettuce, or carrots). Greywatering fruit trees is acceptable if the greywater is applied under mulch. Pathogen overload —Greywater systems are safest when reusing water that is fairly clean initially. Solutions: Greywater should not contain water used to launder soiled diapers or generated by anyone with an infectious disease. In both cases, greywater should be diverted to the septic tank or sewer. Also, don't store greywater; use it within 24 hours, before bacteria multiply.

—Greywater systems are safest when reusing water that is fairly clean initially. Greywater should not contain water used to launder soiled diapers or generated by anyone with an infectious disease. In both cases, greywater should be diverted to the septic tank or sewer. Also, don't store greywater; use it within 24 hours, before bacteria multiply. System overload —If you are having a party and 50 people are going to use a system designed for two, consider diverting greywater to the sewer for the night.

—If you are having a party and 50 people are going to use a system designed for two, consider diverting greywater to the sewer for the night. Breathing of microorganisms —Droplets from sprinklers can evaporate to leave harmful microorganisms suspended in the air, where people may breathe them. Solution: Don’t broadcast greywater with sprinklers.

—Droplets from sprinklers can evaporate to leave harmful microorganisms suspended in the air, where people may breathe them. Don’t broadcast greywater with sprinklers. Chemical contamination —Biological purification does not usually remove industrial toxins. Toxins will either be absorbed by plants or pollute groundwater. Many household cleaners are unsuitable for introduction into a biological system. Solutions: Divert greywater that contains chemicals so they poison the sewer or septic instead. Better yet, don't buy products that you wouldn't want in your greywater system.

—Biological purification does not usually remove industrial toxins. Toxins will either be absorbed by plants or pollute groundwater. Many household cleaners are unsuitable for introduction into a biological system. Divert greywater that contains chemicals so they poison the sewer or septic instead. Better yet, don't buy products that you wouldn't want in your greywater system. Contamination of surface water —Greywater needs to percolate through the soil, or else it might flow untreated into creeks or other waterways. Solutions: Discharge greywater underground or into a mulch-filled basin to contain it and slow its movement toward surface waters or groundwater. Don’t apply greywater to saturated soils. Apply greywater intermittently so that it soaks in and the soil can aerate between waterings. In general, greywater that is confined subsurface or within mulch basins at least 50' (15m) from a creek or lake is not a problem.

—Greywater needs to percolate through the soil, or else it might flow untreated into creeks or other waterways. Discharge greywater underground or into a mulch-filled basin to contain it and slow its movement toward surface waters or groundwater. Don’t apply greywater to saturated soils. Apply greywater intermittently so that it soaks in and the soil can aerate between waterings. In general, greywater that is confined subsurface or within mulch basins at least 50' (15m) from a creek or lake is not a problem. Contamination of groundwater or well—It is all but impossible to contaminate groundwater with a greywater system, as the treatment capacity of the topsoil is so enormous. Over 90% of plant roots and beneficial microorganisms are in the top few feet of soil, above most septic leachfields. However, if you have a poorly sealed well, greywater running over the surface could potentially pour into it. Solution: The CPC/UPC greywater codes, which are just crude adaptations of septic tank codes, call for 50' of separation between location of greywater application and a well, same as a septic. Probably half of this is sufficient.

^ Top ^ | Reviews | What This Book Is About | Greywater Basics | The Gravity Drum | Health Considerations | More Excerpts | Table of Contents

“In my youth we pumped every cup of water we used by hand, from a well 80 feet deep. Our water from washing clothes and dishes my grandmother threw over her dahlias with a fine, scything action. I recommend this book, which describes many equally beneficial and cheap systems as well as more automated ones.”

—Bill Mollison, The Permaculture Institute

Excerpt ~ Graphs for Home Water Budget, Water and Climate Commons Effects

Home water budget before/ after water makeover, impacts on water and climate commons.

More excerpts

Common grey water mistakes

System selection chart (PDF)

Greywater Site Assessment/System Checklist (PDF)

Greywater links

Book index (HTML or PDF)

Table of Contents

What This Book Is About

Introduction

Chapter 1: Greywater Basics

What Is Greywater? • What Can You Do with Greywater? • Why Use Greywater? • When Not to Use Greywater • Elements of a Greywater System

Chapter 2: Goals and Context

Get Clear on Your Goals

Assess Your Context

Greywater Systems Are Very Context Dependent • Site Assessment Example • Does Greywater Matter? • Side Trips and Shortcuts That May Apply to You

Assess Your Site

Assess Your Water Resources • Evaluate Conservation Options • Assess Existing Wastewater Treatment Facilities • Assess Your Greywater Sources • Check the Slopes and Elevations •Units: gpd, gpw, gpy, or gpdc? • Help! Too Many

Numbers! • Check the Soil Perk • How to Measure Perk v Assess Your Treatment/Dispersal Area • Assess Your Irrigation

Need • Assess the Climate and Forces of Nature • Assess the Regulatory and Social Climate • Appraise the People Part of

the System • Cost-Benefit Analysis • A Note on Lawns • Lawn Statistics

Revisit Your Goals

Chapter 3: Design for Your Context

Integrate Greywater with Other Systems

Health Considerations • Six Factors for Good Natural Purification of Water or Wastewater • Coordinate with Others • General Landscape Design Points • General Landscape Design Points

Connect Greywater Sources with Irrigation or Dispersal Area

Lump or Separate the Greywater Flow? • Multiple Greywater Zones • Provide for Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Practice Optimal, Integrated Design

Relate Well with the Natural Water Cycle

Chapter 4: Greywater Collection Plumbing

General Greywater Plumbing Principles

When to Get Professional Help • Squander No Fall • Collection Plumbing and Inspections • Build for Future Flexibility • Divert Greywater Downstream from Traps and Vents • Note on Surge Tank Collection Plumbing • Provide Cleanouts and Inspection Access • Design for Easy Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Collecting Laundry (Pressurized) Greywater

Collecting Gravity-Flow Greywater

Surge Capacity

Pre-Filter Surge Capacity in Collection Plumbing • Surge Tanks • Surge Capacity in Irrigation Piping• Surge Capacity in the Receiving Landscape • Dosing Siphon

Choosing and Finding Parts

Minimize Plastic Impact • Proper Fittings and Optimal-Size Pipe • Valves

Tools for Collection Plumbing

Radical Plumbing: A Fraction of the Resource Use

Chapter 5: Greywater in the Landscape

How Much Area Do You Need for Treatment/Dispersal? • Coordinate with Freshwater Irrigation, Actualize Water Savings • Irrigation Efficiency • Get Your Freshwater Irrigation Under Control • Choose the Proportion of Irrigation to Meet with Greywater • How Much Area Should You Irrigate? • Effect of Soil Type on Irrigation Design • Effect of Rainwater Harvesting and Runoff Management • What to Do with Greywater When Plants Don’t Need It

Preserving Soil Quality

Garden-Friendly Cleaners • Urine and Salt Balance • The Key Role of Rainwater • Monitoring and Repairing Soil • Toxic Waste Disposal

Plants

Plants for Greywater Reuse • Plants for Greywater Treatment/Dispersal

Mulch Basin Design

Mulch • Basins • Infiltration Capacity of Greywater Mulch Basins • Swales • Post Holes and Auger Holes

Chapter 6: System Selection Chart

Chapter 7: Simple, Easy Greywater Systems

C: Collection Plumbing; I: Irrigation Plumbing; R: Receiving Landscape

Landscape Direct (CIR) • Drain to Mulch Basin/Drain Out Back (CIR) • Movable Drain (IR) • Branched Drain (IR) • Laundry Drum (CIR) • Laundry to Landscape (CIR) • Ecological Laundry • Tools for Transition to Outdoors • Getting Even Distribution • Experimental Adaptations for High-Efficiency Washers • Garden Hose through the Bathroom (CIR) • Dishpan Dump/Bucketing (CIR) • Mulch Basins (R) • Greywater Furrow Irrigation (CIR)

Chapter 8: More Complex Greywater Systems

Drum with Effluent Pump (I) • Subsoil Infiltration Chambers (R) • Solar Greywater Greenhouse (R) • Doug and Sara Balcomb’s Solar Greenhouse in Santa Fe, NM • Green Septic: Tank, Flow Splitters, and Infiltrators (CIR) • Blackwater Reuse Health Warning • Constructed Wetlands (IR) • Automated Sand Filtration to Subsurface Emitters (IR) • Advanced Treatment System to Subsurface Drip (CIR)

Chapter 9: Branched Drain Design

Lessons Learned from the Drain Out Back

Branched Drains to the Rescue

Split the Flow • Contain and Cover the Flow

Advantages and Disadvantages of Branched Drain Systems

Limitations of the Branched Drain System

Branched Drain System Design

Ways to Split the Flow • Parts for Splitting the Flow • Branching Geometry Options • Reductions • Cleanouts, Inspection Access, and Rainwater Inlets • Branched Drain Outlet Design • Mulch Basin Surge Capacity • Branched Drain Mental System Check-Out

Chapter 10: Branched Drain Installation

Double-Check Your Design • Check for Buried Utilities • Dipper Installation • Connect Pipes and Fittings on the Surface without Glue • Dig Trenches • Laying Pipe with Plenty of Slope • Laying Pipe with Marginal Slope • Form Mulch Basins, Install Outlet Chambers, and Plant Trees • System Test • Map the System • Cover Up

Branched Drain Maintenance

Branched Drain Troubleshooting

Branched Drain Variations, Improvements, and Unknowns

Chapter 11: Common Greywater Errors

Error: Assuming It’s Simple • Error: Out of Context Design • Error: Overly Complex, Delicate, and/or Expensive System with Negative Net Benefit • Context Specific Design • Error: Mansion with a Greywater System • Error: Pump Zeal • Error: Storage of Greywater • Error: Paranoia about Negligible Health Concerns and/or Cavalier Disregard for Legitimate Public Health Concerns • Error: Treatment Before Irrigation • How Dangerous Is Greywater? • Error: Discharge of Greywater Directly to Natural Waters or Hardscapes • Error: Greywatering Lawns • Error: Irrigating Vegetables • Error: Irrigating Plants That Can’t Take It or Don't Need It • Error: Garden Hose Directly from the Washer • Error: Perforated Pipe or Other System Where You Can’t Tell or Control Where the Water Is Going • Error: Combined Wastewater Designs Used for Greywater • Error: Freshwater Designs and Hardware Used for Greywater • Error: Inexpensive Greywater-to-Drip Irrigation • Error: Low-Volume Automated Greywater Toilet-Flushing Systems • Error: Use of Government Agencies, Engineering Firms, or Salespeople for Greywater Design • Error: Guidance from Work-in-Progress Codes

Chapter 12: Real World Examples

Example #1: Town—City of Santa Barbara (Branched Drain) • Example #2: Suburbia—Southern California (Branched Drain) • Example #3: No Water—Highland Central Mexico (Various) • Example #4: Too Wet—Oregon (Mulch-Covered Bog) • Example #5: Big Family in New House (Automated Subsurface Emitters)

Where to Go for More Information

The Future of Greywater Use

Appendix A: Site Assessment Form

Appendix B: Measuring Elevation and Slope

Appendix C: Cold Climate Adaptations

Appendix D: Greywater in the Nonindustrialized World

Greywater Furrow Irrigation

Appendix E: Pumps, Filters, and Disinfection

Appendix F: Related Aspects of Sustainable Water Use

Natural Purification • The Household Water Cascade • Natural Purification by Soil Bacteria and Plant Roots • Rainwater Harvesting • Composting Toilets

Appendix G: Greywater Regulation Revolution

Arizona Greywater Law

Appendix H: Measurements and Conversions

Resources

Further Reading and Resources • Suppliers

Index

About the Author

House Features After Water Makeover

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