Waste water reuse.

[Weatherlawyer]

"February fills dikes and March licks them out" notwithstanding, it's time to start considering garden irrigation schemes..

My track record so far this year as a weatherforecaster is pretty bad but pencil in April and May as damp patches with a fine June. Just in case there is a drought, those interested in gardening might want to start fitting extensions to their waste outlets to take washing machine and kitchen sink run-off to the vegetable plot.

Waste water might contain a lot of phosphates from washing powders and etc but it is a useful fertiliser to all those not into organic soils. The stuff tends to stink if put in water butts for a long time though.

[meow2222]

the gotcha is salt content. Low salt levels over a couple of years can build up to enough to kill plants, so dont irrigate with dishwasher waste or softened water, nor with kitchen sink pans of salted cook water.

NT

[Douglas de Lacey]

Specially since February filldyke has failed again and standpipes are promised ...

is advertised by metcheck as the "Rest of 2006" though it isn't quite that.

You already collect all your roof run-off, I assume?

Most people use orders of magnitude more powders &c than necessary. Careful housekeeping, pre-rinsing dishes in minimal water &c could probably result in almost potable water.

Douglas de Lacey

[Ian_m]

Softened water does not contain salt. It contains sodium carbonate instead of "hard" calcium carbonate.

The waste from a water softener during regeneration contains calcium chloride and may contain salt if your softener is wasteful.

[Mary Fisher]

Not here. All our butts have been overflowing all winter, it's such a waste...

I begrudge wasting the bathroom dead leg water first thing in the morning. I tried flushing the lav with it but it's not very effective pouring it into the bowl from a bowl, if you know what I mean. Spouse has the answer (blast him, he always has!): flush the lav as usual then immediately pour the otherwise 'waste' water into the cistern before it fills.

We try- but there's been so much ...

I really must try the eco-balls ...

Mary

[Rob Morley]

Why? It will just evaporate and fall again.

[Andy Hall]

Imodium will fix that.....

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

Douglas de Lacey typed

Not helped by the dosing recommendations and broad spouts from the manufacturers.

My washing-up liquid is dispensed by pump and I use very little.

(My Mum uses much more Fairy Liquid 'rinsing' crockery before it goes into the dishwasher than I use for my washing up...)

[meow2222]

Despite the ionic exchanges, plants dont like it I'm told. Though I cant be sure. And dishwashers discharge brine, least mine does.

Mary:

Maybe pipe the sink outlet into the cistern so both dead leg water and hand wash water all go into the cistern for reuse. Use an overflow that goes into the pan and in some cases the sink water may even flush and fill.

Question is what plumbing approach to use to keep it consistently fresh and whiff free. If the sink were mounted on top of the cistern, with the plughole going straight into the water below, I'm sure there would be no problem. A u-bend otoh might not be so clean. Maybe an expert plumber here would know how to ensure this worked without risk of whiff.

IIUC no more effective than a plain water wash.

NT

[Mary Fisher]

Very difficult when the bathroom sink is in another room from the wc! It would take a lot of plumbing. We don't mind portering the water, it's hardly a chore.

You haven't tried them. I intend to.

[Tim Downie]

I know someone who had some. Fine as long as you don't want your clothes too clean and don't mind them smelling. No kidding.

Tim

[meow2222]

true, and irrelevant.

I intend to.

[meow2222]

calculate the energy you use to do it and the energy it saves, its an energy sink.

NT

[Mary Fisher]

I'll judge for myself.

Hearsay isn't reliable.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

In our bodies???

Come ON!

[Guy King]

The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

I've heard that leaping under a fast-moving bus can be dangerous...

[Mary Fisher]

Leaping is usually done OVER things.

Mary

[meow2222]

If you think doing something that wastes energy pointlessly, pays 1p per hour and uses up human energy, which is a valued resource, is a good idea, then go for it. And it appears you do!!

NT

[Mary Fisher]

I need the exercise :-)

[Tim Downie]

Fair enough.

It wasn't what I heard, it was more what I saw and smelt. Still, admittedly only anecdotal. Enough though to convince me that it was another example of snake-oil.

Tim