Dump the drains of stuff like shower/tub , dishwasher , etc into a tank . Let the drain draw from the bottom , where it's coolest . Use the waste heat to heat a thermal storage mass - like a massive stone feature wall . I HATE to throw heat away in winter ! Especially when it costs me $ .10 a Kw/hr .
I think a better way to salvage the heat is to pump that gray water through plastic tubing in the floor similar to a floor heating system. In my mind, such a system could never be used to heat a house, but would simply reduce the demands on the house's conventional heating system, thereby saving money for the homeowner.
New warm water could be added by a second higher pressure pump and a pressure relief valve somewhere on the tubing could dump exactly the same amount of cooler older water into the drain or perhaps a large storage tank for flushing toilets.
The problems, however would be in the practical considerations and the economics. Food particles and the cooking oil/water emulsion from the dish washer and soap scum from the shower/tub would cake up and clog the inside of the tubing. And, of course, buttons, lint, thread and the like from the clothes washer would cause no end of problems with the pump impeller section and cause blockages in the grey water tubing and the pressure relief valve to malfunction. Then, repairing those problems would eat away the accumulated savings.
I want a fart recovery system since the greenhouse gas coming out of my tailpipe can be burned in my gas appliances. I thought of activated charcoal undershorts which could be changed daily and dropped into a gas recovery unit powered by solar energy or from heating the unit by burning the gas itself on cloudy days. ^_^
TDD
I knew this had to be too good of an idea to be original to me ... that said , I believe I can build one cheaper than I can buy it - if it is even available here . And I'll have plenty of space under the house on the downhill side , where the kitchen will be . I'll bet this in conjunction with an instant hot water heater would be a great combo !
I shower with the bath tub drain closed. I open the drain after the water is good and cold. So, the BTU stay in my home.
Helps cut down on the two gal or so of water I put in my floor model humidifier.
My Mom's house is desperate dry, in the winter. I'd like to get her a humidifier, but that's a whole different project.
The charcoal would burn, in properly designed burner. So, there is merit to your suggestion.
You can also put your warm urine in the fridge, and the compressor / freon will extract the BTU before you pour it down the drain.
Drain all that water through a tank inside a refrigerator. The pump and freon will extract the heat into the house, and then only cold chilled water will go into the drain.
I agree. In summer, my gas bill for running the water heater plus some gas grilling outside is typically $17. Which gives you a good idea that there isn't all that much $$ to be recovered by trying to capture some heat from the waste water. What are you going to recover? $2? IMO, there are plenty of things way ahead of that in terms of payback in saving energy from a cost/benefit standpoint. You'd never pay for the cost of the recovery system.
Oh, you gave me a mean idea but I can't do it. My roommate likes a yellowish mango juice to mix with his vodka. Heck, he might never notice. ^_^
TDD
Maybe not after the second drink? But, I suspect you're too good a man to do that to anyone.
In NY a couple years ago, someone mixed auto antifreeze with her boyfriend's cocktail mix in the fridge. Dead boyfriend, and woman in jail on charges.
Heck, my pee may not be toxic but there are a lot of drugs in it. ^_^
TDD
The heat helps perk up your septic system to keep it working properly in the winter. If you want to save energy, setup a pre-heater to heat the water with your wood stove before it goes to the electric WH.
In the early years, penicillin was reclaimed via urine, and used for the next patient. I remember something about the police in some UK town having to catch all their wee, to help with the production of penicillin.
Energy inefficient. Costs more energy than you recover (as always). Bettter to just put it in an uninsulated tank and let it cool naturally.
Harry K
How does that compare to heat pumps? Some what the same process, moving heat.
Pretty much what I had in mind . Plastic tanks are relatively cheap , bury it under the kitchen with the top few inches exposed . Insulate the sides and bottom , we ain't heatin' the ground . I figger a couple hundred gallons , enough thermal mass to moderate temps in addition to the heat reclaimed .
Wouldn't it be more efficient to pee on the floor and let the heat disperse?
That's an option, but the refrig gets more BTU than the floor plan.
Snag:
If you want to conserve heat, lemme tell you a fast easy way to save yourself a lot of money by conserving heat:
You go to Wal-Mart and buy:
When you get home, strip down and put the t-shirt and long underwear on. Then put your normal casual indoor clothing on. And, finally, put the slippers on.
Now, walk over to your house's thermostat and turn it down.
Doing that will save you a lot more money than trying to salvage the heat from the warm and hot water going down your drains because you spend considerably more money heating your house than you do heating the water you use. So, the greatest potential for savings is to be had by reducing your home heating costs.
At a big cost in energy. Laws of thermo:
"You can't win, you can't break even and you can't even get out of the game."
Harry K
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