# Greywater recycling system



## Bulldog Plumbing (Nov 9, 2008)

So we just got finished with the underground piping at this large house we are doing. Finished roughing the first and second floor a couple weeks ago. The DWV were cast iron and water supply was copper. House has 8 full baths and 2 half baths. As we are putting the finishing touches on the underground, the builder walks in and starts talking. Says he has a question. Says the homeowner wants to know how much it would cost to put a greywater system in. I almost fell on the floor.

Anyway, we've never done one before but told him it shouldnt be a problem. Anyone out there ever put one of these systems in? If so, any words of advice, complaints, etc. ? 

This is the website the homeowner sent to the builder Brac Systems Grey Water Recycling

Thanks


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

i did one once in a similar application, lots of bathrooms. three levels. all lavs, all tubs & showers, and laundries went into the gray water system. toilets and kitchen went into the black water. its was about 55% more piping and the trick is to re-train your brain from a convential dwv system. all of the gray water went into a sistern that was treated w/ an enzyme to break down the soaps. then there was a pump system that had an alarm and would kick on automatically if reaching critical high level, and a control to turn it on manually for irrigation.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

They're illegal here, it's a cross connection waiting to happen.


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## grandpa (Jul 13, 2008)

It is a daunting project. The UPC has an appendix on graywater, but many local jurisdictions do not allow. I believe it might require a design certified by a PE to get approval..

I think first question to the homeowner would be....do they really understand the idea....what you CAN and CANNOT do with graywater? Many folks would cavalierly assume you can just take the water out of the tub and dump it in the tulips!

There has already been a very serious cross connection incident involving recycled water, here in San Diego County. And that was recycled, much cleaner than gray! It involved an entire commercial building, including a restaurant!


I looked at that link....it is an interesting concept...using the gray water to flush the toilets. That at least takes out the complications if you really want to put it in the landscape. The potential for some clueless homeowner down the road to blindly tap into that gray supply line for the new sink somewhere....wow!

I have often wondered why in a coastal area like we are , why they didn't pipe sea water out to the residential areas and use that for flushing.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

I haven't seen any residential systems yet but...
I have looked at the BRAC site before.

Here is an interesting read from Water & Waste Water News.

The first case study in the article is the Westbrook Factory Outlet Mall just a few miles down the road from my house. In Westbrook, CT. there is no municipal sewer system and installing a septic system the size that would be required for a facility that size would have taken a vast tract of land. Here they installed a waste treatment system that provides "Recycled" water AKA "Blue Water" to flush all the toilets and urinals in the mall.

It saves about 13,000,000 gallons a year!

There and Back Again | Water & Wastewater News

This was the first project of its nature in the State of Connecticut.
Aside from mall employees worried about a cross connection possibility the system has worked well since its installation. An entire separate "Blue Water" system was run and all pipes in the facility are marked.

I've done quite a bit of work there and it's quite an interesting system.

I predict as we get greener and greener these systems will become quite common. Well worth learning the technology.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

How is trading water efficiency for electrical efficiency green? If the water must be pumped (and cost you money for the electricity) and it costs more to initially build the thing, where is the savings. I don't see a big advantage economically or environmentally.

I suppose if you got your electricity from a renewable source then it would be pretty good but that would add more cost again.


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## richfield (Oct 29, 2008)

I have thrown this exact system out to my contractors and clients. I find people are willing to spend the extra 4-5K to save water. and you can put a waste heat recovery system on the inlet to pre heat your hwt.


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

Protech said:


> How is trading water efficiency for electrical efficiency green? If the water must be pumped (and cost you money for the electricity) and it costs more to initially build the thing, where is the savings. I don't see a big advantage economically or environmentally.
> 
> I suppose if you got your electricity from a renewable source then it would be pretty good but that would add more cost again.


 
Your right, and this is another example of the *GREEN HOAX*.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

I'm all for being green para, it just has to be legit. Unfortunately there are more BS "green" products out there than legit ones. Even the best eco friendly device is useless if it is not designed into a total system.

I think these recycling systems are simply "robbing peter to pay paul".
I think the only place for them would be a location that is prone to water shortages like Texas or Australia and only for economic reasons.


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

It seems like we are headed for green full bore and have been for a while. I am cool with it to a point. But when we start putting the "green friendly" products in a new box that are merely the same products that were in the last box it is going to almost be comical and just cost more.

I do agree we will be forced into many areas and separate DWV systems will exist in the future and I believe in many areas they will become code. The industry has taken off and the rich and famous are biting hard. Therefore I feel it is here to stay. The nice thing... The cost to plumb a new green friendly home has to be nicer than the cost of traditional DWV.


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