Multi-drain pipe for laundry greywater harvesting
This inexpensive gravity-fed (no pumps or tanks) system uses common plumbing parts, and no expensive or hard-to-find valves.
Plant your greywater before you plant your higher water use plants (think fruit trees)! That way, you can safely and effectively use the greywater again to grow sustainable abundance!
This system works well for washing machines located within a home—especially when the washing machine is placed against an exterior wall, is in a room having an exterior wall, or there is plumbing access under the floor via a crawl space or basement (these scenarios all offer easy greywater plumbing access).
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:51 Laundry shack option for placing washing machine outdoors on high part of yard for easy gravity-fed distribution of greywater to all points below
1:22 Multiple greywater drain pipes beside the washing machine, each directing greywater to different parts of the landscape and different plantings
1:56 Drain hose from washing machine is moved to different greywater drain pipe (and different plants) with each load of washing
2:10 Keeping your soil aerobic and odor-free
2:35 Greywater-compatible (plant- and soil-friendly soaps and detergents)
3:18 Sewer drain option
3:56 The mulched and vegetated basins where we discharge the greywater
4:20 Plant rain AND greywater BEFORE you plant more water-needy plants such as exotic fruit trees
5:20 Greywater flowing into mulched basin ABOVE mulch level to prevent clogging 6:14 Emphasize perennial plants receiving greywater, as they utilize it all year long, year after year
6:39 Augmenting perennial plants with annual plants also receiving greywater
6:57 Using greywater to irrigate food plants
7:35 Irrigation ollas for subsurface irrigation losing less moisture to evaporation
7:54 More on using greywater to irrigate edible food plants
8:32 More resources
9:13 Harvesting rainwater as a back up irrigation source to the greywater
9:50 How to get my water-harvesting books at deep discount direct from me
Note that this system can also work great for letting your neighbors do their laundry at your place (for a small maintenance fee), so they can learn from using such systems, while helping irrigate your plants.
Its worked well for us and them!
See the new, full-color, revised editions of Brad’s award-winning books
– available a deep discount, direct from Brad:
Volume 1
See appendix 4 to estimate the water needs of your plants, and thus how much of their water needs could be met by your harvested greywater, and other free on-site harvested waters.
Volume 2
See the greywater harvesting chapter in this book for how to estimate your household’s greywater volumes, and for more key information on how to set up a multi-drain pipe system for your washing machine.