Do you know if this grey water use is legal in all of California or does the authority lies with the Counties? I had people give me conflicting information and I just would like to be sure.
If you haven't already, please make sure to transition to garden safe soap and install a microfiber filter so the polyester fibers from your clothes don't leach into the plants!
@@tamtam4049Just Googled it and Aubrey Organics was acquired by Nutraceutical International Corporation about five years ago. Some say the formula changed so do your research before using
very good comment.We re-use out washing machine water to water trees and grass but it is a very crude system, basically just dumps out into the center of the back yard thru a pipe I played underground from the washer. we for sure have issue with clothing fibers especially right around where the water exits, it looks ugly just creates an area with lint stuck to the lawn. we do use bio safe plant based detergent and that works well, so far after 15 years of doing this the grass is still thriving and it doesn't get all sudsy looking out there. maybe I will change to a little different system with a filter to get rid of the lint that collects on the grass around the outlet! I wish everyone around here would try to re-use even just some of their grey water, we are in phoenix and water is getting increasingly limited and expensive.
Actually many cities (at least in germany, but the problem should be the same) have huge problems with sewage systems not being used enough (as once speced) because people conserve water. As a result the systems don't work well anymore and stuff (no further comments ;)) isn't moved through the system correctly and settles in the pipes. The normal fix is, that the cities use huge amounts of water to flush the sewage systems. So in the end no one really wins.
@@stefan514 Wow that's interesting never really thought of that. I think it makes sense for more rural area where people use septic tanks anyway but for the city and large suburbs obviously It has negative consequences.
@@stefan514 another reason why I don't understand why the hell I still wanna save water and Doo aquapinics and all this crud because the rich noooo mater what are eventually gonna be saving every last drop they can if they ain't already. Then when they take as much as they can to space all the homeless can take there old property's....... O wait by that time they will have ak robots standing gard every one sooooo never mind they can do an digdiggieholehole and go F off sadly...
Thank you for wearing shoes that covered your toes when working with the jackhammer (once a mother, always a mother! I feel protective of my youtubers). Way to go Jacques!
Kevin, there are so many people asking questions about soaps and detergents affecting plant growth that I think you may have to devote a vid purely to address that particular problem. You might also check out the use of reed beds as a way of treating your grey water before directing it to the garden. A chain of several second-hand bathtubs installed in-ground can be used for this purpose as they would be easy to maintain.
@@melissasullivan1658 Not just fancy, Melissa, but they can be productive food-wise too. For example, Kang Kong, also known as water spinach, and perhaps the fastest growing plant on the planet can be grown in them, as can several other edible plants.
@@katiecardone9557 Katie, There are quite a number of detergents, soaps and shampoos on the market that can be used. (For laundry powder/liquid choose one that is phosphate free as well as bio-degradable.) Using a reed-bed filter is an excellent addition to a grey-water system to remove residues, often along with heavy metals. If you have the space, (and I realise many people don't,) a series of 2 or 3 bathtubs can be linked together to make a good system. Check out the use of Duckweed as it is an excellent filter medium.
When going under walkways, I usually put a much larger pipe in, as a conduit. That way, if you ever need to run more pipes or irrigation wiring, etc, you only have to dig out the ends.
On the soap/detergent/cleansers issues: Grey water is safe for your garden. Grey water doesn’t contain chemicals, black water does. So if you are using detergent or cleansers “flip your switch” to black water. Soap is safe. Detergent isn’t. Biodegradable is best. Products with microbeads should be avoided at all costs. More difficult to avoid is products with essential oils but important because of the VOC contents. Your plants can tolerate most of them but some can cause damage. It’s a lot of research to do and I find it easiest to completely avoid EOs.
Black water is not chemical, it is fecal. You can not have feces going into the ground. Black water is from the toilet, grey water is everything except toilet water. Because water coming from the toilet has feces. The toilet does not release chemicals. Unless someone uses drop in toilet bowl cleaners, that should not be used anyway.
@@Mr77caprice “You cannot have fecal matter going into the ground” ?!? Oops, better tell all the birds and mammals and reptiles they aren’t allowed to poop on the ground anymore. (Sorry, you set yourself up for that one.) Actually fecal matter is safe once it has composted down to its individual components.
I have to preface this by saying I had never subscribed to anything on UA-cam before I found your videos. I only ever use UA-cam to learn how to do something or music. I found your main channel during the beginning of the pandemic when I was trying to learn how to grow microgreens(which I'm pretty good at now partially thanks to your video). I've watched a lot of instructional videos and you are one of the most eloquent, straight-forward, and entertaining teachers on UA-cam. You're up there with the best of them when it comes to teaching, you're very knowledgeable and it shows because you're able to break it down in simple ways. I know I'm hooked because I'm watching this video that isn't even relevant to me but you actually have me following along your journey! I just had to let you know as I think it's a pretty big deal that you're the first person I've ever subscribed to and I'm pretty sure this is my first ever UA-cam comment lol It's dope to see your journey and I wish you the best of luck, I'm rooting for you! Keep on doing what you do man and enjoy every moment of it because you got an awesome draw of the cards and life is short! The cool videos I see on your channel are making me get obsessed with gardening(need a dragonfruit cactus ASAP) lol May our paths be destined to cross one day. 🤝
Such a great idea, especially for your hot, dry environment. Certainly an improvement on dumping the washing up bowl in the flower bed like my Granny has always done ;) Even in the UK where my garden is a bog half the year we still get drought conditions/hose pipe bans in summer, it's important for us all to look at how we can utilise our precious water more efficiently.
Very impressive. Last year, we had to replace a lot of our plumbing ( the house was built in 1946) and I wish we had thought about doing it then. Jacques is quite the Jacques of all trades, you are lucky to know him.
@@Riverrockphotos I have found it helpful (even using the bio-safe soap) to pump the washer water into two bins first. One to act as a primary sediment filter going through many layers of furnace filters that cover many scrubbie pads (i used plastic ones, but copper is an option-the point is to also aerate to prevent anaerobic growth). The next filter was a mini peat bog that had water cress or horse tail or reeds in it. That stage removes heavy salts that some plants would not be able to tolerate (especially over time). Now, we had a third tank that was the holding tank until scheduled watering. It was a cattle trough with feeder goldfish a tank heater in winter but most importantly a solar powered/backup battery fountain. It had several plants in it as well. We had zero mosquitos and zero probs with plants. A solar powered timer & drip irrigation fed from there. *there was a quarantine bucket for new plants to sit and soak their nursery soil off their roots and it was innoculated with quite a few really good strains of mycelia-must've worked--the yard was stuffed with planters with really happy plants--and the normal temps were between 101-114*F daily for months Even strawberries! Good luck to you! edited: typo
O! Just saw this one which is a little different than mine because it has a grease trap & that is a great idea and lowers system maintenance. He has a catch basin with worms, but our composting & worms were separate to protect against fire ants invading. We also did this on a family house with kiddos so our water volumes were probably way too high to use his style.
Y husband did this for our shower and washing machine and honestly I wish we had the money to do this for every sink in the house!!! It makes so much sense and is a great motivator to switch to more sustainable and bio-friendly soaps and such.
@@epichomesteading In Oz water from a kitchen sink is not considered grey water and must be directed to the sewerage system. Apart from that we are installing a grey water system for our laundry, two showers and all hand basins and floor drains in laundry and bathrooms. Luckily the son of the previous owners of the house had begun installing the same system but after stopping when he found it was actually illegal to do left all the unused pipes in place (thus saving us quite a few dollars.)
Yaaay Brooke!!! Good to see you getting some recognition on utube ❤️👏. Hey public, she gives classes to teach you how to do this yourself, as well as reclaim rainwater.... Big fun as well! 👍
I had a system at my last house and grew the most epic blackberries I've ever seen. all the neighbors would come by with their kids and pick them. I miss it.
Another excellent addition to the homestead! MAJOR kudos to Jacques, that was a LOT of digging. Thank you for taking us on another informative tour. It's so invigorating and inspiring to see the many ways you're making your home more sustainable and efficient!
Up in Oregon- some municipalities have ordinances against grey water use due to detergents. But it’s really common outside city limits. Grew up with ours watering our orchard.
@@epichomesteading Rules that were often designed many years ago when most soaps and laundry detergents contained sulfates (I think) which caused all sorts of problems up the chain, Lower oxygenation causing algae bloom, fish kills, etc. Those nasty chemicals also eventually made it back down the chain into the aquifer, right back into your house and irrigated crops. This is my understanding as a layperson of the science behind those rules.
Last year, I save the water when wash fruit, vegetables and dish. Use that water to water my vegetable garden. I controlled my water bill under $100/ month and got lots of vegetables and melons. My neighbor who use the sprinkler to water his garden, the water bill is ••• $600/month. We all need this way to save water especially where I live, arid climate. No waste, recycle as much as possible.
This gives me a lot of ideas! I have a whirlpool tub I seldom use due to the large amount of water it takes, this gives me a reason to use it more! Thanks.
There's a relatively cheap PVC fitting called a water jet for putting pvc underneath a sidewalk. You just dig a little pilot hole and it creates a high pressure jet spray and you can just push the pvc through. Pretty handy
Do you use it for edible plants? I want to do bananas on a washing machine exit. What soaps do you use? We use bronners for whites but tide free and clear powder for colors and blacks.
it takes some planning and defenitely there are some costs involved. but I have to say. from a water saving standpoint. this makes a Big difference! considering the climate where you live this will be a big benefit for the plants and trees. Also an important motivator to really keep you pipes "clean" as in not flooding them with harmful chemicals.
Love the recycling! Amazing job Kevin!! Maybe make sure you cover the bathroom switch with some waterproof materials, steam from the showers and even droplets of water aren't gonna be friendly to it...
Your soil is looking better every time you dig compared to when you first moved in! That salamander was probably loving life under the pot, perfect moisture and humidity with lots of delicious worms and bugs for it to eat! 😂
Best stuff to use for your laundry: Dr Bronner's Sal Suds, you can get it by the gallon and it's totally safe. Our grey water comes out of a hose that we move from tree to tree, and the chickens love to drink it out of the hose! (Sal Suds, safe. Our sweat? Yuck, but the chickens haven't died yet.)
When drilling into a dwelling you want to have a bit of an angle going up so that water drips out/can’t enter the house. Even though you seal this is important .
This is great! The only thing I'd recommend is labeling the switch in the bathroom and the ball valve in the laundry room so anyone can know which position the switch/valve should be in when they need to direct the water to the sewer.
It's nice to see American homestead videos in a climate where water is a valued resource. Being in Australia we also have to be very conservative with our water consumption.
I put in a new septic system in 2007ish and a couple years later it was already failing because the company never put a filter for the solids on the out bound side of the tank. I had the tank drained, put a filter on and did the same thing with the pool bypass fitting and ran my shower/washer/laundry sink out to daylight in the woods next to the house. Saved the septic, no odors or problems outdoors either. Lint from the laundry is one of the worst things to clog a septic field.
When I did my house, laundry water, and two rooms shower were pre plumbed for this type of setup. I had a tank instead so that a float pump can do the job since my garden is on the other side of the house. The problem with this system is that, having a tank is not a very good idea. If the pump fails you get over flow and the water stinks. I need to redo some stuff. For now it’s back directed to the sewer. It’s a one line setup from 2nd floor and pent house where the laundry room is located . The amount of water wasted from the laundry is incredible. I was never able to get a 3 way sewer valve. The best thing you did here is the 3 way valve and you have no tank. Even if you had a tank, if you needed to ditch that water, it way easy. Just remember you will have lots of hair accumulating from time to time.
That whole 50% split thing looks cool but seems not right until you measure each splits release and see how much water is coming out of each. The opening size determines how much is released at each point. Correct me if I'm wrong but all of your split pieces were the same diameters? The opening thats the lowest in the line undoubtedly will get the most water. The system I installed is a simple leach pipe in a trench bed of pea gravel, but over the course of its length, the sizes of the holes change in size making it to where water is more equally distributed. And also too unless your only running water in those pipes, don't expect your plants to grow normal with any dish soap or anything in that water. In case your wondering I farm for a living and install and manage flood and drip irrigation systems for a living.
Manual method of grey water. Scoop bath water saved in the bathtub in 5 gallon buckets and pour out into trees and plants. Same thing with the laundry. Build a second discharge pipe that goes outside and collect water in 5 gallons bucket. I can release the soap water into the sewer while saving the rinse water.
💚 always wanted to do this... yeah Jock (sorry if I misspelled your name) you're a good man !!! Glad to see Brooke with your know how !!! Great job everyone !!! Love your videos of the new Epic Garden !!! Blessings...
they make soaker hose to broader irrigate or & simplify your set up. Just use 25 ft soaker hose & patch/silicon the hose where u don't want it too leak, or drill hose where u want more to leak.
I have a system like this at my house to not overhwlem my septic tank and it works well only thing is I notice is the soaps and other stuff seem tho throw off the pH making some stuff not grow. Either way great video and content!!
I love this system! My only question I have is do you think you will have issues with roots growing into your pipes. It's pretty common for roots to find a way and push through pipes overtime. Have you had any issues yet? Do you anticipate any issues related
You inspired me to look into gray water systems in my area (Colorado). There's a long list of requirements that's impractical to comply with, and even if I figure all that out I'm not allowed to use the water for food production, which would be the whole point. And I'm only allowed to have up to 110 gallons of rain barrels. So I have 1 acre and I'm pretty much at the mercy of the water company if I want to grow my own food. In the event of a drought (which seems like happens more often than not) they will restrict outdoor watering.
@@clairemcconway6266 the state's rationale is, if I had too many rain barrels, I might be taking water from people who have water rights downstream. I agree, it's ridiculous.
I can’t do all this work but I live in San Diego to and what I started to do was take the water runoff from my air conditioner and put a bucket under that to use in my garden and also I started taking a giant orange Home Depot bucket in the shower with me so that when I’m running the water to wait for it to get hot and while I’m in the shower I collect all that water and try not to get the soap in it and use that out in my garden. I do have to carry it out a little buckets at a time but it’s good exercise
2-3 in of gravel would be better than mulch ask it won't break down into soil over time and will act as a mild filtration system. If you intersperse the gravel with activated charcoal, it will help pull toxins out and filter the water as well. Great job Jacque. You can come to Texas and help me dig mine next of you want.
I doubt he's saving any money. Municipal water is really cheap. Even in San Diego area, I'd be surprised if he was paying more than a penny a gallon! It's going to take a LOOOOONG time to reach the point of payback on the systems he just installed in this video! But then, he's doing these things for the principles, not to save money! (As any Tesla Model S or X owner will confess!)
Loved this! Been looking at setting up a grey water system but have been scared to tackle because I wasn’t sure how I’d go about doing it. This video helped me understand what I need to do now!
Any lessons learned 2 years into having these greywater systems? Anything you would have done differently? Looking to add greywater laundry & shower for a new above garage ADU and would love to incorporate any learnings!
I sunk a 200lt drum into the ground for laundry water. This gets chlorinated and is used for flushing toilets. All the bathroom water gets used in the garden. A pumped system is a bit easier as you can go uphill and dont have to rely on gravity and can easily be expanded. Im not the Jacques in the video, but it seems we are a handy bunch.
@@emptynestgardens9057 Ok. So ask the important questions first before deciding it should be mandatory for everyone. Also, what if your neighbor did this? Cool, right? What if that neighbor was sick? Would you want their water leeching onto your property? Also, not a dude. Sorry for being a B, Happy Easter. 🐰
@Roxxanne B, I think you hit on exactly why it won't ever be "standard" on new homes. Frankly, too many people either wouldn't understand the limitations, or they wouldn't care. So they'd be using whatever products they wanted to with no concern for where the drain is leading to! For too many people, stuff going down the drain is out-of-sight, out-of-mind, or "somebody else's problem!"
Because I live in a winter freeze zone this system would be impossible- probably even be illegal in my town. I go old school- 5 gallon buckets in the shower that catch excess water & I carry the buckets outside to the garden. I hand wash/rinse dishes in plastic dish pans then pour the water into a five gallon bucket & carry it outside to the garden. All bathroom sink water runs into a pan fitted into the sink then poured into a bucket to be poured into the toilet to flush or carried outside to the garden. Lot of hard work carrying those buckets! But I've built muscle! The laundry water I've had to let go. I fortunately have a low water washer & only do a load a week. But I'm trying to figure out a way to run that washer hose out the window into a barrel! Unfortunately the laundry room is on the far opposite side of the house from the garden area so... whew. It's too much to deal with. But we all do what we can!
Don't forget to label the switch and laundry lever. 4 months later you will wake up and forget the same way your mind plays tricks on if you locked the front door or garage or iron or (insert what your brain plays games with here) 😄
I feel you Jacques, did skilled construction labor in orange beach condos, a work out at a job is rewarding but rough. Thanks for the ideas as always kevin ☺️
How many ounces per year of polyester micro plastics do you think are entering his greywater system? Let's remember, Fukushima is still leaking into the Pacific Ocean. Try some perspective on for size.
This is obvious, but just in case some people don't realize this--can't do this where it freezes over winter! Or you could, but you'd want to blow out the system each fall before it freezes. Also, I'd be curious about detergent build up in the pipes? Or I think of hair building up? My initial thought would be to have some sort of mechanical filtration to get most of that gunk out before it gets to the plants.
I've thought about this Idea before, except my house doesn’t really give much options. But, I'm doing everything else I can to "recycle" the water, and other things.
My lemon tree really sulked when I first brought it home. Hopefully your trees will perk up! Great idea about using the grey water! PS good job to both you guys, that looks like hard work!
What questions do you have about these systems? I'll answer them all in a follow-up video 💦💦💦
what do you need to look for in laundry/shower/cleaning products to make sure they're safe for your plants?
My same question. Does the mulch and fill filter the water? What will you fill the basins near the citrus trees?
Is there a chance you could overwater your trees?
Do you know if this grey water use is legal in all of California or does the authority lies with the Counties? I had people give me conflicting information and I just would like to be sure.
Does the mulch in the basins eventually ya r to be dug out and replaced as it breaks down?
If you haven't already, please make sure to transition to garden safe soap and install a microfiber filter so the polyester fibers from your clothes don't leach into the plants!
What are some good grey-water shower soaps?
@@robjenkins494 Aubrey Organics Shampoo.
Aubrey organics Conditioner.
Alaffia Face Cleanser.
Dr. Bronners's Pure-Castile Soap.
I was wondering about that.
Tide-flavored artichokes and Irish Spring citrus sounds...not delicious.
@@tamtam4049Just Googled it and Aubrey Organics was acquired by Nutraceutical International Corporation about five years ago. Some say the formula changed so do your research before using
very good comment.We re-use out washing machine water to water trees and grass but it is a very crude system, basically just dumps out into the center of the back yard thru a pipe I played underground from the washer. we for sure have issue with clothing fibers especially right around where the water exits, it looks ugly just creates an area with lint stuck to the lawn. we do use bio safe plant based detergent and that works well, so far after 15 years of doing this the grass is still thriving and it doesn't get all sudsy looking out there. maybe I will change to a little different system with a filter to get rid of the lint that collects on the grass around the outlet! I wish everyone around here would try to re-use even just some of their grey water, we are in phoenix and water is getting increasingly limited and expensive.
Every house should be like this. Zero waste all the way! 💚
The environment obliges. A no-brainer.
@Zachary Chenoweth Out of curiosity, where does the waste water go? Does it get treated and then "dumped" back into the aquifer.
Actually many cities (at least in germany, but the problem should be the same) have huge problems with sewage systems not being used enough (as once speced) because people conserve water. As a result the systems don't work well anymore and stuff (no further comments ;)) isn't moved through the system correctly and settles in the pipes. The normal fix is, that the cities use huge amounts of water to flush the sewage systems. So in the end no one really wins.
@@stefan514 Wow that's interesting never really thought of that. I think it makes sense for more rural area where people use septic tanks anyway but for the city and large suburbs obviously It has negative consequences.
@@stefan514 another reason why I don't understand why the hell I still wanna save water and Doo aquapinics and all this crud because the rich noooo mater what are eventually gonna be saving every last drop they can if they ain't already. Then when they take as much as they can to space all the homeless can take there old property's....... O wait by that time they will have ak robots standing gard every one sooooo never mind they can do an digdiggieholehole and go F off sadly...
Thank you for wearing shoes that covered your toes when working with the jackhammer (once a mother, always a mother! I feel protective of my youtubers). Way to go Jacques!
I almost left the sandals on 😂
Need a mask too. Don't want to get silicosis
So sweet a mom’s comment
@@epichomesteadingshould wear closed toe shoes and pants the whole time
For such a large property, every drop of water saved makes a difference. Well done!
Also, well done Jacques for doing so much hard work!
Kevin, there are so many people asking questions about soaps and detergents affecting plant growth that I think you may have to devote a vid purely to address that particular problem. You might also check out the use of reed beds as a way of treating your grey water before directing it to the garden. A chain of several second-hand bathtubs installed in-ground can be used for this purpose as they would be easy to maintain.
Ooooh, reed beds as a filter sounds fancy. I would definitely be up for a video on that!
@@melissasullivan1658 Not just fancy, Melissa, but they can be productive food-wise too. For example, Kang Kong, also known as water spinach, and perhaps the fastest growing plant on the planet can be grown in them, as can several other edible plants.
Yes I def have to, I can't answer them all individually
Yes please do!! Cause this is awesome but I was wondering about soaps and detergents the entire video.
@@katiecardone9557 Katie, There are quite a number of detergents, soaps and shampoos on the market that can be used. (For laundry powder/liquid choose one that is phosphate free as well as bio-degradable.) Using a reed-bed filter is an excellent addition to a grey-water system to remove residues, often along with heavy metals. If you have the space, (and I realise many people don't,) a series of 2 or 3 bathtubs can be linked together to make a good system. Check out the use of Duckweed as it is an excellent filter medium.
When going under walkways, I usually put a much larger pipe in, as a conduit. That way, if you ever need to run more pipes or irrigation wiring, etc, you only have to dig out the ends.
Very practical suggestion Joe.
On the soap/detergent/cleansers issues: Grey water is safe for your garden.
Grey water doesn’t contain chemicals, black water does. So if you are using detergent or cleansers “flip your switch” to black water.
Soap is safe. Detergent isn’t. Biodegradable is best.
Products with microbeads should be avoided at all costs. More difficult to avoid is products with essential oils but important because of the VOC contents. Your plants can tolerate most of them but some can cause damage. It’s a lot of research to do and I find it easiest to completely avoid EOs.
Thanks for the info, that's definitely the question most people were asking themselves :)
In Australia, black water is from the toilet, so contains fecal matter. Grey water, is tap water from sinks.
Black water is not chemical, it is fecal. You can not have feces going into the ground.
Black water is from the toilet, grey water is everything except toilet water. Because water coming from the toilet has feces. The toilet does not release chemicals. Unless someone uses drop in toilet bowl cleaners, that should not be used anyway.
@@Mr77caprice “You cannot have fecal matter going into the ground” ?!? Oops, better tell all the birds and mammals and reptiles they aren’t allowed to poop on the ground anymore. (Sorry, you set yourself up for that one.) Actually fecal matter is safe once it has composted down to its individual components.
Yeah this isn't correct.
I have to preface this by saying I had never subscribed to anything on UA-cam before I found your videos. I only ever use UA-cam to learn how to do something or music. I found your main channel during the beginning of the pandemic when I was trying to learn how to grow microgreens(which I'm pretty good at now partially thanks to your video). I've watched a lot of instructional videos and you are one of the most eloquent, straight-forward, and entertaining teachers on UA-cam. You're up there with the best of them when it comes to teaching, you're very knowledgeable and it shows because you're able to break it down in simple ways. I know I'm hooked because I'm watching this video that isn't even relevant to me but you actually have me following along your journey! I just had to let you know as I think it's a pretty big deal that you're the first person I've ever subscribed to and I'm pretty sure this is my first ever UA-cam comment lol It's dope to see your journey and I wish you the best of luck, I'm rooting for you! Keep on doing what you do man and enjoy every moment of it because you got an awesome draw of the cards and life is short! The cool videos I see on your channel are making me get obsessed with gardening(need a dragonfruit cactus ASAP) lol May our paths be destined to cross one day. 🤝
Such a great idea, especially for your hot, dry environment. Certainly an improvement on dumping the washing up bowl in the flower bed like my Granny has always done ;) Even in the UK where my garden is a bog half the year we still get drought conditions/hose pipe bans in summer, it's important for us all to look at how we can utilise our precious water more efficiently.
Couldn't agree more!
Very impressive. Last year, we had to replace a lot of our plumbing ( the house was built in 1946) and I wish we had thought about doing it then. Jacques is quite the Jacques of all trades, you are lucky to know him.
Bahahaha love the pun
I'm thinking I could do this with my washer pretty easily even it only pumps out onto the lawn.
@@Riverrockphotos I have found it helpful (even using the bio-safe soap) to pump the washer water into two bins first. One to act as a primary sediment filter going through many layers of furnace filters that cover many scrubbie pads (i used plastic ones, but copper is an option-the point is to also aerate to prevent anaerobic growth). The next filter was a mini peat bog that had water cress or horse tail or reeds in it. That stage removes heavy salts that some plants would not be able to tolerate (especially over time). Now, we had a third tank that was the holding tank until scheduled watering. It was a cattle trough with feeder goldfish a tank heater in winter but most importantly a solar powered/backup battery fountain. It had several plants in it as well. We had zero mosquitos and zero probs with plants. A solar powered timer & drip irrigation fed from there. *there was a quarantine bucket for new plants to sit and soak their nursery soil off their roots and it was innoculated with quite a few really good strains of mycelia-must've worked--the yard was stuffed with planters with really happy plants--and the normal temps were between 101-114*F daily for months Even strawberries! Good luck to you!
edited: typo
O! Just saw this one which is a little different than mine because it has a grease trap & that is a great idea and lowers system maintenance. He has a catch basin with worms, but our composting & worms were separate to protect against fire ants invading. We also did this on a family house with kiddos so our water volumes were probably way too high to use his style.
Y husband did this for our shower and washing machine and honestly I wish we had the money to do this for every sink in the house!!! It makes so much sense and is a great motivator to switch to more sustainable and bio-friendly soaps and such.
I wish I could have done it to the kitchen sink!
@@epichomesteading Right!?
@@epichomesteading In Oz water from a kitchen sink is not considered grey water and must be directed to the sewerage system. Apart from that we are installing a grey water system for our laundry, two showers and all hand basins and floor drains in laundry and bathrooms. Luckily the son of the previous owners of the house had begun installing the same system but after stopping when he found it was actually illegal to do left all the unused pipes in place (thus saving us quite a few dollars.)
Talk about a busy day! I'm proud of myself when I dig a hole to get a single tree in the ground.
Me, too!!
Jaques needs a raise! Haha sweet set up guys!
Thank you for doing your part in saving so much water! 🌎
Yaaay Brooke!!! Good to see you getting some recognition on utube ❤️👏. Hey public, she gives classes to teach you how to do this yourself, as well as reclaim rainwater.... Big fun as well! 👍
So cool! I work in the pool industry and we use those Jandy 3-way valves and Actuators all day! Cool to see that being put to use for the garden!!!
Hands down to Jacques...he's been with Kevin every time he build anything with his own hands. It's nice to have someone to help you
I had a system at my last house and grew the most epic blackberries I've ever seen. all the neighbors would come by with their kids and pick them. I miss it.
Props to Jaques! His help has helped make the Epic Homestead truly EPIC
Very true, he's been amazing to have on the team
Another excellent addition to the homestead! MAJOR kudos to Jacques, that was a LOT of digging. Thank you for taking us on another informative tour. It's so invigorating and inspiring to see the many ways you're making your home more sustainable and efficient!
Up in Oregon- some municipalities have ordinances against grey water use due to detergents. But it’s really common outside city limits. Grew up with ours watering our orchard.
The ordinances are so odd to me!
@@epichomesteading I wondered how your shampoo and soap would affect your plants?
@@epichomesteading Rules that were often designed many years ago when most soaps and laundry detergents contained sulfates (I think) which caused all sorts of problems up the chain, Lower oxygenation causing algae bloom, fish kills, etc. Those nasty chemicals also eventually made it back down the chain into the aquifer, right back into your house and irrigated crops. This is my understanding as a layperson of the science behind those rules.
@@CherryxBlossomxMist Great info! I wonder if Castille and other SLS-free soaps are fine to use?
@@CherryxBlossomxMist Phosphates. You'll notice on the back of most laundry detergent that it says "Phosphate Free".
Last year, I save the water when wash fruit, vegetables and dish. Use that water to water my vegetable garden. I controlled my water bill under $100/ month and got lots of vegetables and melons. My neighbor who use the sprinkler to water his garden, the water bill is ••• $600/month. We all need this way to save water especially where I live, arid climate. No waste, recycle as much as possible.
Im really proud of the work you've accomplished. You're doing awesome things. And Jacques is too of course.
This gives me a lot of ideas! I have a whirlpool tub I seldom use due to the large amount of water it takes, this gives me a reason to use it more! Thanks.
Gotta love a friend who isn't afraid to pick up a shovel. Go Jacque!!!
Shoutout to Jaques! Love all the teamwork and mutual respect in these projects!
Amazing system, beautiful sunset, awesome Jacques, brave Brooke for working under the house (shudder)! A great day on the Epicstead!
There's a relatively cheap PVC fitting called a water jet for putting pvc underneath a sidewalk. You just dig a little pilot hole and it creates a high pressure jet spray and you can just push the pvc through. Pretty handy
Brook is the best! She put in my rain tanks and greywater system. It has transformed my garden!
Do you use it for edible plants? I want to do bananas on a washing machine exit. What soaps do you use? We use bronners for whites but tide free and clear powder for colors and blacks.
@@adrianpoe4416 yes I water one garden bed with it (using oasis soap) and the rest of my garden gets water from the rain tanks
it takes some planning and defenitely there are some costs involved. but I have to say. from a water saving standpoint. this makes a Big difference! considering the climate where you live this will be a big benefit for the plants and trees. Also an important motivator to really keep you pipes "clean" as in not flooding them with harmful chemicals.
We have been planning a future grey water system and I never even thought about bleach cleaners. I three way is now added to the plan. Thank you.
Love the recycling! Amazing job Kevin!!
Maybe make sure you cover the bathroom switch with some waterproof materials, steam from the showers and even droplets of water aren't gonna be friendly to it...
Good call!
@@epichomesteading maybe you could re-route the wire up into the inside of your under-sink cabinet and put the switch inside :-)
Shout out to Jacque, Brooke.
Epic indeed!!! I enjoy the nerdy homesteading projects. Good luck with the new build.
Your soil is looking better every time you dig compared to when you first moved in!
That salamander was probably loving life under the pot, perfect moisture and humidity with lots of delicious worms and bugs for it to eat! 😂
Brooke and Jacque are great friends to have! I didn’t even know this was a possibility. Very economical~ 👍🏽👍🏽
Best stuff to use for your laundry: Dr Bronner's Sal Suds, you can get it by the gallon and it's totally safe. Our grey water comes out of a hose that we move from tree to tree, and the chickens love to drink it out of the hose! (Sal Suds, safe. Our sweat? Yuck, but the chickens haven't died yet.)
When drilling into a dwelling you want to have a bit of an angle going up so that water drips out/can’t enter the house.
Even though you seal this is important .
That’s awesome! A Ton of physical labor but for the life of your plants and the environment: priceless!
This is great! The only thing I'd recommend is labeling the switch in the bathroom and the ball valve in the laundry room so anyone can know which position the switch/valve should be in when they need to direct the water to the sewer.
Way too go!!! I have a makeshift washer grey water system, cant wait to do the bath and sink!
It's nice to see American homestead videos in a climate where water is a valued resource. Being in Australia we also have to be very conservative with our water consumption.
I put in a new septic system in 2007ish and a couple years later it was already failing because the company never put a filter for the solids on the out bound side of the tank. I had the tank drained, put a filter on and did the same thing with the pool bypass fitting and ran my shower/washer/laundry sink out to daylight in the woods next to the house. Saved the septic, no odors or problems outdoors either. Lint from the laundry is one of the worst things to clog a septic field.
When I did my house, laundry water, and two rooms shower were pre plumbed for this type of setup. I had a tank instead so that a float pump can do the job since my garden is on the other side of the house. The problem with this system is that, having a tank is not a very good idea. If the pump fails you get over flow and the water stinks. I need to redo some stuff. For now it’s back directed to the sewer. It’s a one line setup from 2nd floor and pent house where the laundry room is located . The amount of water wasted from the laundry is incredible. I was never able to get a 3 way sewer valve.
The best thing you did here is the 3 way valve and you have no tank. Even if you had a tank, if you needed to ditch that water, it way easy.
Just remember you will have lots of hair accumulating from time to time.
Why am I not surprised when I searched "recycling shower grey water" and your channel came up! Awesome work.
That whole 50% split thing looks cool but seems not right until you measure each splits release and see how much water is coming out of each. The opening size determines how much is released at each point. Correct me if I'm wrong but all of your split pieces were the same diameters? The opening thats the lowest in the line undoubtedly will get the most water. The system I installed is a simple leach pipe in a trench bed of pea gravel, but over the course of its length, the sizes of the holes change in size making it to where water is more equally distributed. And also too unless your only running water in those pipes, don't expect your plants to grow normal with any dish soap or anything in that water. In case your wondering I farm for a living and install and manage flood and drip irrigation systems for a living.
I’ve been wanting to do this with my shower water for a decade, since we lived east of you in Spring Valley, CA. This looks awesome. Congrats!
Manual method of grey water. Scoop bath water saved in the bathtub in 5 gallon buckets and pour out into trees and plants. Same thing with the laundry. Build a second discharge pipe that goes outside and collect water in 5 gallons bucket. I can release the soap water into the sewer while saving the rinse water.
Thank you Brook and Kevin! So valuable in CA and unfortunately in many other places right now!
This is the best grey water management system I've ever seen so far. Thanks so much.
What a great idea! Nice way to use up that H20
💚 always wanted to do this... yeah Jock (sorry if I misspelled your name) you're a good man !!! Glad to see Brooke with your know how !!! Great job everyone !!! Love your videos of the new Epic Garden !!! Blessings...
they make soaker hose to broader irrigate or & simplify your set up. Just use 25 ft soaker hose & patch/silicon the hose where u don't want it too leak, or drill hose where u want more to leak.
I have a system like this at my house to not overhwlem my septic tank and it works well only thing is I notice is the soaps and other stuff seem tho throw off the pH making some stuff not grow. Either way great video and content!!
I want a garden hermit. ‘J’ rocks, you 2 are a great team.
So appreciate Jacque! Many hands make light work! Great job you guys!!
I love this system! My only question I have is do you think you will have issues with roots growing into your pipes. It's pretty common for roots to find a way and push through pipes overtime. Have you had any issues yet? Do you anticipate any issues related
next time you need to get pipe under a sidewalk or driveway, use a water jet. They sell the nozzle and hose attachments for
You inspired me to look into gray water systems in my area (Colorado). There's a long list of requirements that's impractical to comply with, and even if I figure all that out I'm not allowed to use the water for food production, which would be the whole point.
And I'm only allowed to have up to 110 gallons of rain barrels. So I have 1 acre and I'm pretty much at the mercy of the water company if I want to grow my own food. In the event of a drought (which seems like happens more often than not) they will restrict outdoor watering.
what a ridiculous rule about the rain barrels!
@@clairemcconway6266 the state's rationale is, if I had too many rain barrels, I might be taking water from people who have water rights downstream. I agree, it's ridiculous.
Get into permaculture and you can stop watering for the most part.
Build garden raised beds with hugelkultur methods and Build swales they will save you water
I can’t do all this work but I live in San Diego to and what I started to do was take the water runoff from my air conditioner and put a bucket under that to use in my garden and also I started taking a giant orange Home Depot bucket in the shower with me so that when I’m running the water to wait for it to get hot and while I’m in the shower I collect all that water and try not to get the soap in it and use that out in my garden. I do have to carry it out a little buckets at a time but it’s good exercise
I love that your homestead is an average sized property it's neat to see what can be accomplished.
Great setup! Does the soap/shampoo/detergent affect the water? Or the fruits?
YEASSSSSSSSSSS. Ive been telling my husband about you and your amazing lifestyle that Im trying to get him on board with! HUGEEEE FAN!
2-3 in of gravel would be better than mulch ask it won't break down into soil over time and will act as a mild filtration system. If you intersperse the gravel with activated charcoal, it will help pull toxins out and filter the water as well. Great job Jacque. You can come to Texas and help me dig mine next of you want.
An exceptional way to save money and water💧Jacques and Brooke👏👏👏
I doubt he's saving any money. Municipal water is really cheap. Even in San Diego area, I'd be surprised if he was paying more than a penny a gallon! It's going to take a LOOOOONG time to reach the point of payback on the systems he just installed in this video!
But then, he's doing these things for the principles, not to save money! (As any Tesla Model S or X owner will confess!)
Loved this! Been looking at setting up a grey water system but have been scared to tackle because I wasn’t sure how I’d go about doing it. This video helped me understand what I need to do now!
Any lessons learned 2 years into having these greywater systems? Anything you would have done differently? Looking to add greywater laundry & shower for a new above garage ADU and would love to incorporate any learnings!
I sunk a 200lt drum into the ground for laundry water. This gets chlorinated and is used for flushing toilets. All the bathroom water gets used in the garden. A pumped system is a bit easier as you can go uphill and dont have to rely on gravity and can easily be expanded.
Im not the Jacques in the video, but it seems we are a handy bunch.
Totally Epic!!!! This should come standard in all new homes in 2021 and beyond. 🌎 Question - what about the soaps etc that we use?
Make it standard! But wait. What about the soaps and the what nots??? Come on please.
@@beefandchicken wth dude I'm assuming there is a filter or something on it, I dunno, that's why I'm asking!?
@@emptynestgardens9057 Ok. So ask the important questions first before deciding it should be mandatory for everyone.
Also, what if your neighbor did this? Cool, right? What if that neighbor was sick? Would you want their water leeching onto your property?
Also, not a dude.
Sorry for being a B, Happy Easter. 🐰
@@beefandchicken omg chill out!
@Roxxanne B, I think you hit on exactly why it won't ever be "standard" on new homes. Frankly, too many people either wouldn't understand the limitations, or they wouldn't care. So they'd be using whatever products they wanted to with no concern for where the drain is leading to! For too many people, stuff going down the drain is out-of-sight, out-of-mind, or "somebody else's problem!"
Because I live in a winter freeze zone this system would be impossible- probably even be illegal in my town. I go old school- 5 gallon buckets in the shower that catch excess water & I carry the buckets outside to the garden. I hand wash/rinse dishes in plastic dish pans then pour the water into a five gallon bucket & carry it outside to the garden. All bathroom sink water runs into a pan fitted into the sink then poured into a bucket to be poured into the toilet to flush or carried outside to the garden. Lot of hard work carrying those buckets! But I've built muscle! The laundry water I've had to let go. I fortunately have a low water washer & only do a load a week. But I'm trying to figure out a way to run that washer hose out the window into a barrel! Unfortunately the laundry room is on the far opposite side of the house from the garden area so... whew. It's too much to deal with. But we all do what we can!
Kevin I really appreciate these videos. Helps me train up and learn before getting my own homestead. Cheers!
Where did you purchase the 3-way valve and the actuator that both go under the house?
I watched this one twice because I'm so interested in this topic and excited to see how this works out for you!
That's alot of work done in 1 day.
Great job
Jacques appreciation comment!! 🙌❤️
You should have your own tv show. Like British people have gardening shows. That would be so nice to see new trend of American gardening show
Charles Dowding wont like all the digging! Great project, I want to see more!
Hahaha
🤣
Don't forget to label the switch and laundry lever. 4 months later you will wake up and forget the same way your mind plays tricks on if you locked the front door or garage or iron or (insert what your brain plays games with here) 😄
💯
@@epichomesteading No need for that, you've got a video record of it now! 😉
In the laundry room I noticed that the pipes were color coded for quick visual reminder
I was thinking the same thing! LOL. But if you paint the outlet cover bottom half gray, that is a cool solution
This is a very cool system. I just run a PVC pipe from my washing machine outlet through the louvre window out onto the back lawn 🤣
Whatever works!
In one day...WOW.. Im tired just thinking about the work.. Thanks for the info.. Its very interesting. -Melanie
Super cool idea! So smart to turn shower water into useful garden water!
You're giving me so many ideas to become more self sufficient and you're in my state makes me proud. Thanks for sharing the knowledge
🙏
I feel you Jacques, did skilled construction labor in orange beach condos, a work out at a job is rewarding but rough. Thanks for the ideas as always kevin ☺️
Ok but can we have the exposed switch next the the bath tub addressed? That can't possibly be to code...can it?
Way to go Jacques!!!!
Can you continue to use all the same soaps and stuff or do you need to go organic products? Does the soap hurt the soil?
@ston3dNinja13 I don't think so soapy water keeps bugs away and it's water an soap being mix but no (bleach)
You need to swap! I'll cover
Jacq is appreciated. Awesome reuse of gray water! Great stuff! ✌🏻❤️
It's nice that you live in an area that allows grey water use.
Thanks for digging Jacques
What about the soap from the shower ? And micro plastic from polyester cloths in washing machine ?
How many ounces per year of polyester micro plastics do you think are entering his greywater system?
Let's remember, Fukushima is still leaking into the Pacific Ocean. Try some perspective on for size.
excellent work jacques couldnt have done it without ya
This is obvious, but just in case some people don't realize this--can't do this where it freezes over winter! Or you could, but you'd want to blow out the system each fall before it freezes. Also, I'd be curious about detergent build up in the pipes? Or I think of hair building up? My initial thought would be to have some sort of mechanical filtration to get most of that gunk out before it gets to the plants.
I don't know if you have planned something for all the extra dirt, but you could make a mounded row for squash. Looking good :)
It's it wise to switch mid shower? How do soaps affect the garden?
Hello Nasira
This is great. Everything you're doing to capture and save water 💧 is so important. Wish we could all do that
What an awesome system.
Cara Cara oranges are my FAVORITE!!
We have always caught wash water in plastic totes and use it for flushing.
I've thought about this Idea before, except my house doesn’t really give much options. But, I'm doing everything else I can to "recycle" the water, and other things.
My lemon tree really sulked when I first brought it home. Hopefully your trees will perk up!
Great idea about using the grey water!
PS good job to both you guys, that looks like hard work!