Greywater systems
My laundry water goes down the drain. Can it water the garden?
Often, yes. A greywater system takes water from the washer, the showers and the bathroom sinks and sends it through its own pipe to the roots of trees and shrubs, instead of to the sewer.
We design it, get the permit if it needs one, dig it in and show you how to run it.
Its own pipe, separate from the sewer line
A valve that sends the water back to the sewer when you need it to
Outlets below the surface, in mulch basins
Do this first
Three things to know before any greywater work
It is not for drinking, or for touching
Greywater has soap and skin in it. It goes below the surface, where people and pets do not touch it.
Don’t store it
Greywater left sitting turns bad quickly. A system sends it out as it is made, and sends the extra back to the sewer.
Check your soap
Plants take what the washer sends them. Choose laundry soap made for plants, and leave out bleach and anything with salt.
Which setup
Which drain feeds the system
The more drains, the more design, and the more likely the office wants to see a plan.
- Simplest
Washer only
The simplest. The washer’s own pump pushes the water out through the new pipe to the garden.
Easiest to switch back to the sewer
Needs the washer near an outside wall or a short run
Showers and baths
Water runs by gravity from a branched drain, so the slope of the house and yard decides what is possible.
More pipe, more digging
More likely to need a permit
Bathroom sinks
Small flows that can join a shower line. They are rarely worth a system of their own.
Added to a shower or bath line
Soap and toothpaste go in with it
How pricing works for greywater
What decides the price
Greywater jobs vary most in how many drains feed the system and how far the water has to travel.
Washer only, or showers and baths too
Pipe run to the planting, and the digging
Number of mulch basins or trees watered
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
The estimate lists the pipe, the three-way valve, the basins, labor and the permit fee if there is one.
Left out unless listed: plants and mulch beyond the basins
Left out unless listed: concrete cutting
What happens at the visit
At the visit we trace your drains, look at the slope and mark where the water can go. We tell you the visit fee when you book, and it comes off the job if you hire us.
When you get the number
A fixed price, in writing, before work starts and before we file anything.
Questions
Greywater questions
Will my plants like it?
Most trees and shrubs do well on it when the soap is right and the water is spread across several basins. We tell you which of your plants we would not water with it.
Does it smell?
Water that goes straight below the surface and is never stored does not sit long enough to smell. A smell usually means the water is pooling, and we show you what to check.
Can I run it in winter?
Yes, but you may not want to. When the soil is soaked, the valve sends the water to the sewer instead, and you flip it back in spring.
Does the washer need to be replaced?
Usually not. We check the model and where it sits. Some washers need a short extension to the drain hose.
Who maintains it?
You do, with our one-page sheet: check the filter, check the basins, flip the valve with the seasons. We come back if something is off.
Start with your washer
Tell us where it sits and where the yard slopes, and we will plan the visit.