Has your once-lush lawn turned into a desert wasteland overnight? In the midst of the current drought, more and more people are saving their lawns using greywater.
Greywater is gently-used water from your showers, sinks, tubs and washing machines. It is a safe and even beneficial source of irrigation water for your garden.
Re-using water provides benefits on many levels such as reducing the need for fresh water, significantly reducing household water bills and reducing the amount of waste water entering sewers or on-site treatment systems.
If you're thinking of joining them, here are some helpful tips to get started:
Systems
There are a number of ways to transport greywater from your home to your garden. The goal is to find a system that makes maximum use of greywater, while minimising costs for the purchase, installation and maintenance of your greywater system.
- Bucket system
- DIY pipe system
- Commercial greywater system
Use a bucket to manually hand-transfer water from the bathroom to the garden. It is the cheapest system but may be slightly inconvenient and time-consuming.
Connect a pipe from the outlet of your bathroom to a hosepipe. Lay the hosepipe in the section of your garden that needs watering.
Connected directly to the outlet pipes of the bathroom is the greywater system, which collects the greywater in a closed storage tank. They greywater is pumped into the irrigation pipes and distributed to your garden.
Regulations and need-to- knows
- Do not store greywater.
- Do not let greywater pool.
- Use low pressure
- Use the right washing powders.
Problems may arise as the temperature of the greywater that contains faeces makes for perfect breeding conditions for bacteria, and it also produces methane, a known greenhouse gas.
Flooding your garden will lead to clogging of the soil from bacteria, preventing penetration of water into the soil.
Greywater must be sprayed on a very low pressure that does not exceed 6m in height.
Phosphate-free washing powders are highly recommended, as these won’t poison your soil I the long term.
Usage and Maintenance
- Greywater should be used within two days of leaving the house, ideally within 24 hours.
This is to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria (pathogens), which is more likely to occur if the water is left to sit. - Ensure regular cleaning, maintenance and removal of debris from filters, if needed.
- Do regular visual inspections of the system elements and replacements of filters, if required.
- Conduct regular checks on greywater disinfections and ensure water top-up is functioning and protected.
Costs
A full greywater system in South Africa costs, fully installed, between R12, 000 – R17, 000. These systems require ongoing maintenance to prevent harmful bacteria and ensure clear, unclogged irrigation to your garden.
The average home owner will likely have to opt for the bucket system or the DIY outlet system.
Most greywater systems, while labour-intensive, are cost-effective in the long term, and are effective for the re-use of filtered water to give your plants sufficient nutrients for their growth.
In the current water shortage, a greywater system is the water-wise choice if you seek to not only save water around the home but also maintain your lawn during the dry season.