Washing Machine Greywater Resources Pantyhose filter For those of you attending our Wednesday night greywater workshop at Good and for those of you who can’t, here’s a list of resources for using your washing machine as a irrigation source: The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems by Art Ludwig. Ludwig’s open source Laundry to Landscape system. 1″ polyethylene tubing–an alternative to PVC pipe. Oasis Biocompatible detergent, the only laundry detergent we can find that’s appropriate for greywater use. A selection of three way diverter valves. A local Los Angeles source for drums, the Apex Drum Company: www.apexdrum.com. A description of our greywater fruit mini-orchard. Our greywater surge tank version 1.0. A liquid fertilizer of the type that you could add to your greywater surge tank during a wash cycle to fertilize your garden. Oaktown’s Greywater Guerrillas, another source for inspiration.
Branched drain with exposed pipes | Greywater Action Goals: To reduce water use and grow fruit. Site description: The plumbing from the shower is exposed in the unfinished laundry room downstairs. There is enough height to travel outside to the landscape. The yard is already planted with fruit trees, fruiting vines, and veggie beds. Fixtures and output: One shower that is used for about 10 minutes per day (2.5 gallons/minute X 10 min= 25 gallons). Old plumbingThe plumbing from the shower was exposed in this section of wall. installing the 3-way One section of cast iron pipe was removed. Labeled 3-way valveAfter the valve is connected with the couplings, it enables the shower water to either go to the sewer (the pipe going into the floor), or outside through the new section of pipe exiting in front of the valve. ABS pipe going out ABS exiting house The shower water travel outside in an 1 1/2 inch ABS pipe with a continuous downward slope of 2% (1/4 inch per foot). Trench into mulch basin Home made valve box One year later trench for mulch
How To Build A Greywater Filter For $30 Or Less My wife, of course, likes to take baths. My son is afraid of the shower so he takes baths. I try to conserve water wherever I can and even take a 5 Gallon Bucket into the shower with me to collect the water when it’s heating up, and while I’m lathering up (5th paragraph down in the post). Our entire yard was cemented over a long time ago. I bought a 5.5GPM pump a while back from a used electronics store and I have lots of marine batteries to hook it up to. 5 gallon bucket – can be bought at a hardware store for under $5, but most people already have one laying around a 1 1/2″ pipe connector – male and female – for the drain hole. Here are the step-by-step pictures of the project as I constructed the filter. The parts list Wash the pea gravel to get all the dirt off and fill the bottom of the bucket with enough pea gravel to make it level with the top of the pipe connector (the one that you drilled holes into before assembling) Put about 4″ of sand on top and level it out Pinterest
The most expensive vegetables in your vegetable garden 5.3 years ago cheap, cilantro, garlic bulbs, organic, seedling, seeds, vertical gardening, winter garden Many vegetables can be expensive to purchase by growing the most expensive vegetables in your garden and buying the least inexpensive vegetables at your grocery store you can easily help drop your food budget. This especially important for people like me with very limited space to grow everything that I consume. It may be impossible to put a price on the satisfaction of bringing in a basket of produce fresh from your garden. As well as the enhanced flavors from having truly fresh produce from your garden compared to that of your local supermarket. I did a little research first to determine yields of various plants per square foot and secondly what the value (organic supermarket prices USD) of the yielded produce at harvest. Sources: for plant yield information, for current produce prices Like this: Like Loading...
Building a biological DIY greywater system (with no reedbeds) October 16, 2012 | Natural Building, Water Harvesting + Reuse | 37 Comments | Author: Kirsten Bradley Our criteria for building the greywater system for the tinyhouse was pretty simple: cheap, made from readily available materials, and effective. We also wanted to use the outputs to irrigate a grove of important fruit trees, as water is very precious here, especially in a dry year. After many, many hours of research on systems involving reed beds, infiltration trenches, fancy UV zappers and all the rest, we decided, on the advice of permaculture and greywater specialist Ross Mars, to keep it simple, and let the biology do the work. To summarise the approach (and Ross Mars’ general take of domestic greywater), we decided that the intermittent trickle of water coming from our bath and shower would be best dealt with in a living and dynamic system, rather than in a series of reed beds or trenches. What Ross suggested was a very simple system. >> More posts on appropriate technology
Although I am not a farmer now, I do hope to be someday | Start 2 Farm Chad Nordlum completed the Beginning Alaskan Growers School in 2011, the Advanced Alaskan Growers School in 2012 by distance using teleconference and printed materials. Chad plans to attend the 5-day Alaskan Growers School Experiential Learning Course at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center near Fairbanks, Alaska in July of 2012. "I am not a farmer. Still, I did not begin gardening until I returned to Kotzebue nearly four years ago. Now that I realize that growing is possible, it only makes sense to produce as much produce as we can locally. What I hope to get from going to Calypso Farm is to gain knowledge of a working farm. My goals are to learn about a working, sustainable farm and to use that learning to continue to plan a sustainable for-profit farm in the Northwest Arctic. This project was supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2010-49400-21719. By Chad Nordlum of Kotzebue, Alaska
Create An Off The Grid Source Of Water For any off-the-gridder or survivalist, having a safe, adequate, and reliable source of water is just about as basic as it gets. Water independence is the clear goal for all who want to be prepared for all contingencies, and digging your own well is the obvious way to set yourself up in anticipation of a time when utility companies can no longer be relied upon to supply vital services to their customers. But digging a traditional well is not the only option. There is another type of well that is perfectly capable of providing sufficient supplies of fresh, clean, potable water to meet the needs of most households, especially if at least a degree of water conservation is practiced. Driven-point wells are a convenient and affordable alternative, and in most instances they can be installed without the use of expensive or complicated equipment, which can make them an amazing project for the hands-on type who prefers the do-it-yourself approach. Installing a Driven-Point Well: The Basics
Terra Preta: Biochar And The MEGO Effect This month's edition of National Geographic has a feature article on "Soil", which looks at the steady degradation of agricultural land and the problem this poses in world where the population is heading for 9+ billion people - effectively calling attention to the "peak dirt" problem (however soil is renewable, so any "peak" should be able to be reversed if sufficient time and effort is put into doing so). The article uses an acronym I've never come across before to describe the problem faced by those trying to draw attention to the issue: MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) - a phenomenon which should be familiar to anyone who has ever talked about peak oil, global warming or any of the other "limits to growth". This year food shortages, caused in part by the diminishing quantity and quality of the world's soil, have led to riots in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The History Of Terra Preta The key ingredient is apparently the activated carbon in the charocal. Pyrolysis and Eprida Criticisms
10 Awesome Gadgets To Reuse Water We like the concept behind this. Small space apartment dwellers would appreciate the utility of having a washing machine option in their bathroom (we know we would). But then again, the toilet in the concept photo above looks like it's giving a piggyback ride to a reject from The Transformers. The "Washup" concept is a sustainable and space saving water consumption device that reuses wasted water from the clothes washing cycle for toilet flushing later (hopefully not at the same time...do your load before dropping it). Ingenuity gets an all new meaning in designer Andrew Leinonen's simple yet very powerful Filterbrella concept. With most nations facing water crisis, recycling used water becomes more important than ever before. Perhaps inspired by Britain's constant drought warnings and reminders to 'use water wisely', an inventor has come up with a combined washing machine and shower. One has to wonder what is holding back this kind of innovation – is it health or simply convention?
How do I develop a conservation or land use plan for my property? - For New Farmers : New Farmer Q and A : develop a conservation or land use plan Whether you own, lease or rent your farm property, or work as a farm employee, a land use or conservation plan is a vital part of the farm business. Such plans consider the natural features of the farm. They provide guidelines and strategies for addressing the land use and conservation goals for the property as part of the overall business operation. They are a valuable tool for a wide range of natural resource concerns, from soil-building to manure management to sensitive areas management. Here are some things to think about: A land use plan includes an inventory of the natural features and resources of the property -- the soils, waterways, and woodlands, for example. Here is a sample of resources: General information and fact sheets on farm conservation practices is available from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Your local NRCS office can help with preparing farm conservation plans. Check out Conservation and Resource Management publications from NRAES.
Homemade Water Filter: Make A DIY Bio-Sand Water Filter Bio-sand filters are super quick and easy to build homemade water filter systems and they are very effective at filtering dirty water and making it safe. Watch the video for details. A homemade water filter like this would be great for filtering and purifying water stored in rainwater catchment systems. Below is some additional information from Wikipedia on the effectiveness of homemade bio-sand filters Bio-sand filters remove pathogens and suspended solids through a combination of biological and physical processes that take place in the biolayer and within the sand column. Filtration process Pathogens and suspended solids are removed through a combination of biological and physical processes that take place in the biolayer and within the sand layer. Mechanical trapping. Removal of contaminants Turbidity Results for turbidity reductions vary depending on the turbidity of the influent water. Heavy metals There is limited research on removal of heavy metals by biosand filters. Bacteria Viruses
Project Guide: Building A Wood Raised Bed Raised beds are a great cure-all for many types of soil or landscaping problems. You can build them on flat or sloped ground, or even right on top of concrete. They can be sized and shaped to meet your exact needs and you can fill them with topsoil and compost purchased from your local Home Depot, or found on your property. This project guide shows the basic steps for creating a rectangular raised bed with wooden sides. Preparation • If the soil within your raised bed area is workable, it should be broken up and improved. • Any wood you use should be naturally rot-resistant (cedar, redwood and others) or have been pressure-treated to prevent decay. Safety • Modern pressure treated lumber utilizing MCQ or MCA technology will not leach harmful chemicals and is considered safe for use around edibles. Savings • To save money on materials, consider using less expensive materials found locally, including landscape timbers, wood boards and scrap lumber.