Recycling Shower Water

[bond]

Can soapy shower water be used to water garden plants, flowers, grass or growing vegetables and fruit ? if so how easy/cheap/expensive is it to syphon off this drained water and how do we do it? We are talking about a 3 bed semi house built in the 1940's with shower upstairs in the bathroom and large rear garden. I think the shower waste goes into the soil stack (the main waste pipe) which is outside on the wall, or does it, I'm not sure..your thoughts please. Thanks.

[gness]

Thanks Eddie...I know some new houses have a huge storage tank perhaps under a patio...not possible for me now but I will look at the EA info.

Thanks Gx

[DaisyNonna]

Forgot about that Tony. Still too complicated a manoeuvre for me.

[tonyav]

Still too complicated a manoeuvre for me.

Surely not Daisy.

[EDDIE51]

If you have a greywater scheme in place it is important not to pee ( or worse) in the shower or bath. That rules my house out, we often have the grandkids (twins age 2) to stay and they have not got the 'don't pee in the bath ' sorted yet.

[Alston]

EDDIE....What about yourself.,..,,Have you sorted out the silent 'P' as in Bath or Shower.

Al.

[Buenchico]

>>>we often have the grandkids (twins age 2) to stay and they have not got the 'don't pee in the bath ' sorted yet

Well I'm 60 and I can't pretend that I don't make use of the bath/shower/wash-basin/whatever (depending upon where I'm staying) after a few pints from time to time!

To answer your question though, Bond, here's what the Royal Horticultural Society has to say on the matter:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardening/sustainable-gardening/gardening-in-a-changing-climate/advice/water---the-way-ahead/water-management/using-grey-water

[gness]

Thanks, Chris....x

[Old_Geezer]

Sounds like, if you have more than the odd bowl of washing up water to sling, then you probably need a proper greywater recycling system. Ask the local authorities, or alternatively get a couple of rain water butts and divert rain there.

[EDDIE51]

Unless a built in greywater system is in place anything more than using it by the bucketful to flush to loo or diverting it to a water butt for the garden will cost more than you save. By the time you have pumped it and filtered it and stored it the cost is far more than the original cost of the water in both Carbon CO2 footprint and actual cash. Greywater schemes are normally only cost effective for multi users not single houses.

[modeller]

Eddie//If you have a greywater scheme in place it is important not to pee ( or worse) in the shower or bath//

I suggest you go into Google to see how urine as diluted in a bath is actually a good nitrogen fertiliser. It has been used for millenia . In Victorian times head gardeners used to instruct their men to store their urine.

[DaisyNonna]

Upstairs flat. Neither my bathroom or kitchen are in a position where I could divert water into my garden. In fact cannot see more than one small corner of it from any room in my flat. Have a fast evaporating water butt.
It is also so near to the ground that it is impossible to ut my watering can underneath the tap. Have to bail out the water.

[modeller]

Daisy can you stand the butt on some bricks . I have two butts on bricks and the overflow from the higher one fills the second.

[jamesnan]

We recycle our shower water (which is in the bath) and have done for many summers. Use a bucket to carry the water downstairs to water the plants, and have never had a problem with it on the plants. We also put a plug in the sink to save hand washing water in the bathroom,which fills a bucket by the end of the day.
My husband has put a junction in the main down pipe from the washing machine and so we collect that water as well in buckets, every time it spins out - usually get about 8 large buckets of water at least. That also goes on the garden, as does the washing up water, as long as it is not greasy.
We work on the theory that it is better to water with soapy water than not at all. Never had a problem.

[DaisyNonna]

Thanks modeller. Already on bricks. How many before it becomes unstable?
No spare bricks. No car to carry home bricks. No strength to carry them from bus stop.
Was it designed by a man?

[maggiebee]

Mum always threw the washing-up water over the veg plants. She said it kept the greenfly away

[gness]

Daisy...could you get a water butt stand...quite light to carry?...x

[modeller]

Daisy //Already on bricks. How many before it becomes unstable? //

If the bricks are stacked in squares to form a pillar it will remain stable.
In your case 3 courses should be sufficient to get a watering can underneath. That would require about 18 bricks. However if neither you nor your neighbours have got any lying around then gness's idea sounds great.