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]

I hope to see some interesting answers to this....the shower water seems such a waste when it could go on the garden.

[Alston]

You can use bath/shower water in the garden. Problem might be getting it to where you want it.

Some years back when we were prone to hot summers, my next door neighbour had a great idea (or so he thought). He wrapped some sacking around the end of his garden hosepipe and stuffed it up the outlet pipe from his bathroom. It was working great to water his Kidney Beans until one evening it caused the house's internal plastic piping to spring a joint within his systems downstairs Loo. Completely flooded the Loo and his hallway.

Al.

[julia-mag]

Some years ago in the drought season, we used the bath water for the back garden by putting one end of the hose-pipe into the bath, dropping the rest out of the window , putting a hanky over the end and my husband started it off by suction. It worked very well. Now we have the shower there is not enough water to do it.

[boxtops]

I'd syphon it out, you mustn't make a hole in the soil stack - fling a hose through your bathroom window.

[gness]

It's not the bath Boxy...it's how to find a way to use the water going down from the shower....x

[tonyav]

It must be ok, I can remember my mom sometimes throwing the washing up water on to the garden, nothing died !.

[gness]

I've used bath water, Tony....no soapy problem at all. I would like a way of getting the water from my shower into barrels to store instead of down the drain...x

[tonyav]

You would have to divert the waste pipe from the shower to run into the said receptacles thats a good word ain't it, instead of it running into the soil stack, gness. Should be fairly straight forward.

[gness]

Put down the dictionary, Tony and get yourself and your tool box round here...X

[Alston]

Any soapy water put into sprays and administered to plants will prevent them being attacked by aphids.

Al.

[tonyav]

LOL, It should be fairly straight forward gness, honest injun.

[gness]

I fire used washing up water on the honeysuckle, Al...then go in search of the blasted teaspoon that is always left in the bowl. x

[DaisyNonna]

Not an injun.

[tonyav]

the blasted teaspoon that is always left in the bowl. x


Yep, theres always one hiding in the bottom isn't there.

[tonyav]

Daisy, Mark Twain I think Tom Sawyer.

[EDDIE51]

Bath / shower/ washing water is called 'Grey Water' there are several schemes to recycle it . I will have a Google and get back.
Is is very important that toilet water is not included in Grey water that HAS to be disposed of into the sewage system.

[boxtops]

If it's the shower (i missed that), then put the plug in, you can still syphon the water out.

[EDDIE51]

Look at this link
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/beinggreen/118948.aspx
You can arrange for Grey Water to be diverted to a butt for garden watering, it can also be used to flush toilets.
Some new build housing schemes have Grey Water recycling built in now.

[gness]

Walk in shower, Boxy? I'm a disaster as it is without flooding my bathroom..
...though that would at least get the water downstairs! :-) x