Grey Water
The greywater tube extended for use
Living in a high desert chaparral affects how we think about water usage. One conservation tool we have is the use of grey water. “Grey water” is gently used household water created from bath, kitchen or laundry use that can be re-used for watering trees or other landscaping.
The biggest obstacle to implementing grey water is storage. Because it contains traces of hair, grease, dirt and food, it can quickly turn into a smelly mess. Piping greywater directly onto absorbent landscaping is a simple way to keep this valuable resource out of the sewage system.
During the summer months at our home, we collect bath water and pump it directly to the trees on the property. We use a phosphate-free soap that degrades in the sunlight. During construction, we fitted this simple tube into the bath wall with a counterweight that allows it to neatly retract when not in use. In this position, the simple brass plumbing part which we assembled and ground into an elegant shape is all that you see.
