• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Kitchen grey water for a cake maker...

 
Posts: 20
13
6
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I am in the process of purchasing a home. Long amd short of it is that it has a rather old septic system that has me concerned. I want to reduce the load to the system as much as possible to extend its life and also get some watering benefits onto to some future trees.  

My wife is a cake maker and is always working with and frostings and thanks to her business we are abke to make ends meet. We end up washing a LOT of dishes as a result and while we try to remove a lot of cream and frosting before washing but I know a lot of grease still makes it down the drain.  I honestly don't know what our average gpd since we are on a well currently.  

My general question is what is the best path forward in terms of grey water design?  

My first initial thoughts are:
1. Start with laundry to landscape to lower the septic load as this looks to be the easier of the two systems to operate.

2. With the kitchen system, is a grease trap in order or is the grey water sitting in the trap more of a danger than anything else? Would an initial small wood chip filter with worms or BSFL be the best initial option before going to either a reed bed or straight to a mulch pit?  

Hopefully I will be able to do a drawing of the existing conditions by sometime next week to get a better idea of the actual feasible options...

Finally, the codes for my area require a tank for grey water storage which as I understand it is a big no no.

Thanks for any and all suggestions as I have no experience with grey water.  
 
gardener
Posts: 5169
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205
1010
forest garden trees urban
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I have a laundry to landscape system on my back porch.
It drains through a mulch filter and waters the mulberry tree and grape vines.
It's half a IBC full of mulch and filthy water comes out clear on the other side.
If I ever make a kitchen system,  I'll send it through the same filter.
 
pollinator
Posts: 5347
Location: Bendigo , Australia
477
plumbing earthworks bee building homestead greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
A grease trap cleaned regularly is always useful.
Make sure its easy to use, so that you do use it!!
I have baskets in mine I can lift and insert a clean one and then deal with the dirty one.

Water only stays in the grease trap until the next wash. They are not a concern.
Grey water systems as such should not hold water longer than 24 hours.

As for water usage, purchase a water meter they are not expensive but the are useful.

Separating the water flows always helps as well.
I think you are doing well with your ideas.
gift
 
The Humble Soapnut - A Guide to the Laundry Detergent that Grows on Trees ebook by Kathryn Ossing
will be released to subscribers in: soon!
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic