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Grey water disposal

 
pioneer
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I've been reading a lot of posts about the subject. I understand why a holding tank for it ain't the best idea. So, this morning I'm wondering, without bothering Mr Google this early, about dumping grey water directly onto the ground in some form or fashion.
I'm interested in using the grey water for a wildflower meadow but not too sure if that's the wisest thing.
The reason I'm asking is we're in the process of building a house and now is the time to be thinking of such things.
I'm not interested in using it in a garden or orchard. I pretty much want to get rid of it but I really don't want to add it to my septic tank if there's a better way of using it.
I have plenty of land and a portion of it will be nothing but wild flowers. The house will sit about 60' from this area. It's something like 40'x500' so it's pretty good sized. The house sits about 3' above most of it, so gravity is my friend. Anything that can't be gravity fed will have to thrive on neglect.
It's just me and the wife in the home,  so we don't generate a lot of grey water.
Given those parameters, what would be a good suggestion for grey water usage? After getting the grey water to the area of usage, how to disburse it? Will it stink? Or, should I dig a pit, fill it with gravel and dump it in?
 
steward
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Location: USDA Zone 8a
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The kind of greywater system we did would be good for your situation and it is simple.

All our plumbing is on one side of the house.  We have three outlets, one for the washing machine, one to go to the septic tank, and one for the kitchen sink.

We have two french drains for the greywater since they are separated by the black water (septic) line.

I would suggest using a ditch filled with a pipe to go to the wildflower field then when you get to the field, use a perforated pipe to drain into the field.  Fill the ditch halfway with gravel, lay the pipe, and cover with more gravel, then top with dirt.

I hope this explained how we did it and that this will work for you.

 
pollinator
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It depends on what's in your grey water besides water. Some soaps and detergents are harsher than others. Commercial dishwasher detergent is particularly acrid, if my nose is any judge.

Generally, though, I think the dose makes the poison. I wouldn't hesitate it to put in on a wildflower meadow, but I would certainly spread it around and monitor for adverse reactions. My 2c.

 
Anne Miller
steward
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Douglas brings up a great subject that I had not thought of.

I have always cleaned my house with safe stuff that you can eat.  Like vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, etc.

I don't have a dishwasher and most of my dishes are washed with just hot water. For the really greasy pans, I have used dawn since it first came out.

My washer has a problem that I talked about in a thread from several years ago so most clothes are just washed in vinegar then hung in the sun to sanitize.  I don't use fabric softeners.

Here are some threads that might help:

https://permies.com/t/118215/permaculture-home-care-cleaning/purity/bacteria-die-bacteria-helps-home

https://permies.com/t/edible-clean

https://permies.com/t/98779/permaculture-home-care-cleaning/purity/Hydrogen-peroxide-disinfect-clean-replace

https://permies.com/t/113235/means-biodegradable
 
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