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grey water

What to do with kitchen waste water?

Jacob Lough

Posts: 17

Location: Fairmont, WV

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posted 10 years ago

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I'm getting ready to cut ground on a tiny cabin with 1/3 acre property with it. This amount of property doesn't allow me to utilize a septic tank system because the code says at least 2 acres is needed for the install.

With this info, I am going with a composting toilet and a greywater leach system. After doing research on the subject (to an extent) I was wondering what to do about kitchen waste water seeing that it is not considered grey water due to the chemicals involved.

This is probably an easy resolve, but I'm pretty clueless on the subject. Any help would be appreciated.

Angelika Maier

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Posts: 1475

Location: Zone 10a, Australia

posted 10 years ago

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No it is not about the chemicals, which chemicals are you using in the kitchen other then detergent? It is about the fat which may clog the soil.
This is the reason we have not connected the kitchen water to our grey water system. I need a simple system for the fat.
I would not leach the grey water either unless you are living in a region were it rains a lot. Try to bring it to a good use, maybe fruit trees. Don't use it on acid loving plants.

Medicinal herbs, kitchen herbs, perennial edibles and berries: https://mountainherbs.net/ grown in the Blue Mountains, Australia

Jacob Lough

Posts: 17

Location: Fairmont, WV

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posted 10 years ago

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I do live in a region with a lot of rain water. I'm in north central WV. Rain water collection should provide more than enough water for my garden watering needs. I'm just looking for an effective way to drain grey water without a high dollar system involving pumps.

What do you do with your kitchen water if it's not connected to your grey water system?

Su Ba

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Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)

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I allow my kitchen water to flow via gravity to my banana trees. I have a flexible sump pump hose on the end of the pipe so that I can change the location. I see bits of food residue where the water discharges, but not much. And I don't pour grease down the drain nor harsh chemicals. If I bleach the sink or use boiling water to clean out the pipe, I simply move the end of the discharge hose away from the plants so not to damage them. I don't get freezing temperatures where I am, so I don't have to worry about the external plumbing freezing.

It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Jacob Lough

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Location: Fairmont, WV

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Thanks Su Ba. Unfortunately I do have to worry about freezing temperatures here. But now I'm in a conflict with the answers here. Is it safe to include kitchen sink water in a grey water system? If it's fat I'm concerned about clogging something, is there a remedy for that in the design phase?

Angelika Maier

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Posts: 1475

Location: Zone 10a, Australia

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If you use bleach and similar stuff it is maybe not safe. The reason why I use greywater is to use the water, because we are having dry years. We are still connected to the sewer system. You must simply think of what you put into the water in the first place and that determines weather it is safe or not. I read conflicting information about the fat part. One said it feeds the bacteria and is good for the soil the other that it clogs the soil. Su, for how many years did you water your banana with that?
I will probably talk my husband into connecting the kitchen water too, because the water from washing veggies is pretty good.
Our greywater goes into a pond and there are frogs!

Medicinal herbs, kitchen herbs, perennial edibles and berries: https://mountainherbs.net/ grown in the Blue Mountains, Australia

Jacob Lough

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Location: Fairmont, WV

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Anyone ever heard of this product or think it's worth the money? Greywater disposal kit

Since it has a filter and a solids tank, I figure that would take care of the fatty effluent from kitchen sinks. It also would save me the headache of trying to engineer something aside from my timber frame cabin. The less distractions the better. =)

Su Ba

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Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)

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Angelina, I've been doing it at my current homestead for close to ten years. About once a week I move the end of the discharge hose to another part of the banana tree clump so that other trees can get the extra water. I've never had a problem with flies or smell. I have drought years too, so those trees really appreciate that water.

Jacob, I've seen a homemade set up where the kitchen sink water was piped to a mostly buried 55 gallon barrel. It was used as a settling tank. Another pipe lead (underground) from the barrel out to a garden bed, but the pipe ran completely underground. Don't recall whether they did it that way for visual effect or if it was because the ground sloped that way. The barrel had a removal lid so that the inside could be accessed for clean out when needed. The solid food bits sank to the bottom and the fats floated. I've never tried making one if these, but at least I know the idea could work. I saw it in use in southern New Jersey.

It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Jd Gonzalez

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Posts: 294

Location: Virginia,USA zone 6

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posted 10 years ago

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I know that in places where there is not enough drainage for a regular septic tank an alternate system is installed. These systems use peat moss. I looked around a found this link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_8582724_filter-water-through-peat-moss.html

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R Scott

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Location: Kansas Zone 6a

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posted 10 years ago

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The natural home solution is nice, but pricey (partially due to shipping). The filter itself is probably worth it if you have a lot of hair going down the drain (it is shocking how much some people shed).

There are options for simple DIY grease traps, some can be mounted under the sink. They really aren't that hard, they just need to be sized to the sink and water usage so they have time for the grease to float and gunk to settle. micro septic tanks.

If you are being careful about scraping pans before washing and about what you are eating, you are probably putting more grease down the shower drain than the kitchen, so sizing it as a mini septic is not a bad idea.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
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Jacob Lough

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Location: Fairmont, WV

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posted 10 years ago

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Great feedback here, y'all. Thank you. Su, I saw that same setup too on a couple videos. They looked pretty promising and I'm guessing they buried it to get below the frost line. The only thing I didn't like about them was that they didn't have a filter for grease and such. Although I'm sure one could be fabricated.

Jd, do you know if that system would ever require you to replace the peat moss or how much maintenance it would require?

R Scott, my wife sheds like nobody's business. Although I don't mind because her hair is quite gorgeous. =) I'll have to look into the grease trap setups. Since I have the money, I think I might just go with the kit, but we'll see.

Angelika Maier

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Posts: 1475

Location: Zone 10a, Australia

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Grease traps are gross to clean.

Medicinal herbs, kitchen herbs, perennial edibles and berries: https://mountainherbs.net/ grown in the Blue Mountains, Australia

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