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wormfarm as first filter for greywater

 
pollinator
Posts: 1475
Location: Zone 10a, Australia
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I want to setup a greywater system to use the water (Unlike Art Ludwig). Something that you can use on your veggies.
I thought a worm farm would be a good first step of filtration, as well for the added benefits. maybe the surge tank could be under the worm farm and the water trickles through.
Sometimes we take real baths and sometimes I wash 3 machines a day (54 l each often after a rainy period). So the worm farm can't be really small.
The question is how do I get the water through the whole area of the worm farm evenly? I thought of a cone shaped metal with holes, would that work? Or a coil of soaker hose?
Our small commercial worm farm has several tiers but if they are bigger it's a pain. I would have to get the worm castings out somehow - any ideas?
 
Posts: 85
Location: Northern California
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I'm no expert, but that sounds incredibly over wet for any sort of worms.

we've been on grey water for 9 years now here in dry California, and find plenty of uses for the grey water right out of the drainpipe (actually a garden hose connected to the drainpipe) fruit trees and berries being the easy and obvious, and then sometimes my (hot) compost piles need moisture, and I'm unwilling to use fresh water on them.

I have 3 worm bins, but one day's worth of grey water from my family of 3 would FLOOD them out for more than a week. and I get that you're saying use the worm bin as filtration, but worm bins are FULL of bacteria - that are not all beneficial! - you'd actually be making the water DIRTIER.

also, if for some reason you have a situation where you would *actually* put, what, 20-30 gal of water on your worms a day!?!? a soaker hose would almost instantly clog up with grey water gunk, as would any sort of drip irrigation.
 
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