Finding ways to make our home water systems more efficient has been an age-old struggle since the inception of indoor plumbing. The water that gets used within our homes goes through multiple cycles of cleaning, purification, and general use, which in turn causes countless resources to be exerted to get that water to a usable state once again. Of these household chores and processes, some of the resulting water may look like it’s unusable until it goes through an extensive purification process; however, under the right circumstances can be used again in different ways. This resulting substance is known as greywater, and households can find ways to reutilize it without having to undergo an extensive purification process.
What Is Grey Water?
When household chores such as laundry, dishwashing, or showers consume water to perform their tasks, the resulting water by-product doesn’t simply disappear. It exists as greywater within your water system until it can go out and get purified again. Greywater comprises anywhere from 50-80% of the wastewater produced from residential homes throughout the year. Finding ways to repurpose this water could help reduce the total amount of waste produced and help improve the environment in the long term.
How Can Homes Use Grey Water?
On the surface, it appears that greywater does not have a long list of beneficial uses in its current state. It has a cloudy appearance that many people would not want to use as drinking or cleaning water again. However, that does not mean that you cannot find ways to utilize this untapped resource. In some instances, greywater can prove more beneficial around the home than using drinking water, especially when it comes to home gardening.
Greywater contains a plethora of nutrients and particles that are excellent sources of nutrients for plants you may have around the home. Most homeowners will use water from their sinks, hoses, or near-empty plastic water bottles to water their plants, but this can quickly become a misuse of available water resources. By utilizing greywater, you can give your plants and gardens plenty of nutrient-rich water to help facilitate their ongoing growth. But how can you use greywater when most home water systems are designed to keep grey water separate from the drinking water sources?
How to Divert Grey Water for Other Uses
For most homes to have the ability to use greywater, they need to have their plumbing system divert it to where they need it the most. When you get a new well water storage system installed by the Well Manager team, you can devise a way to divert the greywater from the storage to outdoor spigots for watering your plants. Additionally, increased greywater use can potentially help boost your well’s overall yield. By utilizing greywater instead of drinking for your gardening needs, you allow your well time to recover and replenish its water supply naturally.
Finding ways to improve your well’s yield and overall performance is an ongoing process that most private well owners will have to deal with at some point. While homeowners can utilize temporary water supply solutions for their problems, finding ways to use naturally produced greywater can potentially help increase their well’s overall yield. If you want to find ways to streamline your water supply and ongoing use, contact Well Manager today!
