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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Rainwater in Toilets: Why Use Drinking Water if you Don’t Have to?

With the seemingly never ending drought here in Texas, water conservation is an important means to preserve our potable water supply. This means getting super creative with how we use water. So why are we settling for using good, clean drinking water in toilets? Since it is the norm we go about our day not even thinking that there might be an alternative.

Rainwater collection can be used for much more than just landscape irrigation. Collecting the free water that falls on your roof and redirecting it back into your home for use in the toilets not only makes a statement but it is a responsible solution. It is one of many solutions but it is a good strategy to reduce our strained good, clean drinking water supply.

Does it cost some money? Yes it does but in the long run when it becomes a necessity to conserve water, maybe even state law to conserve, you are a step ahead. It is easier to plan this type of system of course with a new build, but it can be done with existing homes as well.

Other alternatives for water conservation re-use graywater as well. Re-fitting a home for graywater re-use can be costly. It is less costly to incorporate graywater into a new build. Graywater is simply redirecting your used washing machine water, shower water and hand sink water for re-use in toilets and or landscape water.

Schools are starting the trend for #netzero buildings. Rainwater collection is part of these types of buildings. Click here for a current example of this type of building and what they are doing to be eco-friendly. 

Questions and comments are welcome below.


8 comments:

  1. Great post. Would've never thought of that. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I keep finding more and more creative uses for rainwater. It's truly incredible to watch this industry unfold. Thanks for the comment!

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  2. Great post. We always collected rainwater when we were growing up, as our well would often go dry in the summer. But sadly, after moving to a more urban area, we got out of the habit....besides the fact that it is any where from -20 to -52 here for almost five months out of the year, lol.

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    1. I wish we had collected rainwater when I was a kid. At least I learned it sometime in life :)

      Understand about it freezing a lot. Luckily we don't have that problem here in Texas. Pretty much the opposite. Thanks for commenting!

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  3. Great idea! Is there any drawback to the gray water sitting in a tank - corrosion, odor, etc?

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    1. Steve,

      Thanks for the great question! If the proper equipment is installed (meaning no corners are cut and someone well versed installation of graywater systems installs it) then there should be no issues with odor or corrosion. In some cases graywater does need a bit of treatment depending on end usage. In addition, the overflow from the graywater tank goes right into the sewer like it would have to begin with so if any needs to be released it goes right where it normally would. A graywater system tank is separate from a rainwater system as well. A rainwater system can have plumbing redirected inside the house for use as I have mentioned above. Graywater has it's own separate plumbing system and clearly marked valves and plumbing to tell that it is graywater and not potable drinking water.

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  4. I am all about being less dependent on local utilities as they are seriously killing the working man with the ridiculous taxes and fees. If I have the ability I plan on soon going to solar power and this idea would be super easy for us to achieve with easy access to rain water and gray water both.. Coming by from the UBC so nice to meet you.. http://singedwingangelspad.com

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    1. Nice to meet you too! Great to see another UBC'er :)

      It is fairly easy to design the rainwater system. Graywater is a bit more complicated but doable. Espcially with new build instead of pre-existing building. Pre-existing buildings are easy to retrofit for rainwater, not so much for graywater. It can be done but it's more costly. Thanks for the comment!

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