Member - Pesty (SA) replied:

Get a bucket with measurments on it and fill it from the tap with a stop watch going and work it out from there, not that hard.

Cheers Pesty

Hairy replied:

Gday Leroy,
Just put a bucket under you tap, turn it on flat out for 30 seconds, measure it and times it by two.
Ask whoever sells you the pump because if your tank is going to be under ground you will also have head preasure and pipe diameter to deal with. There are quite a few things to take into account like how far do you want to pump the water, do you live on a hill, are you going to run drippers misters etc etc.
I personally would explain it to the pump dealer so if it doesnt work you can take it back. Sorry mate not much help but there are a lot of variables to take into account to get it right.
Cheers

Member - andrew B (Kununurra) replied:

Gday Leroy

Be careful on how you pre filter your crey water - those curly hairs that go down the shower plug can reap havoc with bilge pumps. I looked at a site the other day that had a few options for grey water systems, from unfiltered to fully treated. I considered one myself, but our bore is really good so I saw Little advantage (although soapy water is good for control of lawn grubs, so the washing Machine has a bit of poly out to the lawn)...Hey, there is a thought, I'm sure a washing machine has a pump that can handle the odd bit of hair etc.

Good luck with the system - When I was considering one, I was looking into puting a decent concrete tank in with an overflow to the sewerage sustem and a float valve near the bottom hooked up to the water mains. I was then going to run my retic off a pump that would first use up the grey water, but wouldn't run dru as the float valve would kick in when the tank was about 1/4 full (3/4 empty)

Everyone in a water restricted area should have one, along with a rainwater tank (IMO)

Cheers Andrew

equinox replied:

You might want to check with the EPA, Water Authority and Local Council too, to see what the correct installation procedures are, so it is a legal installation.

Last thing you want is a backyard environmental disaster on your hands.

Leroy replied:

Thanks guys I didn't think of the simple time the water method.
I know there are a few variables in pumping wrt to height and distance. I really only want to do a simple setup with the oulet of the pump going to the lawn and move the hose each day. No drippers or sprinklers (actually I read that using sprinklers with grey water is illegal).
The Rule automatic pump has a built in float switch so it makes it simple but will it not cope with the hair/fluff?

Leroy

phil replied:

A sprinkler at normal mains pressure is about 600 litres/hour.

Phil I

lbudgie replied:

just out of curiosity , whats it cost to have a bore put in and do you need a council permit?

gottabjoaken replied:

Check the water restriction rules carefully.

My understanding - probably different for every state / water authority (don't you love this country!) - is that if your tank is topped up with mains water, then the whole of the tank permanently comes under mains water restrictions.

That would be whether rainwater or grey water.

Ken

Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses replied:

Have a look at these suckers Leroy Site Link where the older one has 26 metres head capability 36 psi. New one has higher pressures of 45 psi. That can operate sprinklers. Even 36 psi is pretty good but nowhere near what townies expect.

shaen replied:

Try a washing machine pump, durable, high volume, cheap and robust.

Cheers

dags666 replied:

Leroy as a licensed plumber first check with local council what you can and can not do.first of all if you are looking for a rebate you need to use a licensed or bsa card holder to get your rebates. Leroy when we set the old systems up with a holding tank we use a pump with an automatic float turns on when the tank is approx 3/4 full and run the hose onto the lawn with a pope sprinkler attached to a hose. why a pope, heavy water droplets and only sprinkles within say as 10 foot dia. i would not put it through a sprinkler or micro jet system because this water is untreated and the bacteria in it is more likely to become air born. personally i and many other colleagues believe the pollies are opening a Pandora's box here. if every one in the cities start spraying grey water, health problems may occur,because i don't know my neigbours personal habits say washing nappies in the bath going to the toilet in the shower or bath etc.... Dags

HowdyDoody replied:

Hi Leroy, I may be way off the mark here but we were told that grey water could not be stored in a tank as it turns septic after 24 hours - we were told this by a plumber quoting on setting just that up for us. We now have an extension attached to our washing machine pipe so that we can water the lawn as the machine empties. It means that we have to be home when a load of washing goes through but thats fine. Put a load on in the morning, then drink the cuppa while watering the lawn.

phil replied:

Hi,
Another thing worth looking at are systems that automatically sense whether tank water is available and use that, changing over to mains water otherwise.
An example is the "tankflush" from Tankworld
www.tankworld.com.au
They are intended for supplying toilet, laundry etc but could have other applications.

Phil I