Focus on Green Homes – Grey Water Recapture Systems

When it comes to green designs for houses, one of the most commonly heard terms after home electrical repairs is grey water and how we should utilize it to make the home more efficient. The first time you hear of the term, you might be thinking, “is it safe?” or “it sounds disgusting.”

What is “grey water”

Grey water is not actually grey-colored. In fact, after the filtering process, it looks just like any regular water. However, this isn’t drinking water as it isn’t potable and you should never, ever drink it. So just where does grey water come from? There are two sources for it and are the following:

* In the home – the grey water that comes from inside the house comes from the showers, sink, and laundry. Under the right conditions and by using the right equipment, this water can actually be reused to flush your toilet with. At first, you might think it’s strange and even disgusting but if you think about it, it is actually an efficient use of water. This water can’t be ingested but can still be used again to do other stuff.

* Outside the home – this kind of water comes from run-off water that comes from the roof or into the storm sewer after a bout of heavy rain. This water is basically being wasted as it has served no purpose whatsoever but will be sent to the water treatment plant anyway. You can still reuse this water by collecting them and using them on your plants.

Other Benefits of Grey Water

You might notice that after a heavy downpour, plants look a lot healthier and greener. This is because rain water is actually rich in nitrates which are important for plants. By collecting rain water and using it to water your plants you are not just reusing water but you are actually providing more nutrients to your plants as well.

Just as home electrical repairs can help reduce your electrical bill consumption, reusing water will decrease your water consumption bill since you use less water in the long run. The reused water from the sink to the toilet or from the gutter to the plants may seem small at first but they eventually add up to a lot of savings.

Another advantage is that it is ideal for places that are dry and sometimes experience water shortages. By reducing your water consumption, you are ensuring that there is enough water around. It also helps the environment since you are consuming less water, the water treatment facilities will be spending less energy in treating water. You might think that the water you save is negligible in the grand scheme of things but if other people do it to, it is a big and long-term investment that can eventually bear fruit to help the environment.

Green homes are all about efficiency and health and the usage—or in this case, reusing—of grey water is very beneficial to you, the community, and the environment as a whole. It doesn’t take much to collect these grey water but they certainly have a lot of benefits if you do. Click here to find out more.