Do you know if this grey water use is legal in all of California or does the authority lies with the Counties? I had people give me conflicting information and I just would like to be sure.
If you haven't already, please make sure to transition to garden safe soap and install a microfiber filter so the polyester fibers from your clothes don't leach into the plants!
@@tamtam4049Just Googled it and Aubrey Organics was acquired by Nutraceutical International Corporation about five years ago. Some say the formula changed so do your research before using
very good comment.We re-use out washing machine water to water trees and grass but it is a very crude system, basically just dumps out into the center of the back yard thru a pipe I played underground from the washer. we for sure have issue with clothing fibers especially right around where the water exits, it looks ugly just creates an area with lint stuck to the lawn. we do use bio safe plant based detergent and that works well, so far after 15 years of doing this the grass is still thriving and it doesn't get all sudsy looking out there. maybe I will change to a little different system with a filter to get rid of the lint that collects on the grass around the outlet! I wish everyone around here would try to re-use even just some of their grey water, we are in phoenix and water is getting increasingly limited and expensive.
Kevin, there are so many people asking questions about soaps and detergents affecting plant growth that I think you may have to devote a vid purely to address that particular problem. You might also check out the use of reed beds as a way of treating your grey water before directing it to the garden. A chain of several second-hand bathtubs installed in-ground can be used for this purpose as they would be easy to maintain.
@@melissasullivan1658 Not just fancy, Melissa, but they can be productive food-wise too. For example, Kang Kong, also known as water spinach, and perhaps the fastest growing plant on the planet can be grown in them, as can several other edible plants.
@@katiecardone9557 Katie, There are quite a number of detergents, soaps and shampoos on the market that can be used. (For laundry powder/liquid choose one that is phosphate free as well as bio-degradable.) Using a reed-bed filter is an excellent addition to a grey-water system to remove residues, often along with heavy metals. If you have the space, (and I realise many people don't,) a series of 2 or 3 bathtubs can be linked together to make a good system. Check out the use of Duckweed as it is an excellent filter medium.
Actually many cities (at least in germany, but the problem should be the same) have huge problems with sewage systems not being used enough (as once speced) because people conserve water. As a result the systems don't work well anymore and stuff (no further comments ;)) isn't moved through the system correctly and settles in the pipes. The normal fix is, that the cities use huge amounts of water to flush the sewage systems. So in the end no one really wins.
@@stefan514 Wow that's interesting never really thought of that. I think it makes sense for more rural area where people use septic tanks anyway but for the city and large suburbs obviously It has negative consequences.
@@stefan514 another reason why I don't understand why the hell I still wanna save water and Doo aquapinics and all this crud because the rich noooo mater what are eventually gonna be saving every last drop they can if they ain't already. Then when they take as much as they can to space all the homeless can take there old property's....... O wait by that time they will have ak robots standing gard every one sooooo never mind they can do an digdiggieholehole and go F off sadly...
Thank you for wearing shoes that covered your toes when working with the jackhammer (once a mother, always a mother! I feel protective of my youtubers). Way to go Jacques!
When going under walkways, I usually put a much larger pipe in, as a conduit. That way, if you ever need to run more pipes or irrigation wiring, etc, you only have to dig out the ends.
Such a great idea, especially for your hot, dry environment. Certainly an improvement on dumping the washing up bowl in the flower bed like my Granny has always done ;) Even in the UK where my garden is a bog half the year we still get drought conditions/hose pipe bans in summer, it's important for us all to look at how we can utilise our precious water more efficiently.
Very impressive. Last year, we had to replace a lot of our plumbing ( the house was built in 1946) and I wish we had thought about doing it then. Jacques is quite the Jacques of all trades, you are lucky to know him.
@@Riverrockphotos I have found it helpful (even using the bio-safe soap) to pump the washer water into two bins first. One to act as a primary sediment filter going through many layers of furnace filters that cover many scrubbie pads (i used plastic ones, but copper is an option-the point is to also aerate to prevent anaerobic growth). The next filter was a mini peat bog that had water cress or horse tail or reeds in it. That stage removes heavy salts that some plants would not be able to tolerate (especially over time). Now, we had a third tank that was the holding tank until scheduled watering. It was a cattle trough with feeder goldfish a tank heater in winter but most importantly a solar powered/backup battery fountain. It had several plants in it as well. We had zero mosquitos and zero probs with plants. A solar powered timer & drip irrigation fed from there. *there was a quarantine bucket for new plants to sit and soak their nursery soil off their roots and it was innoculated with quite a few really good strains of mycelia-must've worked--the yard was stuffed with planters with really happy plants--and the normal temps were between 101-114*F daily for months Even strawberries! Good luck to you! edited: typo
O! Just saw this one which is a little different than mine because it has a grease trap & that is a great idea and lowers system maintenance. He has a catch basin with worms, but our composting & worms were separate to protect against fire ants invading. We also did this on a family house with kiddos so our water volumes were probably way too high to use his style.
On the soap/detergent/cleansers issues: Grey water is safe for your garden. Grey water doesn’t contain chemicals, black water does. So if you are using detergent or cleansers “flip your switch” to black water. Soap is safe. Detergent isn’t. Biodegradable is best. Products with microbeads should be avoided at all costs. More difficult to avoid is products with essential oils but important because of the VOC contents. Your plants can tolerate most of them but some can cause damage. It’s a lot of research to do and I find it easiest to completely avoid EOs.
Black water is not chemical, it is fecal. You can not have feces going into the ground. Black water is from the toilet, grey water is everything except toilet water. Because water coming from the toilet has feces. The toilet does not release chemicals. Unless someone uses drop in toilet bowl cleaners, that should not be used anyway.
@@Mr77caprice “You cannot have fecal matter going into the ground” ?!? Oops, better tell all the birds and mammals and reptiles they aren’t allowed to poop on the ground anymore. (Sorry, you set yourself up for that one.) Actually fecal matter is safe once it has composted down to its individual components.
Y husband did this for our shower and washing machine and honestly I wish we had the money to do this for every sink in the house!!! It makes so much sense and is a great motivator to switch to more sustainable and bio-friendly soaps and such.
@@epichomesteading In Oz water from a kitchen sink is not considered grey water and must be directed to the sewerage system. Apart from that we are installing a grey water system for our laundry, two showers and all hand basins and floor drains in laundry and bathrooms. Luckily the son of the previous owners of the house had begun installing the same system but after stopping when he found it was actually illegal to do left all the unused pipes in place (thus saving us quite a few dollars.)
Don't forget to label the switch and laundry lever. 4 months later you will wake up and forget the same way your mind plays tricks on if you locked the front door or garage or iron or (insert what your brain plays games with here) 😄
Yaaay Brooke!!! Good to see you getting some recognition on utube ❤️👏. Hey public, she gives classes to teach you how to do this yourself, as well as reclaim rainwater.... Big fun as well! 👍
Up in Oregon- some municipalities have ordinances against grey water use due to detergents. But it’s really common outside city limits. Grew up with ours watering our orchard.
@@epichomesteading Rules that were often designed many years ago when most soaps and laundry detergents contained sulfates (I think) which caused all sorts of problems up the chain, Lower oxygenation causing algae bloom, fish kills, etc. Those nasty chemicals also eventually made it back down the chain into the aquifer, right back into your house and irrigated crops. This is my understanding as a layperson of the science behind those rules.
I have a system like this at my house to not overhwlem my septic tank and it works well only thing is I notice is the soaps and other stuff seem tho throw off the pH making some stuff not grow. Either way great video and content!!
When drilling into a dwelling you want to have a bit of an angle going up so that water drips out/can’t enter the house. Even though you seal this is important .
Love the recycling! Amazing job Kevin!! Maybe make sure you cover the bathroom switch with some waterproof materials, steam from the showers and even droplets of water aren't gonna be friendly to it...
I have to preface this by saying I had never subscribed to anything on TH-cam before I found your videos. I only ever use TH-cam to learn how to do something or music. I found your main channel during the beginning of the pandemic when I was trying to learn how to grow microgreens(which I'm pretty good at now partially thanks to your video). I've watched a lot of instructional videos and you are one of the most eloquent, straight-forward, and entertaining teachers on TH-cam. You're up there with the best of them when it comes to teaching, you're very knowledgeable and it shows because you're able to break it down in simple ways. I know I'm hooked because I'm watching this video that isn't even relevant to me but you actually have me following along your journey! I just had to let you know as I think it's a pretty big deal that you're the first person I've ever subscribed to and I'm pretty sure this is my first ever TH-cam comment lol It's dope to see your journey and I wish you the best of luck, I'm rooting for you! Keep on doing what you do man and enjoy every moment of it because you got an awesome draw of the cards and life is short! The cool videos I see on your channel are making me get obsessed with gardening(need a dragonfruit cactus ASAP) lol May our paths be destined to cross one day. 🤝
@@emptynestgardens9057 Ok. So ask the important questions first before deciding it should be mandatory for everyone. Also, what if your neighbor did this? Cool, right? What if that neighbor was sick? Would you want their water leeching onto your property? Also, not a dude. Sorry for being a B, Happy Easter. 🐰
@Roxxanne B, I think you hit on exactly why it won't ever be "standard" on new homes. Frankly, too many people either wouldn't understand the limitations, or they wouldn't care. So they'd be using whatever products they wanted to with no concern for where the drain is leading to! For too many people, stuff going down the drain is out-of-sight, out-of-mind, or "somebody else's problem!"
Hey! Can you make a more detailed video explaining the pros and cons of reusing this type of water, doesn't it hurt the plants in the long way? Love your vids!
Rafael, an alternative way is to run the grey water through a small chain of reed beds before using it. The reeds can actually clean the water to the extent that it can be made potable, as is done by nature. (That's how we intend to set up the system we are working on now.)
Your soil is looking better every time you dig compared to when you first moved in! That salamander was probably loving life under the pot, perfect moisture and humidity with lots of delicious worms and bugs for it to eat! 😂
We use Castile Coconut Oil Soap for the shower & hand washing, and use Ecos plant-based laundry detergent which is rapidly biodegradable. So, neither of ours are bad for the plants, in fact they seem to love it.
How many ounces per year of polyester micro plastics do you think are entering his greywater system? Let's remember, Fukushima is still leaking into the Pacific Ocean. Try some perspective on for size.
Any lessons learned 2 years into having these greywater systems? Anything you would have done differently? Looking to add greywater laundry & shower for a new above garage ADU and would love to incorporate any learnings!
I love this system! My only question I have is do you think you will have issues with roots growing into your pipes. It's pretty common for roots to find a way and push through pipes overtime. Have you had any issues yet? Do you anticipate any issues related
There's a relatively cheap PVC fitting called a water jet for putting pvc underneath a sidewalk. You just dig a little pilot hole and it creates a high pressure jet spray and you can just push the pvc through. Pretty handy
This gives me a lot of ideas! I have a whirlpool tub I seldom use due to the large amount of water it takes, this gives me a reason to use it more! Thanks.
Shut up, no way we could grow artichokes on California, I am so happy your everything is absolutely beautiful and so professional, wait no you have to finish the last part of the vidio, j.k
They could be, however there are many bio-degradable laundry detergents, soaps and shampoos that are available. Reed bed filters can also help eliminate the problem.
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
Great to see you have a partner in the Epic work you guys do ! Of course I want to know what bathroom products you use that won’t destroy your plants. Did I miss that?
I came from the shorts video. You mentioned the full video addresses this question. Did I miss that too? Couldn’t find it. I’m really intrigued as it’s a great idea, especially in dry places like mine….
Last year, I save the water when wash fruit, vegetables and dish. Use that water to water my vegetable garden. I controlled my water bill under $100/ month and got lots of vegetables and melons. My neighbor who use the sprinkler to water his garden, the water bill is ••• $600/month. We all need this way to save water especially where I live, arid climate. No waste, recycle as much as possible.
When you were looking for a house did you specifically look for a house with a crawlspace to do greywater? That’s going to be a parameter for me for my first house. Concrete slabs ain’t cutting it for greywater!
Nice bro I never seen this b4 but it cool and make things a lot easier, love how you can turn it on an off I'm a big fan of bleach..I'm gone keep this in mine and do some reading on it get more info thanks🎉
This is awesome content dude! I subbed a looong time ago for the plant tips, but at this point I'm pretty sensible with whatever I'm growing. Building an urban homestead is the real deal though! I hope to be able to buy a house this year, sadly where I'm at there's no way I'm gonna get a garden that big but all the more reason to make the absolute best use of it 🚀
You inspired me to look into gray water systems in my area (Colorado). There's a long list of requirements that's impractical to comply with, and even if I figure all that out I'm not allowed to use the water for food production, which would be the whole point. And I'm only allowed to have up to 110 gallons of rain barrels. So I have 1 acre and I'm pretty much at the mercy of the water company if I want to grow my own food. In the event of a drought (which seems like happens more often than not) they will restrict outdoor watering.
@@clairemcconway6266 the state's rationale is, if I had too many rain barrels, I might be taking water from people who have water rights downstream. I agree, it's ridiculous.
We are in the process of starting to plan and build a casita on my in-laws property, Im planning on planting some citrus in the back because it grows so well here in AZ. If you do a setup like this do you have to use special soaps? Seems like you wouldn't want normal soaps to go through watering plants.
I never had luck with citrus! Well, actually I did once. I planted an orange tree and grew into a large lemon producing tree... Usually I collect my dish water and pour in a plastic 1/2 wine barrel outside. Then use the water for watering plants.
I had a system at my last house and grew the most epic blackberries I've ever seen. all the neighbors would come by with their kids and pick them. I miss it.
Another excellent addition to the homestead! MAJOR kudos to Jacques, that was a LOT of digging. Thank you for taking us on another informative tour. It's so invigorating and inspiring to see the many ways you're making your home more sustainable and efficient!
I doubt he's saving any money. Municipal water is really cheap. Even in San Diego area, I'd be surprised if he was paying more than a penny a gallon! It's going to take a LOOOOONG time to reach the point of payback on the systems he just installed in this video! But then, he's doing these things for the principles, not to save money! (As any Tesla Model S or X owner will confess!)
💚 always wanted to do this... yeah Jock (sorry if I misspelled your name) you're a good man !!! Glad to see Brooke with your know how !!! Great job everyone !!! Love your videos of the new Epic Garden !!! Blessings...
Best stuff to use for your laundry: Dr Bronner's Sal Suds, you can get it by the gallon and it's totally safe. Our grey water comes out of a hose that we move from tree to tree, and the chickens love to drink it out of the hose! (Sal Suds, safe. Our sweat? Yuck, but the chickens haven't died yet.)
“Most soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and washing detergents use salts, fragrances, and other chemicals which, in large quantities, create toxic conditions for your plants. Finding soaps with no salt or sodium is essential for optimizing your greywater use.” Don’t think this would be permissible in The Netherlands with our low ground water table which we actually use as the source for our drinking water... I’m not sold on the idea of “lightly poluted water” dripping into the ground
This is great! The only thing I'd recommend is labeling the switch in the bathroom and the ball valve in the laundry room so anyone can know which position the switch/valve should be in when they need to direct the water to the sewer.
Loved this! Been looking at setting up a grey water system but have been scared to tackle because I wasn’t sure how I’d go about doing it. This video helped me understand what I need to do now!
My lemon tree really sulked when I first brought it home. Hopefully your trees will perk up! Great idea about using the grey water! PS good job to both you guys, that looks like hard work!
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
Water reclamation is something I want in my house, but how do you handle the soaps and cleaners in the shower and laundry and not have it kill your plants or damage your soils?
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
It's nice to see American homestead videos in a climate where water is a valued resource. Being in Australia we also have to be very conservative with our water consumption.
Does anyone know what effect soap, shampoo, and detergent could have on the plants? I know little to nothing about this type of setup so that may be a stupid question, but was just curious.
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
Hey Kevin I have to ask how come you don’t do the kitchen sink also that way? I’m thinking of doing this on our off grid homestead build a next spring. Thanks for the video.
2-3 in of gravel would be better than mulch ask it won't break down into soil over time and will act as a mild filtration system. If you intersperse the gravel with activated charcoal, it will help pull toxins out and filter the water as well. Great job Jacque. You can come to Texas and help me dig mine next of you want.
What questions do you have about these systems? I'll answer them all in a follow-up video 💦💦💦
what do you need to look for in laundry/shower/cleaning products to make sure they're safe for your plants?
My same question. Does the mulch and fill filter the water? What will you fill the basins near the citrus trees?
Is there a chance you could overwater your trees?
Do you know if this grey water use is legal in all of California or does the authority lies with the Counties? I had people give me conflicting information and I just would like to be sure.
Does the mulch in the basins eventually ya r to be dug out and replaced as it breaks down?
If you haven't already, please make sure to transition to garden safe soap and install a microfiber filter so the polyester fibers from your clothes don't leach into the plants!
What are some good grey-water shower soaps?
@@robjenkins494 Aubrey Organics Shampoo.
Aubrey organics Conditioner.
Alaffia Face Cleanser.
Dr. Bronners's Pure-Castile Soap.
I was wondering about that.
Tide-flavored artichokes and Irish Spring citrus sounds...not delicious.
@@tamtam4049Just Googled it and Aubrey Organics was acquired by Nutraceutical International Corporation about five years ago. Some say the formula changed so do your research before using
very good comment.We re-use out washing machine water to water trees and grass but it is a very crude system, basically just dumps out into the center of the back yard thru a pipe I played underground from the washer. we for sure have issue with clothing fibers especially right around where the water exits, it looks ugly just creates an area with lint stuck to the lawn. we do use bio safe plant based detergent and that works well, so far after 15 years of doing this the grass is still thriving and it doesn't get all sudsy looking out there. maybe I will change to a little different system with a filter to get rid of the lint that collects on the grass around the outlet! I wish everyone around here would try to re-use even just some of their grey water, we are in phoenix and water is getting increasingly limited and expensive.
Kevin, there are so many people asking questions about soaps and detergents affecting plant growth that I think you may have to devote a vid purely to address that particular problem. You might also check out the use of reed beds as a way of treating your grey water before directing it to the garden. A chain of several second-hand bathtubs installed in-ground can be used for this purpose as they would be easy to maintain.
Ooooh, reed beds as a filter sounds fancy. I would definitely be up for a video on that!
@@melissasullivan1658 Not just fancy, Melissa, but they can be productive food-wise too. For example, Kang Kong, also known as water spinach, and perhaps the fastest growing plant on the planet can be grown in them, as can several other edible plants.
Yes I def have to, I can't answer them all individually
Yes please do!! Cause this is awesome but I was wondering about soaps and detergents the entire video.
@@katiecardone9557 Katie, There are quite a number of detergents, soaps and shampoos on the market that can be used. (For laundry powder/liquid choose one that is phosphate free as well as bio-degradable.) Using a reed-bed filter is an excellent addition to a grey-water system to remove residues, often along with heavy metals. If you have the space, (and I realise many people don't,) a series of 2 or 3 bathtubs can be linked together to make a good system. Check out the use of Duckweed as it is an excellent filter medium.
Every house should be like this. Zero waste all the way! 💚
The environment obliges. A no-brainer.
@Zachary Chenoweth Out of curiosity, where does the waste water go? Does it get treated and then "dumped" back into the aquifer.
Actually many cities (at least in germany, but the problem should be the same) have huge problems with sewage systems not being used enough (as once speced) because people conserve water. As a result the systems don't work well anymore and stuff (no further comments ;)) isn't moved through the system correctly and settles in the pipes. The normal fix is, that the cities use huge amounts of water to flush the sewage systems. So in the end no one really wins.
@@stefan514 Wow that's interesting never really thought of that. I think it makes sense for more rural area where people use septic tanks anyway but for the city and large suburbs obviously It has negative consequences.
@@stefan514 another reason why I don't understand why the hell I still wanna save water and Doo aquapinics and all this crud because the rich noooo mater what are eventually gonna be saving every last drop they can if they ain't already. Then when they take as much as they can to space all the homeless can take there old property's....... O wait by that time they will have ak robots standing gard every one sooooo never mind they can do an digdiggieholehole and go F off sadly...
Thank you for wearing shoes that covered your toes when working with the jackhammer (once a mother, always a mother! I feel protective of my youtubers). Way to go Jacques!
I almost left the sandals on 😂
Need a mask too. Don't want to get silicosis
So sweet a mom’s comment
@@epichomesteadingshould wear closed toe shoes and pants the whole time
When going under walkways, I usually put a much larger pipe in, as a conduit. That way, if you ever need to run more pipes or irrigation wiring, etc, you only have to dig out the ends.
Very practical suggestion Joe.
Kevin selling bath water coming soon 👉👈 😏
LOL
Such a great idea, especially for your hot, dry environment. Certainly an improvement on dumping the washing up bowl in the flower bed like my Granny has always done ;) Even in the UK where my garden is a bog half the year we still get drought conditions/hose pipe bans in summer, it's important for us all to look at how we can utilise our precious water more efficiently.
Couldn't agree more!
Very impressive. Last year, we had to replace a lot of our plumbing ( the house was built in 1946) and I wish we had thought about doing it then. Jacques is quite the Jacques of all trades, you are lucky to know him.
Bahahaha love the pun
I'm thinking I could do this with my washer pretty easily even it only pumps out onto the lawn.
@@Riverrockphotos I have found it helpful (even using the bio-safe soap) to pump the washer water into two bins first. One to act as a primary sediment filter going through many layers of furnace filters that cover many scrubbie pads (i used plastic ones, but copper is an option-the point is to also aerate to prevent anaerobic growth). The next filter was a mini peat bog that had water cress or horse tail or reeds in it. That stage removes heavy salts that some plants would not be able to tolerate (especially over time). Now, we had a third tank that was the holding tank until scheduled watering. It was a cattle trough with feeder goldfish a tank heater in winter but most importantly a solar powered/backup battery fountain. It had several plants in it as well. We had zero mosquitos and zero probs with plants. A solar powered timer & drip irrigation fed from there. *there was a quarantine bucket for new plants to sit and soak their nursery soil off their roots and it was innoculated with quite a few really good strains of mycelia-must've worked--the yard was stuffed with planters with really happy plants--and the normal temps were between 101-114*F daily for months Even strawberries! Good luck to you!
edited: typo
O! Just saw this one which is a little different than mine because it has a grease trap & that is a great idea and lowers system maintenance. He has a catch basin with worms, but our composting & worms were separate to protect against fire ants invading. We also did this on a family house with kiddos so our water volumes were probably way too high to use his style.
On the soap/detergent/cleansers issues: Grey water is safe for your garden.
Grey water doesn’t contain chemicals, black water does. So if you are using detergent or cleansers “flip your switch” to black water.
Soap is safe. Detergent isn’t. Biodegradable is best.
Products with microbeads should be avoided at all costs. More difficult to avoid is products with essential oils but important because of the VOC contents. Your plants can tolerate most of them but some can cause damage. It’s a lot of research to do and I find it easiest to completely avoid EOs.
Thanks for the info, that's definitely the question most people were asking themselves :)
In Australia, black water is from the toilet, so contains fecal matter. Grey water, is tap water from sinks.
Black water is not chemical, it is fecal. You can not have feces going into the ground.
Black water is from the toilet, grey water is everything except toilet water. Because water coming from the toilet has feces. The toilet does not release chemicals. Unless someone uses drop in toilet bowl cleaners, that should not be used anyway.
@@Mr77caprice “You cannot have fecal matter going into the ground” ?!? Oops, better tell all the birds and mammals and reptiles they aren’t allowed to poop on the ground anymore. (Sorry, you set yourself up for that one.) Actually fecal matter is safe once it has composted down to its individual components.
Yeah this isn't correct.
Jaques needs a raise! Haha sweet set up guys!
Y husband did this for our shower and washing machine and honestly I wish we had the money to do this for every sink in the house!!! It makes so much sense and is a great motivator to switch to more sustainable and bio-friendly soaps and such.
I wish I could have done it to the kitchen sink!
@@epichomesteading Right!?
@@epichomesteading In Oz water from a kitchen sink is not considered grey water and must be directed to the sewerage system. Apart from that we are installing a grey water system for our laundry, two showers and all hand basins and floor drains in laundry and bathrooms. Luckily the son of the previous owners of the house had begun installing the same system but after stopping when he found it was actually illegal to do left all the unused pipes in place (thus saving us quite a few dollars.)
Don't forget to label the switch and laundry lever. 4 months later you will wake up and forget the same way your mind plays tricks on if you locked the front door or garage or iron or (insert what your brain plays games with here) 😄
💯
@@epichomesteading No need for that, you've got a video record of it now! 😉
In the laundry room I noticed that the pipes were color coded for quick visual reminder
I was thinking the same thing! LOL. But if you paint the outlet cover bottom half gray, that is a cool solution
For such a large property, every drop of water saved makes a difference. Well done!
Also, well done Jacques for doing so much hard work!
Thank you for doing your part in saving so much water! 🌎
Talk about a busy day! I'm proud of myself when I dig a hole to get a single tree in the ground.
Me, too!!
Yaaay Brooke!!! Good to see you getting some recognition on utube ❤️👏. Hey public, she gives classes to teach you how to do this yourself, as well as reclaim rainwater.... Big fun as well! 👍
Up in Oregon- some municipalities have ordinances against grey water use due to detergents. But it’s really common outside city limits. Grew up with ours watering our orchard.
The ordinances are so odd to me!
@@epichomesteading I wondered how your shampoo and soap would affect your plants?
@@epichomesteading Rules that were often designed many years ago when most soaps and laundry detergents contained sulfates (I think) which caused all sorts of problems up the chain, Lower oxygenation causing algae bloom, fish kills, etc. Those nasty chemicals also eventually made it back down the chain into the aquifer, right back into your house and irrigated crops. This is my understanding as a layperson of the science behind those rules.
@@CherryxBlossomxMist Great info! I wonder if Castille and other SLS-free soaps are fine to use?
@@CherryxBlossomxMist Phosphates. You'll notice on the back of most laundry detergent that it says "Phosphate Free".
related Onlyfans shower post "Come water my citrus trees"
Im really proud of the work you've accomplished. You're doing awesome things. And Jacques is too of course.
I have a system like this at my house to not overhwlem my septic tank and it works well only thing is I notice is the soaps and other stuff seem tho throw off the pH making some stuff not grow. Either way great video and content!!
Great setup! Does the soap/shampoo/detergent affect the water? Or the fruits?
What a great idea! Nice way to use up that H20
When drilling into a dwelling you want to have a bit of an angle going up so that water drips out/can’t enter the house.
Even though you seal this is important .
Love the recycling! Amazing job Kevin!!
Maybe make sure you cover the bathroom switch with some waterproof materials, steam from the showers and even droplets of water aren't gonna be friendly to it...
Good call!
@@epichomesteading maybe you could re-route the wire up into the inside of your under-sink cabinet and put the switch inside :-)
I have to preface this by saying I had never subscribed to anything on TH-cam before I found your videos. I only ever use TH-cam to learn how to do something or music. I found your main channel during the beginning of the pandemic when I was trying to learn how to grow microgreens(which I'm pretty good at now partially thanks to your video). I've watched a lot of instructional videos and you are one of the most eloquent, straight-forward, and entertaining teachers on TH-cam. You're up there with the best of them when it comes to teaching, you're very knowledgeable and it shows because you're able to break it down in simple ways. I know I'm hooked because I'm watching this video that isn't even relevant to me but you actually have me following along your journey! I just had to let you know as I think it's a pretty big deal that you're the first person I've ever subscribed to and I'm pretty sure this is my first ever TH-cam comment lol It's dope to see your journey and I wish you the best of luck, I'm rooting for you! Keep on doing what you do man and enjoy every moment of it because you got an awesome draw of the cards and life is short! The cool videos I see on your channel are making me get obsessed with gardening(need a dragonfruit cactus ASAP) lol May our paths be destined to cross one day. 🤝
Well I missed this channel mate. but here now :)
Totally Epic!!!! This should come standard in all new homes in 2021 and beyond. 🌎 Question - what about the soaps etc that we use?
Make it standard! But wait. What about the soaps and the what nots??? Come on please.
@@beefandchicken wth dude I'm assuming there is a filter or something on it, I dunno, that's why I'm asking!?
@@emptynestgardens9057 Ok. So ask the important questions first before deciding it should be mandatory for everyone.
Also, what if your neighbor did this? Cool, right? What if that neighbor was sick? Would you want their water leeching onto your property?
Also, not a dude.
Sorry for being a B, Happy Easter. 🐰
@@beefandchicken omg chill out!
@Roxxanne B, I think you hit on exactly why it won't ever be "standard" on new homes. Frankly, too many people either wouldn't understand the limitations, or they wouldn't care. So they'd be using whatever products they wanted to with no concern for where the drain is leading to! For too many people, stuff going down the drain is out-of-sight, out-of-mind, or "somebody else's problem!"
Hey! Can you make a more detailed video explaining the pros and cons of reusing this type of water, doesn't it hurt the plants in the long way? Love your vids!
Rafael, an alternative way is to run the grey water through a small chain of reed beds before using it. The reeds can actually clean the water to the extent that it can be made potable, as is done by nature. (That's how we intend to set up the system we are working on now.)
@@shinsanhughes629 yes the types of reeds that can purify water are commonly called cat tails or bull rushes
Your soil is looking better every time you dig compared to when you first moved in!
That salamander was probably loving life under the pot, perfect moisture and humidity with lots of delicious worms and bugs for it to eat! 😂
Question wouldn't the grey water with all the soaps and stuff be bad for the plants?
that’s my question too!
I wonder that also. Do you have to use special soaps??
We use Castile Coconut Oil Soap for the shower & hand washing, and use Ecos plant-based laundry detergent which is rapidly biodegradable. So, neither of ours are bad for the plants, in fact they seem to love it.
Can you continue to use all the same soaps and stuff or do you need to go organic products? Does the soap hurt the soil?
@ston3dNinja13 I don't think so soapy water keeps bugs away and it's water an soap being mix but no (bleach)
You need to swap! I'll cover
I’ve been wanting to do this with my shower water for a decade, since we lived east of you in Spring Valley, CA. This looks awesome. Congrats!
What about the soap from the shower ? And micro plastic from polyester cloths in washing machine ?
How many ounces per year of polyester micro plastics do you think are entering his greywater system?
Let's remember, Fukushima is still leaking into the Pacific Ocean. Try some perspective on for size.
Brooke and Jacque are great friends to have! I didn’t even know this was a possibility. Very economical~ 👍🏽👍🏽
How awesome! So is Jacques your boyfriend or brother or who is he? It seems like he was just there suddenly one day.
He is the garden manager for epic gardening, he's on the team! I am straight
@@epichomesteading ok cool! I thought you were straight but didn’t want to assume :)
Any lessons learned 2 years into having these greywater systems? Anything you would have done differently? Looking to add greywater laundry & shower for a new above garage ADU and would love to incorporate any learnings!
I love this system! My only question I have is do you think you will have issues with roots growing into your pipes. It's pretty common for roots to find a way and push through pipes overtime. Have you had any issues yet? Do you anticipate any issues related
There's a relatively cheap PVC fitting called a water jet for putting pvc underneath a sidewalk. You just dig a little pilot hole and it creates a high pressure jet spray and you can just push the pvc through. Pretty handy
This gives me a lot of ideas! I have a whirlpool tub I seldom use due to the large amount of water it takes, this gives me a reason to use it more! Thanks.
So cool! I work in the pool industry and we use those Jandy 3-way valves and Actuators all day! Cool to see that being put to use for the garden!!!
Shut up, no way we could grow artichokes on California, I am so happy your everything is absolutely beautiful and so professional, wait no you have to finish the last part of the vidio, j.k
How does this work with all the soaps that are mixed in the water? Isn't that bad for your plants?
They could be, however there are many bio-degradable laundry detergents, soaps and shampoos that are available. Reed bed filters can also help eliminate the problem.
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
Amazing system, beautiful sunset, awesome Jacques, brave Brooke for working under the house (shudder)! A great day on the Epicstead!
Great to see you have a partner in the Epic work you guys do ! Of course I want to know what bathroom products you use that won’t destroy your plants. Did I miss that?
Jacques is a great addition to the team! I will cover that
I came from the shorts video. You mentioned the full video addresses this question. Did I miss that too? Couldn’t find it. I’m really intrigued as it’s a great idea, especially in dry places like mine….
Last year, I save the water when wash fruit, vegetables and dish. Use that water to water my vegetable garden. I controlled my water bill under $100/ month and got lots of vegetables and melons. My neighbor who use the sprinkler to water his garden, the water bill is ••• $600/month. We all need this way to save water especially where I live, arid climate. No waste, recycle as much as possible.
Ok but can we have the exposed switch next the the bath tub addressed? That can't possibly be to code...can it?
Be glad you didn’t have rocky soil. Anyone from Miami knows what I mean.
This is a very cool system. I just run a PVC pipe from my washing machine outlet through the louvre window out onto the back lawn 🤣
Whatever works!
When you were looking for a house did you specifically look for a house with a crawlspace to do greywater? That’s going to be a parameter for me for my first house. Concrete slabs ain’t cutting it for greywater!
Nope, this was lucky!
Props to Jaques! His help has helped make the Epic Homestead truly EPIC
Very true, he's been amazing to have on the team
Nice bro I never seen this b4 but it cool and make things a lot easier, love how you can turn it on an off I'm a big fan of bleach..I'm gone keep this in mine and do some reading on it get more info thanks🎉
But I DO care about your cabbage!! Extra thumbs up for Jacques!
This is awesome content dude! I subbed a looong time ago for the plant tips, but at this point I'm pretty sensible with whatever I'm growing. Building an urban homestead is the real deal though! I hope to be able to buy a house this year, sadly where I'm at there's no way I'm gonna get a garden that big but all the more reason to make the absolute best use of it 🚀
Totally agree - good luck on the house hunt!
You inspired me to look into gray water systems in my area (Colorado). There's a long list of requirements that's impractical to comply with, and even if I figure all that out I'm not allowed to use the water for food production, which would be the whole point.
And I'm only allowed to have up to 110 gallons of rain barrels. So I have 1 acre and I'm pretty much at the mercy of the water company if I want to grow my own food. In the event of a drought (which seems like happens more often than not) they will restrict outdoor watering.
what a ridiculous rule about the rain barrels!
@@clairemcconway6266 the state's rationale is, if I had too many rain barrels, I might be taking water from people who have water rights downstream. I agree, it's ridiculous.
Get into permaculture and you can stop watering for the most part.
Build garden raised beds with hugelkultur methods and Build swales they will save you water
It's it wise to switch mid shower? How do soaps affect the garden?
Hello Nasira
We have been planning a future grey water system and I never even thought about bleach cleaners. I three way is now added to the plan. Thank you.
Where did you purchase the 3-way valve and the actuator that both go under the house?
We are in the process of starting to plan and build a casita on my in-laws property, Im planning on planting some citrus in the back because it grows so well here in AZ. If you do a setup like this do you have to use special soaps? Seems like you wouldn't want normal soaps to go through watering plants.
I never had luck with citrus! Well, actually I did once. I planted an orange tree and grew into a large lemon producing tree...
Usually I collect my dish water and pour in a plastic 1/2 wine barrel outside. Then use the water for watering plants.
I had a system at my last house and grew the most epic blackberries I've ever seen. all the neighbors would come by with their kids and pick them. I miss it.
Charles Dowding wont like all the digging! Great project, I want to see more!
Hahaha
🤣
I half expected you to say 'here we have our rain barrel, here we have our hvac and here we have our giant hole in the wall' and move on
Another excellent addition to the homestead! MAJOR kudos to Jacques, that was a LOT of digging. Thank you for taking us on another informative tour. It's so invigorating and inspiring to see the many ways you're making your home more sustainable and efficient!
I want a garden hermit. ‘J’ rocks, you 2 are a great team.
In one day...WOW.. Im tired just thinking about the work.. Thanks for the info.. Its very interesting. -Melanie
Jacques appreciation comment!! 🙌❤️
An exceptional way to save money and water💧Jacques and Brooke👏👏👏
I doubt he's saving any money. Municipal water is really cheap. Even in San Diego area, I'd be surprised if he was paying more than a penny a gallon! It's going to take a LOOOOONG time to reach the point of payback on the systems he just installed in this video!
But then, he's doing these things for the principles, not to save money! (As any Tesla Model S or X owner will confess!)
You're lucky there was no rebar in that path! :)
Didn't even think of that! 😂
If only there was something super delicious that grew like Bermuda grass does, you could solve world hunger.
No kidding 😂
💚 always wanted to do this... yeah Jock (sorry if I misspelled your name) you're a good man !!! Glad to see Brooke with your know how !!! Great job everyone !!! Love your videos of the new Epic Garden !!! Blessings...
Best stuff to use for your laundry: Dr Bronner's Sal Suds, you can get it by the gallon and it's totally safe. Our grey water comes out of a hose that we move from tree to tree, and the chickens love to drink it out of the hose! (Sal Suds, safe. Our sweat? Yuck, but the chickens haven't died yet.)
“Most soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and washing detergents use salts, fragrances, and other chemicals which, in large quantities, create toxic conditions for your plants. Finding soaps with no salt or sodium is essential for optimizing your greywater use.”
Don’t think this would be permissible in The Netherlands with our low ground water table which we actually use as the source for our drinking water...
I’m not sold on the idea of “lightly poluted water” dripping into the ground
I keep 3-4 big gulp size cups in the corner of my shower. One day I’ll upgrade! 😂
This is great! The only thing I'd recommend is labeling the switch in the bathroom and the ball valve in the laundry room so anyone can know which position the switch/valve should be in when they need to direct the water to the sewer.
Shout out to Jacque, Brooke.
Epic indeed!!! I enjoy the nerdy homesteading projects. Good luck with the new build.
Loved this! Been looking at setting up a grey water system but have been scared to tackle because I wasn’t sure how I’d go about doing it. This video helped me understand what I need to do now!
My lemon tree really sulked when I first brought it home. Hopefully your trees will perk up!
Great idea about using the grey water!
PS good job to both you guys, that looks like hard work!
Do you have to use special soap, shampoo or detergent with a greywater system?
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
Hands down to Jacques...he's been with Kevin every time he build anything with his own hands. It's nice to have someone to help you
Water reclamation is something I want in my house, but how do you handle the soaps and cleaners in the shower and laundry and not have it kill your plants or damage your soils?
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
Way to go Jacques!!!!
Awesome job Jacques! Note to self - can I use gray water where I live?
Sure you can, Maggie... Perhaps not legally, but who's to know if you don't tell anybody about your system.
It's nice to see American homestead videos in a climate where water is a valued resource. Being in Australia we also have to be very conservative with our water consumption.
I need a Jaques!
Does anyone know what effect soap, shampoo, and detergent could have on the plants? I know little to nothing about this type of setup so that may be a stupid question, but was just curious.
I use Ecos liquid laundry detergent for my laundry 2 landscape set up, you can get it at Costco. Always use liquid detergent, never powdered. For the shower set up use Dr. Bonner's soap, you can get this soap at Costco as well.
What kind of soap do you use, if any, in the shower and the laundry, so it does not effect your plants?
I could care less if you Liked my comment. I would appreciate if you answered my question instead=\
citrus like deep infrequent water. a good flood once every 7-10 days and like to dry out in between
I don't know if you have planned something for all the extra dirt, but you could make a mounded row for squash. Looking good :)
what about soap and detergent?
Us biodegradable soaps, and no detergents.
Gotta love a friend who isn't afraid to pick up a shovel. Go Jacque!!!
That’s awesome! A Ton of physical labor but for the life of your plants and the environment: priceless!
I watched this one twice because I'm so interested in this topic and excited to see how this works out for you!
Kevin I really appreciate these videos. Helps me train up and learn before getting my own homestead. Cheers!
Hey Kevin I have to ask how come you don’t do the kitchen sink also that way? I’m thinking of doing this on our off grid homestead build a next spring. Thanks for the video.
we all need a Jaques working in the background
Awesome video, grey water doesn't need to be treated?
2-3 in of gravel would be better than mulch ask it won't break down into soil over time and will act as a mild filtration system. If you intersperse the gravel with activated charcoal, it will help pull toxins out and filter the water as well. Great job Jacque. You can come to Texas and help me dig mine next of you want.
Question, is the soap not a problem? And can they do this setup with a slab foundation or does it have to be a raised foundation?
Awesome set up!
Shoutout to Jaques! Love all the teamwork and mutual respect in these projects!