Does anyone know about grey water systems?

[rabbit]

I don't know if I am missing the point of the OP but I believe grey water is usually collected from bath water using something like --- Bath Water Diverter | Nigel's Eco Store ------ as opposed to kitchen water due to the kitchen water containing food waste , grease etc.

If you want to have a proper grey water system then you need to link up the rain water drainage on the roof into (usually) a tank. This water can then be used for any non-potable water requirements eg toilet flushing etc. As VC said, if you're just talking about linking it to the kitchen sink then it's not going to be a great volume and can be easily collected manually - other people may disagree though so see what the consensus is.

Ah, I thought grey water would include kitchen sink waste as well. Grey water from showers/baths for flushing loos is such a good idea. I wonder how expensive it is... Will check the links BM but a bit -ugh- about using bathwater on the veg beds for obvs reasons. Flower beds probably fine though.

If you just want to save water from your kitchen sink its not worth trying to be too clever IMO. Put a watering can under the hot tap to catch the cold water as its warms up. You can use that anywhere - even flushing the loo. Use a washing up bowl in the sink and throw the water outside instead of down the sink - but if you're anything like me it will be full of bits of veg and gunk and they'll land on your plants and look yuk! I don't do this!! Veg peeling water goes on the garden though.

There's no way I can put a watering can under my current tap, (barely have room to wash up, athlough as I mentioned getting a new kitchen!) and I rinse the suds off everything under the tap throughout the wash. Although I turn it off between everything I still believe it to be a good amount of water that could be useful, especially in the summer months with very little rain (maybe being a bit optimistic). Last year I threw washing up water (although not he last icky dreggs bit with scrappy bits) onto the pear tree. The pear tree is sadly having to be chopped or move (but it is in a very silly place).

You lot really are nutters arent you!

[veggiechicken]

New kitchen = double sink and high taps. Washing up bowl in one, and rinsing water (if you must) in a bowl in the other. I would prefer to put bath water on the plants than washing up water because the detergent will be more concentrated and there's more gunk and grease.
And yes, we are Nutty - but you knew that anyway

[Zenithtb]

Our washing machine just goes into the garden watering system. Nothing wrong with it.

Linky: Is it safe to water plants with washing machine rinse water? - Yahoo! Answers

[Bigmallly]

Another reason I would avoid kitchen waste water is so as not to attract vermin...........

[rabbit]

Another reason I would avoid kitchen waste water is so as not to attract vermin...........

I'm not too worried about that with water to rinse off suds, and in the washing up bowl the foody chunks and crumbs stay at the bottom so they don't go in the soil. The vermin would find more food in my compost veg scraps bin, or food waste bin (council recycles food waste here, i keep the veg scraps for my tumbly composter).

[rabbit]

Our washing machine just goes into the garden watering system. Nothing wrong with it.

Linky: Is it safe to water plants with washing machine rinse water? - Yahoo! Answers

washing machine, hadnt' thought of that! How do you collect it?

[Zenithtb]

washing machine, hadn't thought of that! How do you collect it?

Don't. Pipe goes down into garden... Our land is multi-tiered - PITA sometimes, sometimes useful :-)

[Goaty]

Grey water is reclaimed water from household. Black water is sewage, do not use black obviously. Last summer I diverted just bath water and used it on fruit canes and trees. Do not use where it touches the edible crop, e.g lettuce carrots, onions etc.

I run mine in to a sunken barrel. It needs using straight away as it stagnates and smells if left. Divert it back to drain or ground when not needed. If it was kept aerated it wouldn't go stagnant. It is the bacteria etc using up the oxygen that sends it anerobic.

Be aware dishwashers and washing machine chemicals/salts will harm soil life, phosphates, nitrates etc.