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Summary: Design, parts sources and installers for the Improved Drumless Laundry Greywater System
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The Improved Drumless Laundry Greywater System is a new (early 2008) design which promises to be the simplest, least expensive, lowest effort way to get the most greywater out on to the landscape most effectively.
Due to its inherent simplicity and low cost, it is the graywater system which promises to be most suited to professional installation, by landscapers. In many parts of the world it is likely that someone could make their own small business based entirely on the installation of these systems.
This page is intended to be a compilation of current best management practices for building your own Drumless Laundry System, as well as the information to run a business installing them. In other words, an "open source franchise" for landscapers, plumbers, and contractors to share tips about how to best design, install and maintain these.
If you have design tips or photos to share, please E mail us (you'll need to web mail us for our regular e mail to be abole to send attachments) or post to our Grey water forum.
A the bottom of the page are referrals to local "franchisee" Installers who can build one for you.
Drumless Laundry Design Calculator
CPC compliant version of drumless laundry system
Drumless laundry systems use the washing machine’s own pump.
The diversion is to
have the capability to divert greywater with the turn
of a valve to irrigation reuse or to septic/ sewer disposal.
The Laundry diverter valve is usually mounted on the wall behind the washer, or wherever it is easily visible and convenient to turn. It should be very solidly screwed to the wall, so that it does not wiggle when the valve is moved.
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1" barb to pipe thread adapters |
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1” stainless steel hose clamps |
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1” brass 3-way ball valve, L-port, threaded (e.g., Kitz) |
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1” copper pipe brackets |
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wood screws |
This is necessary to keep the water from siphoning out of the washer
and into the yard continuously as the washer is trying to refill itself! It is simplest to include this in all
installations.
(In some installations it can be skipped if A) the first outlet is
above the level of the water in the washer, or B) the washer is plumbed
internally in such a way that vacuum from the outlet hose is broken (some are).
This can be checked by lowering the outlet hose when the washer is full and
seeing if water runs out when it is not supposed to. and into the greywater system with some washers, if the
first outlet is below the level of the top of the water in the washing machine.
Note that if the washer or the greywater distibution plumbing changes in the future, it may be
necessary to add the vacuum breaker later anyway.)
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1” x 1” x 1/2” barbed tee |
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1/2” barb x 1/2” male pipe thread adapter |
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1” swing check valve, brass or PVC, threaded |
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a few inches of ½” poly tubing |
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1/2” stainless steel hose clamp |
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½” brass or PVC threaded spring check valve |
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1/2” stainless steel hose clamp |
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a few feet of ½” clear PVC tubing |
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1” x 1” x 1/2” reducing barbed tee |
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1/2”polyethene tubing, several feet |
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½” pipe brackets |
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1” swing check valve, brass or PVC, threaded |
This is necessary if
A) you have a hose tee for adjusting and cleaning the system, to keep hose
water from overflowing into the washer, or B) if there are outlets above the
low water level of the washer, to keep greywater running back into the washer when the pump shuts off.
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1” barb x 1” male pipe thread adapter |
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1” stainless steel hose clamp |
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1” swing check valve, brass or PVC, threaded (best valve is clear plastic 1" swing check, threaded) |
This is useful for
adjusting the flow through the outlets, and/or purging the system of clogging
lint. It must be properly installed as described so there is no chance of grey
water backflowing into the fresh water lines. The
layers of protection against this are: 1) don’t leave the hose attached when
not in use, 2) the check valves, 3) the hose backflow prevention device.
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1” x 1” x ¾” PVC or brass threaded tee |
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1” x 1” x 3/4” barbed tee |
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¾” nipple Polyethelene, brass, or PVC |
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¾” spring check valve, brass or PVC |
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¾” male pipe by ¾” female hose thread adapter, PVC or brass |
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¾” hose antibackflow device, brass |
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1” barb x 1” male pipe thread adapter |
This is how the greywater gets to the plants. All this plumbing should be under 7” of mulch for a legal system.
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1” polyethene tubing, with purple stripe |
This is how the greywater gets to the soil. The outlets should be under 7” of mulch for a legal system.
The outlets for this
system must be tuned so they get the proper amount of water.
If you have too few
outlets, the pump will work harder and possibly burn out, especially if some
clog. If you have too many, some may have much less greywater than others, as the pressure is lost along the way.
Adjust the number,
height, and tubing run to each outlet to where the flow from each outlet is
appropriate (even, or more for plants that need more water).
All the outlets
together should add up to about twice the flow capacity of 1” tubing, to avoid
overloading the pump. If the outlet cross sectional area is more than times as
much as the m a 1” pipe, the distribution evenness will suffer:
Measure the flow from
the washer as it’s peaking by collecting it in a 5 gallon bucket.
Turn on a hose so the
flow is the same.
Hook the hose to the
system hose tee.
Disconnect the hose
and try running a load of laundry and catch the water from each outlet in
buckets to see if it is as it should be.
Diameter
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Cross-sectional area
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Thing
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Number to equal 1"
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1.04
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0.85
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1.00
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1" poly line
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0.47
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0.18
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4.88
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1/2" drip ball valve barb
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0.30
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0.07
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12.48
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3/8" drip barb
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0.57
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0.26
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3.34
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1/2" poly line
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0.83
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0.54
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1.59
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3/4" poly line
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1” x 1” x 1/2” reducing barbed tee |
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Short length of ½” polyethylene tubing |
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½” barbed ball valve |
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Outlet shield (old 5 gallon pot) |
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1” x 1” x 1/2” reducing barbed tee |
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Short length of ½” polyethylene tubing |
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Outlet shield (old 5 gallon pot) |
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Hole drilled in 1” main |
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Outlet shield (old 5 gallon pot) |
We sell the Laundry diverter valve. Most of the other parts can be purchased from Dripworks. They selling the tubing, but its rolled overly tight and is all kinked. The tubing is best purchased locally, where it is generally found in 500 foot rolls.
We’re guessing the
maintenance would consist of connecting to the hose tee and blasting the lint
out, opening and shutting ball valves as needed to accomplish this.
Eden on Earth Landscaping Cottonwood, Arizona
Wilson Environmental Landscape Design Santa Barbara, California
Greywater Guerrillas Oakland, California
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