so, the birds need water, the plants are always dry, the dog, the kids...i barely have time to get it for myself .....i am getting it for every one else.

i am just sort of ranting......as our septic is getting dug and replaced..........how should we replace it? any ideas on a better system?....
anyway....so i cant wash those diapers, i can't shower, water use is low if it goes down the drain.....

then i think of the water barrels and the water tank.....empty.....wow....bad survivalists! lets hope i get to those this month or next!

anyway....ideas? if we have to replace the whole thing....should i read about grey water, or is that still like a septic tank?.....
ha then i have to wonder what the county is going to say about those two poultry houses......no permit....hummm
thanks for reading the rant, any ideas or thoughts on septic replacement appreciated, i am a dunce in that area
thanks
posted by:
amanda
West Virginia
  • I am using composting toilets and a dry well for my greywater
    • you like the set up?
      could it work for five?
      • grey water systems can be very effective. You need to find out if your county has codes about this etc. And/or find others in your state who have done this and lobby, if you need permits etc. Composting toilets are awesome. We have a rustic system set up on land that we own. We spend about 6 weeks out of the year there. But there are plenty of folks who use composting toilets full time. The Humanure Handbook is great on the topic of composting. As for grey water you will want to do a lot of reading and figure out what is best for your space and what fits into the codes..if any. This is the way to go...we have to stop dumping our waste, it is a resource.
        Blessings
        Linda
        • our grey water system is pretty simple. the wasing machine drains into a large tub, which we use for flushing toilets. we wash dishes by hand in a basin and that is used to water plants. we don't take baths, we take showers so that water is not saved, unfortunately. you do need to be careful with what types of soap you use if you are going to put it on your plants, but we use only a little gentle detergent anyway. some people use grey water only on ornamentals, but i haven't had any problems using it on vegetables or fruit. it takes a little more work to carry the water to the toilet and pour it into the tank, but not that much. my mother in law uses a regular flush toilet on the water system, as she wouldn't understand the grey water system. we are careful about the amount of water we use in general, trying to conserve.
  • Do you have water catchment? I could not tell from your post.

    If you do the Berkey home filter is excellent!!! I would recommend getting the stainless steel one. It will pay for itself after some time
    so don't let the price freak you out, Unless of course it just really freaks you out. We have been getting the 25 cents a gallon fill up jugs
    but with four people, even just for drinking and cooking, we will pay for the system in less than a year.
    If you are more adventurous and have the time (which it seems that you do not...so busy like all of us ha ha), you could learn how to make your own filter with sand and charcoal.

    Actually, if anyone has a schematic for this i would appreciate learning how to do it myself!!!

    Oh yes, Berkey website: www.berkeyfilters.com/

    • I have the Sun-Mar Excels, two of them. They have the heaters and a 2" exhaust stacks. No fuss or oder. Just empty a harmless black compost out around my trees once a week or so. My greywater system consists of 2 55 gallon barrels sunk into the ground with one inch holes drilled in them and filled with rocks. My greywater system has been in place for about 5 years and has not given me any problems.
      At first with the composting toilets it was a little strange not flushing after use, now we don't think to much about it. I bought the Excels because my house has a tendency to get a little cool in the wintertime and if you let the toilets get too cold the microbial action shuts down in the composting chamber. You can get Non-electric models that are rated at 2-3 fulltime users, these have a 4" exhaust stack, but your house needs to stay above 70 degrees.

      By taking toilets out of the water usage loop my household water usage is under 200 gallons per week, we have low flow nozzles on all our faucets. Use the sinks instead of letting the water flow when we wash dishes. I have 150 gallon water catchment on my downspouts I use to water the animals and the garden.

      I have a berkey thet we use for household drinking and cooking, nice piece of equipment.

      Shop around for the Sun-Mars I found a lot of price difference on the internet, I eventually found factory blems for about half price.
      • thanks you guys. lots of better ideas. it is funny (not really) when you realize exactly how wasteful you can be in some situations.
        we do have the stainless steel filter....the smaller one, i know you could filter out a mud puddle and such, never actually thought about recycling dish water through it....i wonder what kind of strain that would put on the elements, if any.....using much dirtier water all the time....have to look into that
  • <so, the birds need water, the plants are always dry, the dog, the kids...
    i barely have time to get it for myself .....i am getting it for every one else. >

    You may also look at plantings on contour. Swales and burms are good for
    conserving water for your gardens.

    Here is an example of planting trees on contour (good intro):

    www.iirr.org/saem/page103-105.htm

    Here is a really great book -partially online- pg. 89 talks about swales, but how you can incorporate them with raised beds is on pg. 84- 85

    books.google.com/books

    Hope this stuff helps

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