Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Nov 25, 2009 3:13 pm Ok, so 'scuse the blonde moment, but I think I am about to ask some really dumb questions We are about to get our front/back yards excavated/levelled in preperation for laying lawn after Christmas. We have thought long and hard about whether or not to get lawn, and for us there really is no alternative. We want something the kids can play on, that the cubby and trampoline can fit on and that is hopefully not as much maintenance as you would think (with EZ and Fu's soil prep tips that is ) Anyway long story short we are now thinking of ways we can water our lawns without using mains water due to the restrictions. We don't have a water tank, I was thinking of getting one but had a few queries.... We don't want the water tank to be used for anything else other than the gardens, we have a solar hot water systems for our showers etc, and we are pretty good with our water usuage inside the home. I have heard all about rain water tanks, pumps, kits, plumbing and it confuses the **** out of me! Is it possible to just buy a tank (for the purpose of storage) that is connected to a downpipe or similar and then have a hose off that tank that we can stretch out and use to water the lawns/garden? (Sorry if that is a really stupid question) Or if we didn't need the tank, is there someway we can just buy some sort of hose attachment that connects to the washing machine which we can then use that water from to water the gardens/lawn? (Our laundry is on the side of the house with a window, which we could put the hose through to connect to the washing machines water supply... I have seen lots of older houses in our area with these long black hoses coming from inside their homes etc and then out onto their lawns and I'm assuming they are doing something similar?? With those long black hoses is it possible to put a trigger gun etc on the end for ease of watering the lawn? My mum as an example has a big council green bin set up next to her washing machine which she sits the washing machine hose into and it fills with the grey water. She then just puts her watering cans into the bin and fills them up to do her garden beds. This is an ok set up, however, I don't think I could just bucket out loads of water from the bin onto the lawn - it would kill me!! Ok, so now I have probably made a complete fool of myself with my lack of grey water/tank knowledge, so I will go and hope someone out there can help me My karma ran over your dogma Re: Getting water into lawns 2Nov 25, 2009 3:23 pm What you are talking about is what I am doing. Buying a tank purely for watering the lawn. All you need is a tank connected to the roof plumbing (as you said by way of downpipe/s), and a pump in order to pump the water out of the tank into your hose so you can water the lawn. THe one thing you may need to do however is to pay someone to fill it up first, as you may not get enough rain to fill the tank up when you are looking at installing your lawn. Blog is now up - http://www.jbdave.blogspot.com/ Re: Getting water into lawns 3Nov 25, 2009 4:09 pm Quote: Is it possible to just buy a tank (for the purpose of storage) that is connected to a downpipe or similar and then have a hose off that tank that we can stretch out and use to water the lawns/garden? (Sorry if that is a really stupid question) Yes...the only issue is that if the tank does not have a pump when the tank gets low or the if tap on the tank is below where you are holding the hose the water won't come out. You can lift the tank up but I would recommend it...every 1000 litres of water weighs one tonne...and therefore the structure needs to be relatively substantial. Having said that you can get relatively good pumps for a reasonable price and would cover your block more than adequately. Quote: Or if we didn't need the tank, is there someway we can just buy some sort of hose attachment that connects to the washing machine which we can then use that water from to water the gardens/lawn? (Our laundry is on the side of the house with a window, which we could put the hose through to connect to the washing machines water supply... I have seen lots of older houses in our area with these long black hoses coming from inside their homes etc and then out onto their lawns and I'm assuming they are doing something similar?? With those long black hoses is it possible to put a trigger gun etc on the end for ease of watering the lawn? Yes but not the trigger gun...you would need to be operating the trigger hose when the machine is running if the trigger hose is closed you'll flood the laundry...if you don't let the washing machine run free then it may back up and flood the laundry...those black hoses are a continuation of the outlet pipe for the washing machine and it dribbles out as the washing machine pumps the water out...you then move the pipe around. You'll need to be a bit careful of the detergent you use for unfiltered greywater...I think there are "greywater" safe detergents which won't harm plants/grass. Some grasses are a bit iffy with greywater constantly. Quote: My mum as an example has a big council green bin set up next to her washing machine which she sits the washing machine hose into and it fills with the grey water. This is kind of OK...it depends on the detergent. But as I understand it some detergents use oxygen from the water to help in the washing process...this creates a biological oxygen demand on the water even after it is used through the washing machine...so when you store it it's still taking the oxygen out and it makes it a horrid, stinky liquid. So it's best to run the water out straight away or run it through a greywater recycling system...lil' bit pricey. From http://www.health.vic.gov.au/environmen ... _usage.pdf Untreated greywater must not be stored for periods longer than 24 hours as it will become septic, and it is not recommended that untreated greywater is used for any purpose within the home. I'd thought about the whole laundry water things but as we have a fancy, shmancy, mega-star efficient washing machine there's actually not a lot of water coming out...to be honest I couldn't be ars*d. With the older homes because you can get access to all the greywater at one point...you not only collect laundry, but shower and bath...unfortunately as most of the plumbing nowadays is unexposed you can only probably (easily) access the laundry. I'm sure FuMan or the other garden gurus can provide advice on detergents etc...and correct me if I'm wrong... mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Getting water into lawns 4Nov 25, 2009 4:14 pm Thanks so much for that jbdave, that is great - so roughly what can I expect to pay for this set up?? I don't want a huge tank - do you then buy the pump seperately? Any idea on what sort of pump to use??? And I'm assuming the hoses you can get for these tanks can travel a fair few metres?? And I would then just pay a plumber to set the tank/pump up for me?? One other thing, are the government still giving rebates for purchasing a tank? Any special conditions to these rebates? Just saw your post TDL - thanks for that, seems like the tank + pump is the way to go? Anyone got a good recommendation for mewhere to buy? I was ideally hoping to do the tank/pump for under $1000, as I said I don't want a HUGE tank, it will go down the side where we have about 1.8m in width My karma ran over your dogma Re: Getting water into lawns 5Nov 25, 2009 4:29 pm In 1.8 metres you need to be careful about how close it is to the boundary...in Wyndham you can encroach on the minimum side boundary set back by only 500 mm...this may limit you to a slimline (oval) tank where or a small round. I bought ours from http://www.superiortanks.com.au/ ....pricelist here http://www.superiortanks.com.au/downloads/prices.pdf ...they are in Sunshine...close-ish to you. They are not necessarily the cheapest (I think Chris and Maree's where marginally cheaper) but they had stock...and I needed to get them in within a fortnight. Service was reasonable. You may struggle to find anyone to install it this side of Christmas....expect a two month wait for a plumber. Our landscaper put ours in. Rebate info at http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/saving/h ... rebatesfaq ...to get the rebate it needs to be installed by a registered plumber to get the certification. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Getting water into lawns 6Nov 25, 2009 4:32 pm haywgl Any idea on what sort of pump to use??? And I'm assuming the hoses you can get for these tanks can travel a fair few metres?? Wouldn't need a big pump for you block...but it's always better to go a little bigger so that it's not running as hard. Things to look for are good warranty, stainless steel insides, "run-dry" protection, self-priming (which they should all be)...I'm sure there's others. Generally you run the pump discharge line to a new tap and attach a normal garden hose to it. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Getting water into lawns 7Nov 25, 2009 4:43 pm The others have answered most of your questions, however if you really want to use the washing machine water get one of these - http://www.greywatergator.com.au/ They are an all in 1 unit, you connect the washing machine to it and it comes with it's own pump to them pump out the water with a spray gun hose as if you were using the normal tap. I plan to get one, they are about $500! With the black pipes you see on people's lawns from the laundry they are just using gravity and the pump from the washing machine to water their lawn and they manually move the house around to get a coverage. This wont work too well though if your laundry is not higher than the grass/garden you want to water. As for the tank, you need to get it connected to at least one down pipe and then also connected to the stormwater so the over flow has somewhere to go when it's full. Yes if you want to use a spray gun hose then you will need a pump for that. To complicate it a little bit, have you considered putting drip irrigation down between the soil and the lawn? This would be the most effective way of watering the lawn and reducing the water usage - I plan to do this for mine. 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Getting water into lawns 8Nov 25, 2009 4:49 pm lisanne however if you really want to use the washing machine water get one of these - http://www.greywatergator.com.au/ A good idea...but make sure it's in the right place when you're filling it...don't do your back wheeling it around full...ouch! mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Getting water into lawns 9Nov 25, 2009 4:59 pm to_do_list lisanne however if you really want to use the washing machine water get one of these - http://www.greywatergator.com.au/ A good idea...but make sure it's in the right place when you're filling it...don't do your back wheeling it around full...ouch! You're not meant to move it while full, that's why it comes with a 20m hose and you can add more hose onto it with no worries too 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Getting water into lawns 10Nov 25, 2009 5:05 pm lisanne to_do_list lisanne however if you really want to use the washing machine water get one of these - http://www.greywatergator.com.au/ A good idea...but make sure it's in the right place when you're filling it...don't do your back wheeling it around full...ouch! You're not meant to move it while full, that's why it comes with a 20m hose and you can add more hose onto it with no worries too Tell that to my dumb ar*se work colleague... ...it's hard to soar with the eagles when you are surrounded by turkeys mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Getting water into lawns 11Nov 25, 2009 5:33 pm lisanne manually move the house around to get a coverage. . Whoa, that would really do your back in has anyone got one of those Greywatergator things, from Lisannes link, Ive seen them here and thought about investing in one. Do they pack neatly out the way when you have done the laundry? We have 2 tanks, one runs the toilets (legal requirement for new houses here) and the other for plants and - shock horror - drinking water but would like a portable source to run onto the lawn. Re: Getting water into lawns 12Nov 25, 2009 5:54 pm Thanks so much everyone!! I've been looking at some different sites - I'm probably tossing up between Chris and Marie's slimline 2300L for $777 + $50 delivery OR A brand new one on ebay with a 10 year manufacturers warranty - 2500L slimline for $699/best offer - plus free delivery - so ebay one is cheaper but I am a bit scared about buying off ebay, although it does have a 10 year warranty and is made with good parts I found the pumps on Chris and Marie's too in kit form - so i could get a pump, pump kit, tank kit and pump cover. Would 35L/min do? Or would I need the 60L/min? So all up I am looking at about $1000 if I do the ebay tank with the Chris and Marie's pump, pump kit and tank kit (without the pump cover...do I need this?) or about $1300 if I go Chris and Marie's for everything? According to the vic government rebate thing, I can get $150 back for a 2000-4999L tank that isn't connected to the toielt/laundry (which I didn't plan on doing) so I could be looking at about $850 by the end of it which seems pretty good I did think of the sub surface irrigation Lisanne, but thought it would be much more $$ This is all so confusing I am glad I have you all here!! My karma ran over your dogma Re: Getting water into lawns 13Nov 25, 2009 6:24 pm Check with your council, but we only have 1.4m down the side of our house, and our slimline tank (about 600-700mm wide) is fine. I can get past it with a basket of washing too. You could ask a plumber for a quote on installing a grey water diverter external to your laundry - assuming the tub is next to an external wall, it shouldn't be a big deal. Then there's no need to run hoses out of windows. http://www.enviro-friendly.com/nylex-greywater-diverta.shtml Re: Getting water into lawns 14Nov 25, 2009 6:41 pm to_do_list lisanne You're not meant to move it while full, that's why it comes with a 20m hose and you can add more hose onto it with no worries too Tell that to my dumb ar*se work colleague... ...it's hard to soar with the eagles when you are surrounded by turkeys Helyn lisanne manually move the house around to get a coverage. . Whoa, that would really do your back in What a great typo Helyn has anyone got one of those Greywatergator things, from Lisannes link, Ive seen them here and thought about investing in one. Do they pack neatly out the way when you have done the laundry? We have 2 tanks, one runs the toilets (legal requirement for new houses here) and the other for plants and - shock horror - drinking water but would like a portable source to run onto the lawn. As you aren't meant to keep grey water for more than 24hrs, if you do a load of washing you should use the water pretty soon. The pump sits and stays inside the wheelie bin and you jsut have the hose on the outside. They way they lock into the pipe from the washing machine is really nifty too so you can connect it up only when in use 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Getting water into lawns 15Nov 25, 2009 8:28 pm I have a 500 litre tank outside my laundry door, which takes our washing machine water. This is pretty much the only water I have needed so far, despite also having 6000 litres of tank water as well. The watering system can pump water to both the front and back of the property using a small pump. The tanks are about $100 and parte etc were about $200 all up, plus pump. Have a look at my thread Here Adrian B Re: Getting water into lawns 16Nov 25, 2009 9:34 pm Bel as far as pumps go.... one of my best friends from school has her own tank manufacturing business with her hubby and he recommends Davey pumps.... I think. They are OS at the moment, will ask when they get back. But I'm pretty sure he said Davey are the best. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Getting water into lawns 17Nov 25, 2009 10:44 pm lisanne to_do_list lisanne You're not meant to move it while full, that's why it comes with a 20m hose and you can add more hose onto it with no worries too Tell that to my dumb ar*se work colleague... ...it's hard to soar with the eagles when you are surrounded by turkeys Sorry 'twas a bit harsh on fellow workers...rough day at work... ..."TDL Goes Postal In A Workplace Near You".... mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Getting water into lawns 18Nov 25, 2009 11:19 pm With your grey water systems and turf, be warry of salt problems taking hold. You will need to totally reassess your washing powders, conditioners, shower soaps etc too make sure you do not make the soil a bit nasty. I do have concerns for you guys in Melbourne (I am sure Stormy could add to this) with your reliance on water tanks for use on the garden. Why? Because like it or not your climate is becoming more like the west coasts. Very little summer rain and heaps in the winter. Winter isn't when your garden need the extra help. In summer it won't take long for a domestic tank to empty onto a garden. Best to use MP rotators with the irrigation or netafim subsurface (lilac coloured pipe for grey water and green for rain water) off a small pump from the tank. There are people within the nursery industry starting to talk about melbourne being more Mediterranean now. It's not a new style of gardening, Adelaidians and us Sandgropers have been gardening like this for a longgggg time This is why I bang on about soils. these hold the key to success in the garden. Done right, they will hold moisture better and reabsorb nutrients and moisture effectively. That alone can mean the difference between needing a soon to be outdated tank (only in reference to irrigating gardens) and not needing one. you watch Costa on SBS now as well and he teaches much the same thing. A rainwater tank IMO is best fitted for toilets and washing machines. yes right now they are good enough for gardens, only just. Your climate is going to change and already has a little. Your source of summer rains originates off the NW coast of WA where the Pacific meets the Indian Oceans but that is something else again. Will it be a worthless investment for your garden in 5 or 10 years? Maybe, maybe not? Re: Getting water into lawns 19Nov 26, 2009 9:02 am im personally going with a grey water gator to do the back yard from the laundry water --> http://www.greywatergator.com/ and use the house water tank for the front yard irrigation and have just ordered 2x 9000L water tanks to put in for extra irrigation for the front yard, so far i cant seem to keep it moist.. Blog - http://snakedr.blogspot.com/ Build Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12084&p=307406#p307406 Status - PCI 15/10. Things nearly done. Re: Getting water into lawns 20Nov 26, 2009 10:17 am Be careful using grey water to irrigate your veggies, mostly to do with root crops like spuds and carrots etc. Thanks for your advice. So far i have not noticed any issues with doors and windows. Builder advised they will organise drainers to inspect 2 weeks ago but no further… 7 18818 I use Tramex moisture meter and it will tell me instantly if the wall is cement sheet or plaster or masonite but most people dont have the equipment. 5 7091 the step up is 30mm and wanting it to be flat . how much does the concrete have to be lowered .we plan on removing bath and lenghten shower and adding seat. the old bath… 0 11836 |