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Guidelines for Graywater Filters to Protect Drainfields & Drywells
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about graywater filters for septic drainfield or drywell protection for gray water disposal
Septic filters: this document discusses the design and use of graywater filter systems to protect drywells or the septic drainfield or absorption system from clogging.
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Graywater Filters Protect the Drain Field or Drywell from Clogging
Graywater filters may be placed at the inlet to a drywell or graywater disposal system. Washing machine filters are often installed at the clothes washer outlet hose. We include a list of product sources for these various types of drywell or gray water filters.
Just as a septic effluent filter will slow septic drainfield clogging by intercepting suspended solids before they leave the septic tank (or just after the tank if you use a separate septic effluent filtering chamber), gray water from building sinks, showers, and particularly from the laundry, contain suspended solids including un dissolved dry laundry detergent and mostly fabric fibers.
As fabric fibers and solid detergent can clog a graywater disposal system or drywell you can extend the life of these systems by installing a filter at the graywater outlet or at the entry to the drywell. Two common graywater filter points are used and are shown here.
First, a simple "sock" type lint
filter (photo at left) can be installed at the clothes washing machine.
This graywater filter method is easy and effective
to install for laundry systems that empty from the washing machine into a laundry sink.
We used to use an old pair of panty hose -
which works but less effectively than a real lint filter. (Photo courtesy of thenaturalhome.com - see Product Source List below)
A second graywater filter system uses a filter installed inside a graywater pumping chamber or
located between
the building drain and the inlet to the drywell or to whatever other graywater dispersal and absorption
system is in use.
This system is used for either effluent filtering or gray water filtering when there is not
room to install a filter directly in the graywater pumping chamber or in the septic tank.
(Photo courtesy of thenaturalhome.com - see Product Source List below).
Filter Chamber Installation: Whether the effluent or graywater filter is installed at the
outlet end of a septic tank, the inlet to a drywell, or separately as an interim filtering chamber (as shown here),
a riser may need to be installed to permit ready access to inspect and change or clean the filter.
Some states (such as Montana) require that access risers to be least 21" in diameter, and to have an access cover within 6" of grade and even if your state does not, that standard makes sense.
To protect the absorption system, the chamber which holds the filter must (in some states) have a shut off mechanism (such as a ball float switch) so that effluent will not pass through when the filter cartridge has been removed for cleaning or replacement.
When a septic tank riser is installed (to give access to a septic tank cover or to a filter chamber), it replaces the lid (which was on the septic tank at the outlet end, for example) and a new lid is placed at grade to provide convenient access to the equipment.
(Courtesy National Small Flows Clearinghouse, edited and added comments by DJF.)
Example Graywater System Codes & Regulations
Ohio - GRAYWATER & ALTERNATIVE TOILET REGULATIONS & SPECIFICATIONS, [PDF] retrieved 2017/10/20, original source: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/
Question: who sells septic graywater filters & lint filters?
I am installing a drywell for greywater using two 50 gallon plastic drums. I want to install a lint filter inside the first barrel - similar to you photo. Who sells these? I can't find a make or vendor. - Ed O'Malley 10/21/2012
Reply:
Ed, over at a companion article - SEPTIC FILTER / GRAYWATER FILTER SOURCES - you can find sources of septic filters and septic graywater filters. If later specific product questions arise, don't hesitate to ask.
...
Continue reading at SEPTIC FILTER CLOGGING SIGNS - the next article in this series, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Septic Filter Articles
- AEROBIC SEPTIC FILTER CLOGGING
- FILTERS SEPTIC & GREYWATER
- GRAYWATER FILTERS
- MEDIA FILTER SEPTIC SYSTEMS
Suggested citation for this web page
GRAYWATER FILTERS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SEPTIC SYSTEMS
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- The New Create an Oasis With Greywater, Art Ludwig; Buy New: $14.25. Ludwig is one of the most thoughtful, prolific, and sometimes controversial writers on gray water systems and alternative designs. We recommend his book as clear, easy-to-understand writing aimed at property owners who want or need to consider a graywater installation to conserve water, recycle water, reduce water use, or to reduce the load on their septic system. This is the latest edition of this Art Ludwig's greywater design book classic.
- Builder's Greywater Guide, Art Ludwig; Buy New: $10.17. Installation of Greywater Systems in New Construction & Remodeling; A Supplement to the Book "Create an Oasis With Greywater" (Paperback).
Quoting a review from Amazon: I recommend that you get the 3 companion books on greywater treatment "Create an Oasis", "Branched Drain Greywater Systems" and "Builder's Greywater Guide". The information in these volumes will keep most of us far more informed than most of the regulators, the system builders, and the experts-in-theory. These volumes are real-world gems.
Art Ludwig has cut to the core of wastewater issues. He's obviously done all of his homework, mulled-over the variables, and come up with a common sense, economically reasonable, environmentally responsible approach to wastewater. I expect to save money that I would have spent on a post-septic tank, aerobic unit that would seemingly have been ecologically responsible; but because of the technological overkill, ultimately that system would have defeated my altruistic environmental concerns.
... These books talk the talk and walk the walk better than anything else that I've seen. Buy a set for yourself, a set for your neighbors, and a set for the regulators. - Branched Drain Greywater Systems [superseded by "The New Create an Oasis with Greywater"], Art Ludwig. If you already have this book but are in the process of installing new gray water systems you should take a look at the newer edition listed first above in this section of our Greywater book recommendations. You may prefer the newest edition, but there is great information in this older version, perhaps all you need, and these copies are sold at very low prices - an aid to people of limited means.
- Create an Oasis With Greywater: Your Complete Guide to Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems, Art Ludwig, [superseded by new edition] (Paperback) You may prefer the newest edition, but as I said above, there is great information in this older version, perhaps all you need, and these copies are sold at very low prices - an aid to people of limited means.
- Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply: Design, Construction and Implementation,
Erik Nissen-Petersen, John Gould. (Mr. Ludwig, while much appreciated, is not the only author providing really useful design guides for graywater systems--DF)
Quoting from an Amazon review: This book reviews the art of roof and ground catchment systems for rainwater. The water collected can be used for household or other purposes. The designs are aimed for individuals with limited access to electricity and/or civic water utilities. The text includes drawings, photographs and step-by-step instructions.
One might say the book is really written for the 'aid worker' since it also considers ethnic and gender issues that would be 'obvious' to the future owners of the the systems. - Guidelines on rainwater catchment systems for Hawaii, (CTAHR resource management publication) Patricia S. H Macomber. This more technical document may be especially helpful for rainwater collection and recycling systems for climates where there is heavy rainfall such as demonstrated for Hawaii.
- Design for Water: Rainwater Harvesting, Stormwater Catchment, and Alternate Water Reuse, Heather Kinkade-Levario. Quoting from Amazon's review: Design for Water is an accessible and clearly written guide to alternate water collection, with a focus on rainwater harvesting in the urban environment. The book:
Outlines the process of water collection from multiple sources-landscape, residential, commercial, industrial, school, park, and municipal systems Provides numerous case studies, Details the assembly and actual application of equipment, Includes specific details, schematics, and references.
All aspects of rainwater harvesting are outlined, including passive and active system setup, storage, storm water reuse, distribution, purification, analysis, and filtration. There is even a section on rainwater harvesting for wildlife.
In addition to rainwater, there are several affordable and accessible alternate sources, including cooling tower bleed-off water, air conditioning condensate, gray water, and fog collection. Design for Water is geared to providing those making development decisions and guidelines with the information they need to set up passive harvesting techniques. The book will especially appeal to engineers, landscape architects, municipal decision-makers, developers, and landowners.
Heather Kinkade-Levario is a land-use planner in Arizona and the author of the award-winning Forgotten Rain. She is president of Forgotten Rain L.L.C., a rainwater harvesting and stormwater reuse company. - Rainwater Reservoirs Above Ground Structures for Roof Catchment: Most Common Rainwater Tanks in Comparison and Construction Manua, (Paperback) Rolf Hasse. [I have not reviewed this book --DF, but it may be helpful to people constructing rainwater collection and reservoir systems for use in arid climates such as Mexico and the U.S. Southwest.
- Quality issues in harvested rainwater in arid and semi-arid Loess Plateau of northern China, K. Zhu, L. Zhang, W. Hart, M. Liu, H. Chen (out of print, find by search and deferred order). Amazon's description may be helpful: Loess soils cover vast areas in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. Due to the lack of reliable surface water and ground-water, rainwater harvesting has played a prominent role in farmers' domestic usage and agricultural irrigation. An economical and valid type of water storage cistern with optimum design of components has been introduced to rural areas in the Loess Plateau. Different collection alternatives showed apparent variations in rainwater quality. By using different catchments, such as mortar roofs and cement-paved courtyards, compacted land or road surfaces, rainwater can be effectively collected for storage in cisterns. This study focused mainly on the quality of rainwater harvested from the different catchment systems and stored for different periods of time. By analysis of the water samples stored in these cisterns, it was evident that rainwater quality could be improved significantly by self-purification during the storage. With emphasis on rainwater quality affected by the different catchment systems, it was found that the measured inorganic compounds in the rainwater harvested from roof-yard catchment systems generally matched the WHO standards for drinking water, while the concentrations of some inorganic compounds in the rainwater collected from land and road surfaces appeared to be higher than the guideline values for drinking water, but generally not beyond the maximum permissible concentrations. However, Fecal Coliform, which is an important bacteriological parameter for the three catchment systems, exceeded the limits of drinking water to a greater extend. Trace amounts of 55 organic pollutants were identified, including aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds and phthalate esters, etc. The analytical results indicated that roof-yard catchments that included the ''first flush'' usually provided safe drinking water with low organic contents, even for rainwater collected immediately after rainfall. In contrast, rainwater harvested from road surfaces had poor quality with respect to the organic constituents, regardless of stored time.
- City eying home water-recycling technology; uses bath and washer water for irrigation., (ReWater Systems' equipment for greywater irrigation): This is an article from: San Diego Business Journal [HTML] (Digital) available online in digital format. I have not (yet) reviewed it -- DF
- "International Private Sewage Disposal Code," 1995, BOCA-708-799-2300, ICBO-310-699-0541, SBCCI 205-591-1853, available from those code associations.
- "Manual of Policy, Procedures, and Guidelines for Onsite Sewage Systems," Ontario Reg. 374/81, Part VII of the Environmental Protection Act (Canada), ISBN 0-7743-7303-2, Ministry of the Environment,135 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Canada $24. CDN.
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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