Alternative Technology Assn Forums

1. 

   broadleaf
   Member

   We want to have a waterless composting toilet and some sort of greywater system on our 2 acre property in rural NSW.

   I spoke to someone from the the local council about it and they seem to have little experience with anything other than the traditional septic tank set up. Thankfully, he indicated that he will be happy to approve my system as long as it is in line with NSW guidelines.

   I've found some information online on what I need to do to design a waterless composting toilet that meets NSW Dept of Health requirements http://www.wormsloos.com.au/Make_Your_Own_Loo.htm

   Where I am getting confused is finding information on designing a greywater system (shower/laundry/kitchen) which meets NSW guidelines. All I seem to be able to find online is a list of commercial greywater products which are NSW health accredited, and some guidelines on temporary greywater diversion, but nothing on designing a permanent greywater system http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/urban-water/recycling-water/greywater

   I was hoping to do something like this https://www.milkwood.net/2012/10/16/building-a-simple-biological-diy-greywater-system/ but I don't know whether it is likely to get approved, and I don't want to send my plans to council unless I am reasonably sure they are okay from a state perspective.

   Can anyone point me in the right direction?

   Posted Monday 21 Mar 2016 @ 8:51:50 am from IP #
2. 

   David
   Member

   councils don't make any distinction, they are all under septic permits no exceptions, the simple way is to go for the minimum septic they insist on (use a civil engineer) and then add/install your own grey water solution after. I found, it save lots of heartache and red tape. design the plumbing to suit being altered afterwards. BTW kitchens are classed as brown water don't send it to a grey water system, it needs to treated differently to grey water, even grey water needs some basic filtering on it to capture hair and large particulates before going to a full "treatment" regardless of type treatment system.

   Posted Monday 21 Mar 2016 @ 11:48:03 am from IP #
3. 

   broadleaf
   Member

   Thanks David - I see what you are saying. Suppose for a second I wanted to go the not-so-simple route. What kind of alternative system do people usually go for for kitchen ("brown") water that has a chance of being approved?

   In my case it seems like the only purpose the traditional septic tank would serve is to handle the water from the kitchen sink - quite an expensive piece of infrastructure just for that.

   Posted Tuesday 22 Mar 2016 @ 1:25:53 am from IP #
4. 

   axess
   Member

   broadleaf,

   I'm with David's solution.

   Restaurants are required to use grease traps for their sink wastes rather than pour them down the sewer. You will need some kind of permit to responsibly dispose of wastes on your property otherwise you will be deemed at risk of polluting either your own or your neighbour's subsoil or water table.

   I understand your frustration at the regulation involved. Adequate disposal of kitchen wastes other than compostable stuff or chook feed is often a sticking point. Septics do have to be pumped out from time to time as do grease traps whilst water from showers and basins can be lightly treated by comparison.

   Posted Tuesday 22 Mar 2016 @ 1:55:26 am from IP #
5. 

   David
   Member

   broadleaf said:
   Suppose for a second I wanted to go the not-so-simple route. What kind of alternative system do people usually go for for kitchen ("brown") water that has a chance of being approved?

   In my case it seems like the only purpose the traditional septic tank would serve is to handle the water from the kitchen sink - quite an expensive piece of infrastructure just for that.

   They will want the grey water handled as well, unless you go for some sort "approved grey water treatment system" you will find that you are going to have a very difficult time on your hands, and very expensive. The grease trap is one thing I would certainly do. Septic systems only require a pump out when there is enough indigestible sludge in them if there is little going in then it will be a longtime before it requires any real maintenance.

   Posted Saturday 2 Apr 2016 @ 12:31:12 pm from IP #
6. 

   AndrewATA
   Member

   Leaving aside what the council wants for a minute, here's what I've learned about greywater from showers and washing machines:
   - Greywater has hair, fluff and soap scum.
   - It clogs stuff easily.
   - If you store it in a tank, it can go yucky in a few days.
   - If you've got some slope to work with, the best way is a single pipe from a drain to a mulched tree. There's nothing to block or clog up!
   - At the outlet you can make a simple "cave" within the mulch using a paver on top of bricks.
   - The easiest way to divert greywater is by having two or more plugholes in the shower or bath. Each plughole has its own separate pipe. You can make a last-minute decision where to send the water!
   - Similarly you can have two or more drains for the washing machine, and manually place the washing machine's outlet hose into the one you want.
   - It's good to have some choices for when the greywater target area has been soaked by a lot of rain. A septic tank's leach field is a good alternative.

   David's approach sounds good to me!

   Posted Saturday 2 Apr 2016 @ 12:58:59 pm from IP #
7. 

   AndrewATA
   Member

   Also we did a study on greywater - friendly products a while back - liquid soap came out better than solid soap. Apart from that just go for "eco" products.

   Posted Saturday 2 Apr 2016 @ 1:05:04 pm from IP #
8. 

   Bushwalker
   Member

   Agree re solid soap. When we switched to liquid soap, all the scum and buildup problems in the shower and handbasin disappeared.

   Posted Saturday 2 Apr 2016 @ 9:46:44 pm from IP #
9. 

   broadleaf
   Member

   I only just spotted these newer replies. Thanks David, AndrewATA and Bushwalker - very helpful!!

   Posted Wednesday 6 Apr 2016 @ 9:27:57 am from IP #
10. 

    Lise
    Member

    In NSW all greywater designs need to be approved by council. Usually a sump and trench (Evapotranspiration bed) system will be adequate. The size of the trench depends on the soil type and size of the house.

    Posted Monday 10 Oct 2016 @ 5:01:07 am from IP #

RSS feed for this topic