Is the grey water from both the wash and rinse water from our washing machine safe to supplement water vegetable gardens ?
We use Biozet powder which has no phosphorus and a low sodium content, their website recommends not to use it on edible plants but is this them playing safe and its actually OK to do so. Due to the position of the washing machine the hose isn’t long enough to water the lawn so this option is out. The water itself can soak directly into the soil and not touch the plants themselves

Cymek said:

Is the grey water from both the wash and rinse water from our washing machine safe to supplement water vegetable gardens ?
We use Biozet powder which has no phosphorus and a low sodium content, their website recommends not to use it on edible plants but is this them playing safe and its actually OK to do so. Due to the position of the washing machine the hose isn’t long enough to water the lawn so this option is out. The water itself can soak directly into the soil and not touch the plants themselves

grey water is not recommended to be used on plants you get food from

stumpy_seahorse said:

Cymek said:

Is the grey water from both the wash and rinse water from our washing machine safe to supplement water vegetable gardens ?
We use Biozet powder which has no phosphorus and a low sodium content, their website recommends not to use it on edible plants but is this them playing safe and its actually OK to do so. Due to the position of the washing machine the hose isn’t long enough to water the lawn so this option is out. The water itself can soak directly into the soil and not touch the plants themselves

grey water is not recommended to be used on plants you get food from

this

Arts said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

Cymek said:

Is the grey water from both the wash and rinse water from our washing machine safe to supplement water vegetable gardens ?
We use Biozet powder which has no phosphorus and a low sodium content, their website recommends not to use it on edible plants but is this them playing safe and its actually OK to do so. Due to the position of the washing machine the hose isn’t long enough to water the lawn so this option is out. The water itself can soak directly into the soil and not touch the plants themselves

grey water is not recommended to be used on plants you get food from

this

Um… no. It is more that the law says everything must either go through your septic tank or to the sewerage system.

Greywater may contain traces of dirt, food, grease, hair, and certain household cleaning products. While greywater may look “dirty,” it is a safe and even beneficial source of irrigation water in a yard. Keep in mind that if greywater is released into rivers, lakes, or estuaries, its nutrients become pollutants, but to plants, they are valuable fertilizer. Aside from the obvious benefits of saving water (and money on your water bill), reusing your greywater keeps it out of the sewer or septic system, thereby reducing the chance that it will pollute local water bodies. http://greywateraction.org/contentabout-greywater-reuse/

http://www.sustainable.com.au/greywater-treatment.html

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/greywater-recycling-water-at-home

You can transfer grey water to the lawn. I attach a 3/4 hose to the washing machine hose. The washing machine pump should easily handle this. At least it does on my 30 year old Simpson.

bucolic3401 said:

You can transfer grey water to the lawn. I attach a 3/4 hose to the washing machine hose. The washing machine pump should easily handle this. At least it does on my 30 year old Simpson.

don’t make it too long

bucolic3401 said:

You can transfer grey water to the lawn. I attach a 3/4 hose to the washing machine hose. The washing machine pump should easily handle this. At least it does on my 30 year old Simpson.

As long as the hose isn’t too long and the hose does at least run downhill a little bit.

Quite a number of Australians water their lawns and indeed even their trees and vegetables with the water from the washing machine. As long as they don’t water the leaves, all is well. Grey water has killed or harmed nothing here. Quite the opposite. I had a shire council inspector visit to check because I live in a village where many ran their drains out under their back fence onto crown land. I told the inspector that I have a pump out at the end of my rubble drain and that I pump it out to water the garden and he was happy with that as long as I didn’t run it outside my fence.

Sodium salts are the main problem in greywater, and that’s why greywater is not recommended for plants. The main source of sodium is washing powder and other detergents, so you’re doing exactly the right thing by using a low-sodium washing powder. Also, check conductivity every now and again to ensure that salt levels are staying low.

So I’d say – go for it. Just use elementary precautions in washing garden products before use.

Market gardens in Werribee already use black-water from the Werribee sewage treatment plant on produce. Sodium levels have to be reduced first, before use.

I have done a bit of work for a company that sells greywater recycling facilities to homeowners and owners of apartment blocks. The main selling point is that it contains a UV-light sterilizer before storage. Without sterilization you should use the grey-water up quickly rather than store it for later use.

mollwollfumble said:

Sodium salts are the main problem in greywater, and that’s why greywater is not recommended for plants. The main source of sodium is washing powder and other detergents, so you’re doing exactly the right thing by using a low-sodium washing powder. Also, check conductivity every now and again to ensure that salt levels are staying low.

So I’d say – go for it. Just use elementary precautions in washing garden products before use.

Market gardens in Werribee already use black-water from the Werribee sewage treatment plant on produce. Sodium levels have to be reduced first, before use.

I have done a bit of work for a company that sells greywater recycling facilities to homeowners and owners of apartment blocks. The main selling point is that it contains a UV-light sterilizer before storage. Without sterilization you should use the grey-water up quickly rather than store it for later use.

yeah, all the greywater systems I have sold have stated not recommended for use on edible plants, but they haven’t stated why.

Councils can use treated effluent water only on sports grounds where there is no risk of graze injuryand not within 50m of a designated food area, hence a lot of golf and race courses use it.

I’m still waiting on the council to get back to me with the regs on how close to open waterways it can be used.

Well I just hope it is all evidence based.