Does your greywater system seem a bit sluggish? Is it failing to water the plants the way it used to?
If you’re experiencing this problem, it’s time to do a little troubleshooting.
This episode explains how to troubleshoot your system, and safety tips are included.
Transcript
INTRO: From Tucson, Arizona, welcome to the Water Harvesting 101 podcast. My name is Martha Retallick. I’ve been a water harvester for 20 years, and I’m looking forward to helping you get started.
Before we do that, here’s a little Tucson secret: For most of the year, we’re in drought. That’s just how life is in the desert.
But when the rains return, oh, do they ever. They often bring an unwelcome friend called flooding.
How do we reduce the risks of flooding? We do it with water harvesting.
Water harvesting encompasses three activities:
- Redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is.
- Storing rainwater for later use, for example, during a drought.
- Recycling “used” water. At my place, I don’t let laundry water go down the drain. Instead, it’s for the fruit trees.
We’ll be covering all of these topics and more, so let’s get started.
EPISODE: Is your greywater harvesting system a bit sluggish lately? Is it not watering your plants the way it used to? Here’s what could be going on.
As mentioned in the podcast intro, I don’t send my laundry water down the drain. It’s for the fruit trees.
The laundry water goes to the fruit trees via plumbing that’s connected to the washing machine. Once the laundry water leaves the house, it enters an irrigation system with a 1” (2.54 cm) main irrigation line.
And then there are half-inch (1.27 cm) branches off that main irrigation line. At the end of each branch line, there’s an emitter. (See above photo.)
Here’s what happens to emitters: They get clogged. This just happened at my place.
I noticed that the larger of my two pomegranate trees didn’t appear to be getting the greywater drink that it had in the past. So, it was time to don the protective gear and crawl beneath the tree.
Suggested protective gear:
- Shoes and socks
- Long pants
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Safety glasses
- Rubber gloves
Why all this protective gear? First and foremost, plants like to poke people who are crawling beneath them. And pomegranate trees have thorns.
Safety glasses are a must because tree branches have an uncanny ability to find your face – and your eyes.
Rubber gloves? Well, I’m going to say this tactfully. Greywater is not sewage, but let’s say that, when it’s sitting inside an irrigation line that isn’t in use, it might have a certain aroma. That’s why you want to protect your hands.
Once you’re underneath the tree, you may find that one or all of your irrigation emitters are buried. This just happened with my pomegranate tree, and I had to unearth the main line until I could find its connection with the the branch line.
I also noticed that this branch line’s emitter was buried. So, I excavated it. I also cleared the ground around all three of the pomegranate tree’s emitters.
Next, I did load of laundry. While the washing machine was running, I noticed that my lemon tree’s sole emitter was blasting greywater.
Then I looked at the pomegranate’s three emitters. Still sluggish. It was time to take drastic action.
So, I closed the lemon tree’s emitter. I did this so I could let the greywater blast through those three pomegranate emitters.
Pro Tip: This is a great way to clear branch line clogs, and, in this case, it appears to have worked. The pomegranate irrigation is looking as vigorous as it was before.
If you’d like to learn more about water harvesting, sign up for my monthly email newsletter. If you do, I’ll give you a free copy of my Water Harvesting Cheat Sheet.
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OUTRO: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Water Harvesting 101 podcast. If you’d like to learn more about water harvesting, meet my book family.
First, it’s City Nature, the book that’s guaranteed to look great on any coffee table. City Nature reveals my secrets to water harvesting through my 20-year journey of transforming my Tucson home into an urban oasis. Get the details at CityNatureBook.com.
And if you’re on the go, take water harvesting with you. Water Harvesting 101 is an audiobook and eBook combination that will teach you the nuts and bolts of water harvesting and show you how to put them to work. Available exclusively at WaterHarvesting101Book.com.