h2gro - Grey water system

[Ausyuppy]

Hi All,
Has anyone had any experience with the h2gro units. (http://www.h2gro.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=78) They were briefly discussed on telly today. From what I can see on the website, they are an excellent idea. In some ways you could make one at home quite easily, however I like it that it is a neat package ready to be installed. My main concern was the fact that the tank only holds 25L before water is directed back into the sewer, however the pump can do 140L pm at 2 metres which would keep up with a washing machine. Also the pump is a Davey pump, so the quality is there.

I know there has been discussions on here in the past over grey water usage, and I figured this may be a feasible option depending on cost.

I move into my house in Brissy in May and have water tanks coming in June, and Im keen to reuse some grey water (Bathrooms & Laundry). Thankfully its high set and is quite easy to access the plumbing.

Any experience with these would be great to hear about.

Cheers
Steve

[OBBob]

There are plenty of sim ilar systems. Minimum about $700 plus installation. They generally only hold the 25l for 24hrs then dump it down the sewer otherwise it goes septic. If the house is high set wouldn't you have enough head just to use gravity and a diverter valve?

[Ausyuppy]

Hi Bob,
Yes I could do that, but I like the simplicity of this system. Its set and forget so the wife doesnt have to worry about it.

I dont think the h2gro system has a dump valve, they recommend if you are going away to flush the system with fresh water to avoid it going rancid.

Cheers
Steve

[OBBob]

I'd be interested to know what that one is worth if you happen to find out?

I have only have fall to a couple of trees at my place ... so for grey water this sort of thing is my only option.

You still have to be careful with grey water ... it isn't real set and forget because you have to be very conscious of what goes down the drain. We have one dead potosperum in the middle of a hedge because we accidentally put bleach down there but forgot to direct it to the sewer instad of te garden (doesn't take much)! :).

[Ausyuppy]

OBBob,
I understand what you mean about the bleach.

I received an email today from H2gro, and I nearly fell off my chair. The manual unit which requires you to go outside to flick the switch to toggle between watering the garden and dumping the lot down the drain will set you back approximately $1900. The electric unit will cost $3100.

I must admit I was surprised at the cost of the unit. But I guess with a decent warranty and a Davey pump it would be worth it. I wouldnt buy the electric unit, I would buy the manual one and modify it by adding the circuit required to make it fully electric, being able to switch it inside the house. I would do it after the warranty period however.

Cheers
Steve

[totoblue]

I received an email today from H2gro, and I nearly fell off my chair. The manual unit which requires you to go outside to flick the switch to toggle between watering the garden and dumping the lot down the drain will set you back approximately $1900. The electric unit will cost $3100.

I saw the Everwater Greymate on the shelf at Bunnings for $789 in Melbourne. On the face of it, they are quite similar. In Bunnings they had a cutaway unit so you could see the inside.
http://www.everwater.com
Don't know if the pump is a Davey pump though. I would think the warranty on the pump is important (particularly for the expensive units) as I don't think grey water is friendly to metal pumps or valves.

It is interesting to read this site http://greywater.net/ (not working at the moment).
It is run by a Californian who says he knows of no commercial grey water units that have lasted a reasonable length of time (beyond a few years).

There's a list of some similar products at
http://www.enviro-friendly.com/greywater-systems-australia.shtml

They are all pretty expensive considering you can buy dirty water submersible pumps with float switches on ebay for $150 delivered. Even if that is a cheap rubbish pump, the commercial units are 5-10 times as expensive - you might expect 2 to 3 times.

[totoblue]

Saw your post and thought I would let you know about the system I have just Installed. Its called the [spammer's product name removed] greywater system. You can find it here [spammer's site removed] . The best thing about this unit is that it only costs $599 and you get $500 back from the goverment for installing it.

As noted elsewhere, this guy appears to be spamming his own product.

Re my earlier post about greywater pumps, I just had a look on ebay, and you seem to be able to buy a Davey D15VA Vortex Dewatering Sump Pump for about $180 or so, plus postage. According to Davey web site, they are suitable for grey water.