How to Use a Water Recycling System?
While this is not the most exciting conversation to have, we know this is a real concern for those planning to live in a tiny house. As you may well know, living tiny in general requires for you to change the way you live. That means being conscious of the amount of water and energy you use daily.
For water, many of us may struggle to gain direct access to a water connection. Luckily there are methods, two of which we will cover today as they are used widely across the off-grid community. These methods are rainwater recycling, and the second, greywater recycling system.
Disclaimer - We ALWAYS recommend that you hook up to clean running water for your health. These additional options are great for washing dishes, clothes etc but are not advised as your only source of water.
What is a water recycling system?
A water recycling system is a method of either capturing water to use inside of the home or to collect used water (commonly named grey water) which is then cleaned using a system and filtered into your shower, toilet or washing machine to be reused, reducing the amount of water you use over time.
How does it work?
Rain Water Recycling System: A rainwater system harvests water from your roof, which is cleaned and filtered into a tank. The tank is connected to your taps and out comes clean water! While this sounds relatively simple, there are a few things you need to know to ensure your system works successfully. One, your roof needs to be tilted to ensure enough water can be collected. Two, you need to live in a climate that can collect enough water (brill for those in the North West!), and thirdly, you'll need to ensure you have a quality system for thorough cleaning including a large tank to store enough water in.
There are different sizes of storage tanks with the recommended size for a tiny house to be 5-10,000L. According to the energy savings trust, the average person uses around 142L of water per day. However, living tiny usually requires the use of a composting toilet which dramatically reduces the amount of water you need (one flush is around 7L of water!).
Equally, the use of a greywater recycling system can reduce your daily water consumption by recycling previously collected water and filter into a washing machine. To give you an idea, the average washing machine requires 63L for one load of washing!
Grey Water Recycling System: As mentioned above, a greywater recycling system can collect used water to recycle in another part of the home. Some examples are to reuse shower water for your washing machine or washing machine water for an outdoor tap to use in the garden (It isn't recommended that you use the wastewater from your sink as this may have large amounts of fat deposits from cooking). It works by collecting the water and filtering it into a system that vigorously cleans and removes any debris. This water is now clean enough to use in a washing machine or shower but isn't suitable for drinking water.
When purchasing a system, you'll need to contact the company to explain the use of the system to ensure that it can do the job you require as not all recycling systems are made equal.
Other ways to reduce water;
Fill the washing machine before turning on and use the eco setting if there is one.
Showers are the most significant water usage source. By spending less time in the shower, you could reduce your water needs by around 30%.
Avoid unnecessary usage of water. For example, you could leave a glass on the side until lunch to wash all the dishes together. Kettles are another waste of water with 75% of the nation admitting that they boil more than they need.
Composting toilets reduces your water significantly, and with today's technology, they are clean, comfortable to use and most certainly don't smell! For more info - click here.
That's it from us. We hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.
