gmubeach June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 4 gallons of waste water for every 1 of useable filtered fresh:) I've been thinking of creative ways to use the water! Currenlty there have been two I am sure there are tons first I put a bucket for the waste water in a sink and I use it to water the plants.... downside I carry a 5 gallon bucket up the stairs for 4 trips! I've also successfully drained it into the washermachine! Another good use of water... Unfortnalty it took 2 loads of laundry to use up enough for 10 gallons! Anyone else got any? I called the filter guys and it is correct for thier filters to produce 4:1 ratios and thats alot of water.... I use about 6 gallons a half week 12 gallons a week plus saltwater for changes! Anyway its still cheaper then buying water at 1 dollar a gallon, but I am sure there is something we could be doing with all this water! WAMAS swimming pool perhaps! One more intreasting idea if there was some SAFE way to collect rain water could we pump it through the machine at 50 psi and get cleaner water skip the tap water hook up is this idea fesiable or would the pump electricty costs out weigh the water cost? The extra water could be returned to a bucket for watering plants? That way you would be collecting rain water, getting tank water, watering a garden, and use very little city water.... what do you guys think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 (edited) Our favorite way to use "waste water" is in the laundry room (shared with our tank room in the unfinished basement). I shared this on JMs dedicated tank thread, but think its worth putting out there again. The "Lazar-o-matic", as JM has nick-named it, is the process of collecting the waste water for use in your washing machine. It helps of course if your RODI unit is near your laundry. Jon set a system up for me that catches the "waste" water from the RODI in a large (25 gal) trash can. There is a float attached to to stop the water from over-filling the trash can and once full, any overflow is then shifted to flow down a floor drain. There's a pump in the bottom with 1/2" tubing attached that I use to move the water over to my washing machine. It travels a good 10 - 12 feet to reach the washer. We use a bungee cord to secure hose to washer lid, a lesson learned after the tubing popped out a couple of times. I was surprised to find that my traditional washer uses the entire trash can of water to fill just the first cycle of one load. I feel pretty good about being able to use the "waste" water. Helps with the water bill too. I'm hoping to collect and store even larger amounts of "waste" water with the addition of a 55 gal barrel from Cliff/Highland Reefer. Hope to post this idea on our dedicated tank forum.............if we ever get it going............still hoping. Maureen Edited June 16, 2008 by MLazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civitan.erichanson June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 Could the waste water be used in a freshwater system? I have not tested it, but I used tap water in my FW system for years, this can not be any worse can it? We pay big dollars where I live for H2O compared to all of you who live off of Potomac H2O. When do you add it to the washer? My wife would not haul it, but when I do my - see honey I do laundry too - once a week, I would haul the water upstairs. Great thread - its been on my mind also. What really su%^s is when you run the water but forget to put the hose in the bucket and all that good H2O goes down the drain also. Oh - one last ? - how do I know when to change my filters on my RODI? Thanks, Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 Oh - one last ? - how do I know when to change my filters on my RODI? Thanks, Eric. Buy a TDS meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnguyen4007 June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 Could the waste water be used in a freshwater system? I have not tested it, but I used tap water in my FW system for years, this can not be any worse can it? We pay big dollars where I live for H2O compared to all of you who live off of Potomac H2O. For Fresh water fish, the answer is yes. Many of the minerals that the RO/DI strip out are needed by tropical fish. Of course it took me nearly a year for it to finally dawn on me that all that I could put all that wasted water to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 (edited) Could the waste water be used in a freshwater system? I have not tested it, but I used tap water in my FW system for years, this can not be any worse can it? We pay big dollars where I live for H2O compared to all of you who live off of Potomac H2O. When do you add it to the washer? My wife would not haul it, but when I do my - see honey I do laundry too - once a week, I would haul the water upstairs. Thanks, Eric. We also use the waste water in our daughter's freshwater tank. It has to be hauled up 2 flights of stairs. We've toyed around with the idea of getting a bigger pump and running it outside the house to get the water up there, but her consumption is small and infrequent, so we haven't pursued the idea. Hauling the buckets is a pain though. Here's kind of a goofy idea to play around with.............. If you had a trash can on wheels on the lower level, and another on the upper level, could you pump the water up from the lower level can to the upper level can and roll it to the laundry room???? Don't know your set up (or how powerful a pump you'd need) but just a thought. We fill the washer when the "waste water" trash can gets full if we need to make more "good" water. Water can sit in the washer for a day or two before we use it and I've never had a problem with it. We do try and schedule our RO/DI water making days around laundry needs (and vice versa), but it doesn't always work out. Still, saving some is better than saving none. I'd also like to figure out a way to get extra water outside for the plants someday. Maureen I like this thread too. Edited June 16, 2008 by MLazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 Mine goes into the home waterproofing system installed in our basement. The same with the condensation from the A/C and dehumidifier, and of course the ground water which is diverted from flooding our basement during wet weather. All of this is then pumped outside to a drain which feeds a 1600 - 1800 gallon pond. During heavy rains the pond has an overflow which irrigates a shade garden full of moisture loving plants It's a bit of experiment b/c of the potential for heavy metals from the A/C and dehumidifier, not to mention whatever chemicals with which our upstream neighbors choose to pollute the groundwater, but so far all critters (fish, turtle, tadpoles, plants, etc. . . ) seem to be doing OK. It is nice to feel like nothing is going to waste. It really cuts down on the amount I need to top off the pond due to evaporation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 The "Lazar-o-matic", as JM has nick-named it, is the process of collecting the waste water for use in your washing machine. It helps of course if your RODI unit is near your laundry. Maureen That's a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach June 16, 2008 Author Share June 16, 2008 Thats what I'm talking about wamas members putting thier heads together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 (edited) I think this thread should be pinned. Actually something about envioronmentally responsible reef-keeping... waste water, light bulbs, release and disposal of live or dead animals, disposal of old salt water, etc. It just seems to me that not a lot of people look at the conservation board and this is really important direct hobby-related stuff. Edited June 16, 2008 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach June 16, 2008 Author Share June 16, 2008 Yeppers I am getting one of those pepsi plant containers to see what I can rig up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 Im toying with the idea of hooking a pump to mine to mist water onto my AC condenser outside. Right now I use it to water my trees and grass. My dogs drink it also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach June 16, 2008 Author Share June 16, 2008 hahaha glad to see your getting the most out of your water conservation. how do you get it from your basement to your plants other than toting a jug? My dad actaully thanks me for getting the ro/di machine to save money I would recomend it to anyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 I would imagine that the waste water, AND your old light bulbs could be used to grow crops in the basement... I would imagine that the light requirements of most plants aren't quite as demanding as our corals are. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite June 16, 2008 Share June 16, 2008 I would imagine that the waste water, AND your old light bulbs could be used to grow crops in the basement... I would imagine that the light requirements of most plants aren't quite as demanding as our corals are. bob crop-growing in the basement.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawns June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 Buy a TDS meter. or.....you could swing by and borrow mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach June 17, 2008 Author Share June 17, 2008 Bob do you have ornimental plants:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civitan.erichanson June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 Thanks Shawn. As for growing plants in the basement - that might affect my clearance or.....you could swing by and borrow mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 I fill my daughters wading pool with the waste water and also water the flowers and lawn. No real need for that but what the H-E-double hocky sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach June 17, 2008 Author Share June 17, 2008 Is the water that comes out of your ro/di machine too cold for a swimming pool? or does she not care its soo fun to splash around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 Why not save the waste water in a tank and run a loop though it from the main saltwater tank and use it as a chilller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 Why not save the waste water in a tank and run a loop though it from the main saltwater tank and use it as a chilller? Are you talking heat exchange? If so, you would have to find a way to keep the coolant" cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quazi June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 I run a line out to my roses. They love the extra water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar June 17, 2008 Share June 17, 2008 Why not save the waste water in a tank and run a loop though it from the main saltwater tank and use it as a chilller? I would run extra loops of yellow RO waste water tubing through my sump to carry the cold waste water through the warm sump. That way the house water pressure moves the water, and no pump is required. I don't know whether RO tubing transfers enough heat to have an effect, but it's cheap. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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