South African Home Owner – September 2019

200 SEPTEMBER 2019

ECO LIVING

he2017/18droughtin CapeTownnabbeda lot

ofheadlines,buttheMotherCity’s“DayZero”

hasbeenpushedback– fornow.However,the

country’swatercrisiscontinues.

Hereareourtipsforeasingyourhousehold

waterdemand,makingbetteruseofthewateryoudoget,and

savingonyourwaterbill.

DOWNTHEDRAIN

Everytimeyouflusha toilet,you’reusing6 – 15litresoffresh,

drinkablewater.Reducethisbyplacinga brickortwo,orempty

soft-drinkbottle,in thecistern,swaptonewerlow-flushloos,

orflushless.

CASTLEGREYWATER

Anywateryouhaveusedand

collectedfroma bath,basin,

showerorlaundryis not

drinkable,butyourlawnand

flowerswon’tmindit.

“Wewouldencourage

householderstoreducetheirwateruse,capturerainwater

and reuse greywater wherever possible. Greywater can be

given a second or third life, be it for mopping floors, watering

plants, cleaning cars, or ultimately flushing the loo,” says World

Wildlife Fund South Africa (WWF-SA) media manager Andrea

Weiss. “Capturing greywater in buckets will do, but there are

also more elaborate systems that can be installed to achieve

similar objectives.”

T

In response to the

drought, WWF-SA collated

andpublished a collection

oftipsand advice on

savingwater, called The

WaterFiles, which can

bedownloaded from

http://www.wwf.org.za

Themore “automatic”

thesystem, the more likely

youareto follow through.

Thestarting point is to

connectyouroutletpipes

(frombasins,showersandbaths)

a tankfor storage, and then redire

thatforother use. However,

according to Stewart van Graan,

fromsanitation systems company

Calcamite, untreated greywater

cannotbe stored for more than

24 hours before turning septic. Th

watercontains bacteria that digests biological matter such as

skincells, body oils, soap suds, and so on, he says.

“There are two ways we have succeeded in storing

greywater for use on demand,” says Van Graan. “Firstly, by

aerating the water in the tank via a blower and fine bubble disk

diffuser. Or, secondly, adding calcium hypochlorite (a plant-

friendlychlorine derivative) via a dispenser. This is the most

common practice. Using the correct dose, the water remains

irrigation- and plant-friendly.”

The water that comes from the outlet pipe of your toilet

(and from your dishwasher or kitchen drain, according to

Calcamite) is considered “blackwater”, and shouldn’t be used

or stored in the home. 

With thanks to Calcamite and WWF-SA

KateFerreiratapsintowhat’s

newwithsavingwater

When grey

IS GREEN

“Every time you

flush a toilet,

you’re using six to

15 litres of fresh

drinkable water.”

“Untreated greywater

cannot be stored for

more than 24 hours

before turning septic.”

• Stewart van Graan

Other pictures: ©iStock.com