How do you attach a garden hose to your washing machine?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by jeanneinsunland, May 31, 2005.

  1. jeanneinsunland

    jeanneinsunland Junior Member

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    I pulled my washing machine away from the wall the other day to see if I could just detach the regular drain hose and attach a garden hose. I would like to use this to water the orange trees. I could not even manage to detach the drain hose, but if I did, what then? I don't even know if all washers are the same back there, and hence whether anyone can help with this. Is there usually an attachment that would work, of do I have to modify it somehow? Thanks in advance!
     
  2. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    As far as I've seen, all washers have the same type of drain. I don't think you can connect a garden hose directly to the outlet. Know any plumbers that could help you?

    I don't know for sure, but the outlet hose on a washer seems larger than a garden hose, so you might need to get some special kind/size of hose to make it work.

    You might get a book called Greywater Oasis from your library system. It might tell you what you need to know. The author also has a website, I believe, but it may just be for custom work, not free advice.

    But one thing I remember is that there is some kind of danger in pumping directly out of the washer -- it may be if it's uphill or something -- it can burn out your washer pump motor.

    Sue
     
  3. Mont

    Mont Junior Member

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    I just bought 8 metres of 30mm (1 inch) thick plastic pipe, which I connected to the washing machine outlet hose with insulation tape and a cheap clamp. I drilled a hole in the laundry wall about halfway down the height of the washing machine and sealed the hole with commercial sealant against the weather. The washing machine has enough grunt to get the water out of the machine, after which gravity takes over until the pipe hits the ground. Then the machine's power with the extra momentum of gravity and the water coming down the slope has easily enough power to get the water out the other end onto the garden. I just move the pipe between washing loads to water different parts of the garden. I also use Planet Ark washing powder which has fewer nasties than most (perfectly safe straight on the garden if you believe their website). I think a concern with watering citrus this way for a long time might be that the washing water is usually alkaline and acid-preferring citrus might suffer in the long, but not short, term. By the way, the whole thing cost less than $30 Australian, which is about 20 cents US.
     
  4. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Mont, now YOUR cynicism is showing! :lol:

    If you folks haven't run across it yet, there is a website that will convert anything to anything else. It has distance, weight, force, finance, and loads of other things. AND it's very easy to use. See it here:


    https://www.onlineconversion.com/

    Sue
     
  5. miss.vitalis

    miss.vitalis Junior Member

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    i suppose you are using ecological detergents that do not polute... so that you can attach a hose directly to the washing machine. let me tell you that in Croatia there are no detergents like that! the only one i could probably get here would be the Amway detergent (they say it decomposes to water or i do not know what - is that possoble?)
     
  6. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Some of the Amway stuff is pretty mild, esp if it comes in liquid form. You don't want anything in phosphate form in your garden.

    Sue
     
  7. miss.vitalis

    miss.vitalis Junior Member

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    what do i have to look for? i mean - is phosphate the only criteria?
     
  8. miss.vitalis

    miss.vitalis Junior Member

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    it's me again. i cannot find the book "Greywater Oasis " on amazon.com. is this the right name of the book?
     
  9. psychochook

    psychochook Junior Member

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    Hi,

    There are a number of things that need to be considered when attaching a hose (or similar) to a washing machine to recycle the greywater.

    Make sure you don't use a hose that is too small. Various washing machines use different diameter hoses. Usually when they design the machines, they provide a pump with specs to work with the diameter of hose for that machine. If you then try to pump water down a smaller diameter hose, there is a build-up in the water pressure that can damage the pump.

    To overcome this problem, I used to pump the water into a recycled Olive barrel (which was used to transport Olives to Australia). I added a tap to that barrel and simply let the water drain from the barrel at a gravity fed pace. This allows the washing machine to pump out the water with the correct hose (and subsequent pressure) while allowing me to control the flow of the water onto the garden. Note that it is not a good idea (and in some places against government regulations) to store grey water because it can result in an unhealthy build-up of bacteria.

    The second thing to consider is the detergent that you use. Most people are aware that it is better to use detergents which are low in Phosphates. However, I have found that a lot of people are unaware that there is sometimes a large amount of sodium in laundry detergent (powders in particular). So it is a very good idea to ensure that your detergent is low in phosphates, low in sodium and biodegradable.

    A website that might be useful to check out is https://www.ata.org.au. The ATA (Alternative Technology Association) is a not-for-profit organisation which is interested in promoting sustainable energy etc. They are holding Greywater trail programs and providing info regarding this. They also have a lot of useful links on their website.

    Hope that this helps
     
  10. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Your English is great! It's my memory that is faulty.... But I did get two of the words correct!

    The proper name of the book is Create an Oasis With Greywater: Your Complete Guide to Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems by Art Ludwig.

    He also has a website: https://www.oasisdesign.net

    Liquid laundry detergents don't have phosphates in them, but that isn't to say that they're good for this purpose. Borax is another no-no.

    Art Ludwig recommends this product as safely biodegradable:
    https://bio-pac.com/biopac/oasis.htm

    Sue
     
  11. jeanneinsunland

    jeanneinsunland Junior Member

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    Thanks to everyone for your input! (sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this. I didn't receive any email notices that I had replies.)I guess I thought I could just hook up a hose because someone on another forum mention that she had done this.

    I think the best way for me would be psychochook's method with the barrel. I think I can get a used wine barrel up by my in-laws' place, if only we can plan a visit with time enough to stop at the winery. There just happens to be a space big enough next to the machine. The backyard trees are slightly uphill from the floor of the garage (where the machine is), but I can drain the leftovers by moving the hose to the front yard, which is downhill. Someone somewhere else (can't remember) mentioned that he always leaves the tap open on the barrel, so there is no possibility of water remaining. According to the Greywater Oasis website, greywater turns to blackwater very quickly if stored.

    Oh, and the detergent we use is actually marked "safe for greywater systems", so I think it is alright.

    It is amazing to me how quickly everything has dried out, considering that we had 2-3 times our "average" rainfall this year. I need to learn more about swales. :)
     
  12. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Jeanne, I have nothing to back it up with, but when I read you were thinking of getting a wine barrel, I thought "Oh-oh!"

    I think that I am thinking of greywater going into and out of a wooden barrel, and thinking that some of the bacteria will stick to or blend with the wood and start to stink. Like I said, this was just an instinctive reaction. I don't know if it will happen.

    I think whiskey barrels are charred inside, but I don't know about wine barrels. Is there any chance that you could get hold of a plastic drum instead?

    If anyone knows anything reasonably factual about this, please chime in.

    Sue
     
  13. jeanneinsunland

    jeanneinsunland Junior Member

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    Hadn't thought about that with the wood. It will remain dry for periods of time between washdays (we only do laundry once per week, sometimes an extra load during the week), so I would be surprised if it were a problem. If it were wet all the time, or if (horrors!) we were to leave water in it, then, yes, I think it would definitely be a problem. I am actually going to find out if our water district sells rain barrels, the type with the hose bib already attached at the bottom, someone recommended I look into that. (I got my compost bin free from the city, why not a rain barrel, too?) Thanks! :)
     
  14. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Jeanne, what brand of laundry detergent do you use?

    Sue
     
  15. greenlivingaustralia

    greenlivingaustralia Junior Member

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    Hi.

    You can actually get a pretty cheap, commercial grey water diversion system that has a filter and just fits into the actuall drainpipe coming from your laundry. A great pipe to use for the outflow is a swimming pool vacuum hose (or two), they are flexible and are UV stabilized so will last longer.

    The only thing is you must have gravity on your side for this to work, otherwise the storage barrel can work and then use a small pump to disperse the water -- DO NOT expect the washing machine pump to push the water uphill. I know that the washing machine pumps water up over the top of the laundry sink, but that short pipe may only hold less than 1/2 a kilo of water, a long pipe full of water pushing up to the same height for example would possibly have a load of over 5 kilos of water, and your washer will be highly stressed even if it initially works.
     
  16. jeanneinsunland

    jeanneinsunland Junior Member

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    Hi, Sue!
    I am currently using a brand called Soapworks. I get it Trader Joe's.

    Hi, David!
    Yes, I am aware of the pump issues at play. I think the general rule is to not try to pump the water any higher than the back of the washing machine, and my back yard is level and probably at least 60cm lower than the back of the washer, so no uphill pushing at all would be involved. I like the idea of the pool hose; I will try to find the adapter kit.

    I just hate wasting all that water when I know my dear trees need it.
     
  17. jackass

    jackass New Member

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    Grey water on lawns/gardens

    I originally started looking at this site a few months ago while researching which laundry detergents are suitable for use on gardens and lawns. Since then I’ve managed to set up a pretty efficient and simple system to re-use laundry grey water. Based on information from this great site, and found here https://www.lanfaxlabs.com.au/papers/P29-USA.pdf on page. 32 and another website (which I’ll post when I find it again) we have switched to So Gentle detergent – containing very little sodium and phosphorous. Queensland is currently facing a pretty bad water shortage and bans on sprinking etc. By using washing machine water and stored rainwater we have the back yard looking pretty good.

    I have run the washing machine discharge hose up the wall approximately 1m (to allow the machine to fill without loosing fresh water) then down into a plastic tub (about 60L I think) with a lid on - to stop little ones from falling in. Also in the tub is a $100.00 submersible pump with a float on it. Once the water level raises the float, water is pumped through a $10.00 adapter - to fit a length of standard garden hose - out a sprinkler head and onto the lawn. I’m unsure of the pump’s specifications ie. pressures, however it’s sufficient for the sprinkler to cover a 4m by 4m area.

    I’ve noticed no peculiar or distasteful odours since I’ve started this practice, although at times I’ve noticed very small amounts of suds near the sprinkler head – which seem to disperse when water from the final rinse cycle passes through.

    Problems:
    -having to move the sprinkler to a new area when I think of it
    -oh, and also having to trim the lawn more often!

    IMPORTANT! Remember to remove the washing machine discharge hose from the plastic tub, and place it back in the laundry sink when using bleach or any laundry-cleaning products that may damage lawns or plants.

    If anyone has any info. on laundry detergents re. sodium, phosphorous, nitrogen etc. I’ like to hear it. Thanks.
     
  18. jeanneinsunland

    jeanneinsunland Junior Member

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    thanks for reviving this!

    my own solution was to get a 100-foot-long bit of 3" flexible drain hose. this just sits in the yard 'til wash day, when it gets tied up next to the washing machine and the end of the discharge hose set into it. the other end snakes out through the patio and under one of two citrus trees in the backyard. after washing is done, we pick it up to drain it out and leave it again 'til next time.

    it is not super-elegant or attractive, but it works for now and was a cheap (less than $20US, i can't remember exactly) and good solution for us this summer. it has kept those trees going. we have had only one day of rain all summer.
     

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