Purification of household water

Object of the system

The Object of the system is to reuse purified household water.

There are two main reasons for reusing purified household water:

Saving water.
Once the Israeli Government decides that you cannot water your garden, you will still be able to have a flowering garden.

What is Gray Water?

Gray water is the drain water from showers, baths, sinks, washing machines, dishwashers etc. All the water used in the house excluding the sewage water from the toilet.

What exists in Gray Water (or, what do we need to purify)

The main contaminants in gray water are:

Pathogenic bacteria (disease causing bacteria)
Chemicals (mainly Boron, Chlorides and Phosphate) which exist in detergents (cleaning agents such as soap, washing powder etc.).
Fats and Oils resulting mainly from the kitchen sink.

How is water purified through a Constructed Wetland?

Water plants have an incredible talent to transfer oxygen from the air to their rhizosphere through a sophisticated system of straw like channels which do not exist in regular plants. This talent allows various micro-organisms to develop on the rhizosphere in an oxygen enriched environment. These micro-organisms break down contaminants which exist in water and the water plants symbiotically use the basic elements created as part of their nourishment.

Technical Information

The system requires the existence of a separation between the gray water and the water from the toilet. If a separation does not exist, a plumber can perform the seperation.

The whole system works through gravitation. After the water has been purified, water can be used for watering the garden, or can flow into an ornamental fish pond.

The system consists of four components: A settling tank, an equalizing tank, a constructed wetland module and awatering tank.

Settling tank – The first place to which the gray water flows. The object of this cell is to perform an initial separation in whice the water carries on flowing through the system, leaving most pf the solids, fats and oils behind. The tank needs to be cleaned once in 5 years. Experience shows that even after 10 years, no cleaning is required.
Equalizing tank – This tank equalizes the level of water in the system and allows the system to works like a siphon. A tap water pipe is connected to the equalizing tank and feeds the system when there is no usage of water (for example, when the family and dog are away).
Constructed Wetland Module – This is the heart of the system in which the biological process of purification takes place. The module has a double floor system which is filled with gravel and water plants.
Watering Tank – After purification the water flows into this tank. The garden watering system will be connected to this tank by your gardener. The other option is of the water flowing into an ornamental fish pond.

Construction requirements

When you build or renovate a house, it is advisable to create a separation between the gray water and the toilet water. Even if you are not intending to install a private purification system right now, create the separation so that when you decide to purify your gray water, you will not have construction restraints.

For an average family of 5 members, the space in the garden required is as follows:
Total size of the system (most of which is underground): ___ meter by ___ meters.
The exposed areas:
Lid of the settling tank: 0.6 meters (diameter)
Lid of the equalizing tank: 0.35 meters (diameter)
Constructed Wetland Module: 1.8 meters x 1.2 meters.

Sewage water

Sewage water (water from the toilets) is characterized by a high organic load. The system we offer can purify sewage water too.

Treating sewage water requires more modules and a larger settling tank. The specific characteristics will be discussed directly with the client.