JUL 20

This looks like a high-tech (EcoGeek) variant of a direct sink to toilet system already on the market.http://pathtofreedom.com/peddl...sink.shtml


You might be interested in Pee-cycling ... and a more sustainable life ... (http://www.energyconversation.org/cms/node/393)

i'm already using sink water to flush toilet waste - when i'm at someone else's house, i simply pee in the sink

My turds smell like toothpaste now! Thanks man ;D

That's a good idea. :D

It seems to me that the math is horribly incorrect. 3,650 times 5.60 gives half of the value stated and the same is true with the 7,300 value. I am by no means attempting to say it shouldn't be done, but the math was strangely, inappropriately, and pointlessly misrepresented.

Thanks.

That's smart idea!

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Hi - the math does make sense actually. Not sure how useful it is, admittedly.

10 gallons * 365 days = 3650 gallons
20 gallons * 365 days = 7300 gallons
Correct there; assuming $5.60 per 1,000 gallons
3.65 * $5.60 = $20.44
7.30 * $5.60 = $40.88
Allow for 'an equal amount of wastewater savings'
$20.44 * 2 = $40.88
$40.88 * 2 = $81.76

Sure, it's spurious accuracy, but I don't think the idea that you would save $40-80 per year is at all unreasonable.

I could see this being actually a really economic cost saving device for sale in some areas where water prices are very high. For example islands - certainly here in the UK the Isle of Wight has water prices many times that anywhere else in the country due to the inevitable extreme shortages that occur on a small heavily populated island largely made of permable chalk. Cost savings there would be a lot higher than $40-80, despite the fact that waste water is usually charged flat-rate to households in the UK.

It does seem a good idea, but I don't think we generate enough sink water to provide enough water for the toilet.

Facts:

1. water-conserving 5 minute shower is 13 gallons

2. toilet flush is 1.6 gallons (or more - see link below), so let's say 5 flushes per day per person, or 16 gallons per person per day.

3. bathroom sink uses 1-2 gallons per minute. Say 3 uses per person per day, or 4 gallons.

It seems obvious that the real match for the toilet is shower graywater, not sink graywater.

See http://www.inspect-ny.com/septic/wateruse.htm

I wanna do this mod lolol

kewl that is great stuf I like

bathroom sink uses 1-2 gallons per minute. Say 3 uses per person per day, or 4 gallons.

uhh... only if you leave it on full blast it might produce that much. ...also spraying water all over your shirt. I dunno about you but I rarely wash my hands after a #1, I know how to handle it. Even if, someone probably doesn't have the water on for more than 15 seconds. Sooo... that's NOTHING. Would be better off storing water from the shower.

...With using grey water where I live is municipal bylaws. It's a long, slow process to get laws changed!

The AQUS site FAQ explains:

2. What Happens if There is Too Little Water Going Down the Bathroom Sink?
A. ...When the vanity tank is empty, the normal flesh water valve is opened and the toilet fill cycle is completed with fresh water. The system always uses the vanity tank’s reused water first then supplements it with fresh water.

Not a rigorous solution for water conservation but it seems easy to install and use and would be a great way to start conserving

http://www.caroma.com.au/produ...ofile.html

And with regard to the volumes mentioned above this one uses only 4.5 litres (about 1 gal) for full flush & 3 litres for half flush

I have a digital toilet. i just change the bios depending on how much poop is in the bowl 8)

sometimes it gives the BSOD (Brown Shoes of Death) and I need to format with a plunger jump drive.

As long as they charge the correct market price for water, including to farmers, we shouldn't be overly paranoid about saving water. It's a closed system after all.

Joseph Davies,
Your ignorance in regard to water is terrifying! You must be American. It is well known throughout most of the world that water scarcity is one of the biggest threats facing humankind (even in the good 'ol US of A)! You would do well to inform yourself about how little of the world's water is fresh (i.e. drinkable), how polluted that bit is, and what has to be done to treat it.

we ARE in a closed system on earth wrt water; the only additional inputs are comet ice, and that is a tiny contribution over a huge time scale.

The problem is not whether it's a closed or open system but that the natural hydrological cycle is being disrupted by industrial activities, i.e. logging and intensive agriculture which leaches the soil of nutrients past points of replenishment and causes desertification (less food for all of us) and reduced runoff and water going into aquifers (depletion past break-even points, causing scarcity) as well as human water use that renders that water unusable for humans (pumping fresh water that is otherwise used for drinking into oil wells to keep oil pressure high, or using it in high-tech manufacturing -- the fresh water in those activities is thereafter NOT SUITABLE FOR HUMAN USE)

IT sounds crazy, but do some more research on the basic science and you will recognize that human industrial activity is actually REDUCING the TOTAL amount of fresh water available in the world more rapidly than the natural cleaning and replenishment systems can replace it. Combine this with the population explosion and privatization of fresh water and you have a recipe for disaster. And if you think you are safe because you live in the 1st world Western democracy think again buddy, when was the last year the Rio Grande river reached the ocean?

I don't care if I run out of water, and long as I have diet coke.

but if those two are at the same level, how is the water moved to the toilet reservoir? by an electric pump?

and there is no mention about the costs of filters or other products that disinfect the grey water.

how efficient will that filter be? I don't want to be flushing away food i just digested with scraps that I didn't finish from dinner, and I don't want to be changing filters every week. $40-80 a year isn't much of a savings if I'm paying $100-200 in filters.

We should just pump salt water from the ocean to flush our toilets, that's where it all ends up anyways.

If all you are going to do is flush it down the toilet why on earth does it need to be clean? Isn't that the point of using "grey water"?

That's fine until someone pukes in the sink.... :'(
I would think the water from doing clothes would be a bit cleaner and would really only need a screen rather than a disposable filter. With the sink thing, you've really only exchanged fresh water for oil in the form of plastic and transportation (from China?) of the filter.

I've thought about the fresh-water flush problem in the past.

Well what kind of person pukes in a sink anyways? And even if you did puke in the sink it would be the same as puking in the toilet if you do decide to use this system. :- As gross as that sound, its true.

A system that requires a constantly pluged in 12 volt pump, instead of...nothing. Wouldn't a switch to low flow toilets, sink aerators, and personal accountability when it comes to water conservation make more economic and environmental sense? Or, put a bucket in the shower with you.

:)I think this is a great idea because the thought behind it is to be helpful....Any idea like that is great- even if it doesn't work- it's just a helpful idea. :)

I don´t think electricity is an issue when it comes to water, it´s all priorities.I also think it´s better using shower water than sink water.

Seriously though guys, pee in the sink. Zip up, dribble some water into your hand and splash it over your mess if you must. Easy with little practice.

Ladies, practice peeing standing up while showering. Then one day you'll have the skills to pee in the sink too! Amuse the neighbors! Impress your boss! Baffle the dog!

Whatever happened to out-houses anyway? They don't use any water. Sure they smell bad, but who cares, you're there to take a dump.

i pee in the laundry sink in the basement as often as possible. a quick running of the water is all is needed, saves a lot of water.

I've thought about the fresh-water flush problem in the past.

Really that is Good idea!........................

Cool, I like it

jeremy -

I use a composting toilet, but I'm on a farm and we can. Not sure how possible that would be for city folk! ;)

I live in a teacher's housing apartment in Japan and it's had one of those toilet lid sinks since it was built more than 30 years ago. I think it might have been new technology at the time as it's got a sticker on the toilet lid explaining how to use the bewildering sit-down, western-style toilet (eg. don't squat on the seat).

For some years I have had a toilet tank wash basin installed in a rental property. It always inspires shock and awe in those who see it for the first time, similar to all the reactions expressed by readers of this website. Later on, everyone loves it.

It does not have to be a trauma. As soon as you understand that you are not using water from the toilet tank, but instead are saving water by letting sink basin water work twice by operating the toilet, the picture seems so much rosier.

For those who want to wash their hands in warm or hot water, why not do what I did: mount your hot and cold water on the wall above the toilet top wash basin, and flowing directly into that basin. Why, I even have a mirror on the wall for shaving and - can even wash my face and brush my teeth - just like a real sink! All that water then flows directly into the toilet tank and later is used again to flush the toilet - great, no?!

You save space, save water, and can have a toilet space separate from your bathing area – providing privacy and making more efficient use of your bathroom facilities, which I find superbly civilized.

If you are going to pee in the sink, I suppose you're going to wash your hands in the toilet flush tank.

NB please don't pee in my sink. Or in my flush tank. Yuk.

I am all for saving water any way we can, but please, please, please wash your hands, fellas, after you urinate. If you don't wash your hands and then go out in the world touching everything, other people's hands end up with germs on them from your private parts. That is unbelievably gross to me. The urine part is not as bad as handling your privates...urine is an almost totally sterile medium as it leaves the body.

the boys in my family seem to enjoy peeing off the deck - it's made the butterfly bush really really happy over the years. I haven't asked the neighbors.

I wonder how long it will take for every one to replace their toilets.

I've thought about the fresh-water flush problem in the past.

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Really, I's a good ideas.

Yep, it's true, we Americans are far behind the curve. I live in Atlanta where we are literally about to run out of water. Everywhere you go you hear people saying "how did this happen!?" They don't recall the legislation they spurned a decade ago to reign in uncontrolled resource consumption. At that time they were saying "I don't care about politics as long as there's water when I turn on the tap." Well, we are about to see the consequences.
I live in an apartment and can't make installations, but I have a Little Giant pump that I use to pump shower water into 5 gal buckets for the toilet and wash. Not a hard change!

What about all those toxic chemicals (tide, dish, hair products, prescription drugs, all that stuff gets washed down the drain...Yuck! I think we need to stop using harsh chemicals and have higher expectation to keep what little of our clean water clean!

Why do we stay so attached to flush toilets? All that waste should be going into methane digesters, producing fuel to cook or heat the buildings. No fresh water should be getting used for sewage! And if you are using a flush toilet, why would gray water coming into it need to be purified first?

Purification is needed because bacteria just love the dirty water created by washing human skin, and it becomes a health (and odor) hazard quite quickly at room temperature (~24-48hrs). Which is inconvenient during regular times, and potentially disastrous in times of epidemic.

This system is designed to retrofit old systems, thus saving a lot of the resources required to install an entirely new (though much improved) plumbing system. Bravo.

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Some places don't have sewer this could help the cesspools out

Hello, I want to know, what ist the prive von one toilet?
Thanks. Josef

A couple things to ponder -

1. Using shower or sink water to flush toilets is a good idea but for much less money / hassle - you can reduce toilet water consumption by filling a half gallon or 2 liter jug with water (or sand) and putting in the flush tank. You might have to flush twice after a serious "load" but it saves a lot of water. You could similarly use small rocks or something else to displace the water volume in the flush tank. No need to send a fully functional toilet to the local landfill when you can easily modify its operation.

2. Our environment and many sanitary sewer systems ARE indeed closed systems. Saying that drinkable water is finite is ludicrous. It's all a matter of priorities and costs. We know how to turn salt water to drinking water and we know how to treat wastewater (black & grey) to make it cleaner than the most pristine mountain stream.

3. The people trying to scare you about the lack of drinking water are the same jerkoffs trying to scare you about man-made climate change. It's a bunch of nonsense.

4. Atlanta has problems because they aren't (yet) treating their waste water and putting it back in the rivers (upstream of the tap). They'll hopefully figure it out soon.

5. Widespread ignorance is a more frightening epidemic than any environmental concerns we might have.

Poor Richard

If you could connect an upstairs shower to a downstairs toilet, then you could use the greywater more effectively and use gravity to power it all. This would also be a good setup in an apartment, connecting each shower to the toilet in the apartment below it, but then everyone would be annoyed by having their toilet full of the upstairs neighbor's hair, dog shampoo, and other stuff.

Save a gallon of water. Pee outside.

I pee on the bushes outside. The bushes love it... all those nitrates... I poop on the neighbor's lawn... why not... after all, their dog poops on mine.

Seems like it would be a great way to cut down on water consumption!

This seems like a great invention. HOWEVER upon reading the comments i was DISGUSTED to find out that someone pees in another person's sink?! how filthy of a person are you? that is not only unhygienic-think about the person who accidentally drops their toothbrush in the sink, to only put it right back in their mouth; we've all been there-but it is also disgusting, rude and disrespectful. hopefully i'll never have you as a guest in my house.

I have a home made bucket flush system. I took the pipes out from under the sink and "installed" a bucket. I then "manually" use the bucket to flush the toilet. I have PLENTY of bucket water and sometimes even too much and have to flush when I don't really need to. Anyone who says they don't have enough bucket water isn't washing their hands! Yikes! one hand washing is enough for one bucket flush. From working with sick old people, I learned that you should be washing your hands to the tune of "row row row your boat" or "happy birthday" - and you don't stop washing your hands til you're done with the song. If you just dip your hands in water you're not really getting your hands clean. So, this points out two issues - sanitary ones of washing your hands and of course reusing that grey water for flushing. I turned off the freshwater for the toilet and I have plenty enough grey water for flushing.

i have a problem with water changing temperature in sink when flushing the toilet, how I can solve it?

Reply to 'no way'
Sea water would cause havoc at the sewage treatment works as the levels of salt in the water would kill the bacteria needed for treating the sewage. This is why the discharge from water softeners cannot be discharge into sewage treatment plants.
http://www.wte-ltd.co.uk

Also, take a look at the 'Interflush' water reducing retrofit device for toilets. It makes normal loos even more efficient than dual-flush toilets.

The "Crapper" is so 19th century British technology, a fetish we are still stuck with, belongs with green lawns, Bentley cars, Smokers Lounges, powdered wigs and "Gentry". What will the 21st Century bring? Something less odoriferous, more sanitary, cheaper, and eco friendly? I hope so! If we didn't add all that flush-water to our feces, we could make bio-gas from it, for running cars, small appliances and power generators, and a treated sludge for fertilizing gardens, farms, and trees - all by-products, all free! Washing hands still counts big in my books, and the gray water can go directly to the veggie gardens, flower beds, and lawns, for cheap irrigation. In a technologically savvy world, the American home should serve as a veggie garden, solar power and heat collector, Water collector and preserver, sewage recycler, wind generator, and all around survival shelter for the next round of financial fiasco, bankster debaucheries, and Wall Street swindles - We are fools to build McMansions to enrich the corporations and banks, and starve in the down times. We need sensible technologies to support our survival, and untie us from this slavery!

What I do to be more earth conscious is piss straight into my own mouth. This method eliminates all waste, saves water, and has been said to lower blood pressure. I believe that everyone should drink their pee, and everyone should shit in the garden. You know, to fertilize the soil.

Another green alternative to conventional toilet pissing is salad dressing. Most of the time, no one will even know.

Recycle your yellow;
Go Green!

Wow smart idea! Who every came up with that idea is brilliant. This could save us a lot waste water and money.

This is very cool, I just referenced this and another product in a forum (http://www.networx.com/ask/dual-flush-toilets)