Cape Town Water Crisis

[divanvanderwatt]

Hey guys

Was just wondering, now that day zero will be 21 April - what are you guys doing or planning to do?

This is what I have done and am planning to do:

• Installed a grey water system (connected to a 100 litre tank)
• Have a well point

However when the taps run dry a grey water system won't help and just hear that Beaufort West's ground water has run dry, so the well point won't last that long.

So I am planning the following (comments welcome)

* Getting a porta potti to use as a toilet - I have read that you can get about 50 flushes with about 9litres of water. I just don't know where to get rid of the waste??
* Buy a 750 litre JoJo tank to possibly catch some more rain water (there are only 10 left in stock at Builders Warehouse YIKES!)
* Use a 12 litre solar shower (https://www.takealot.com/leisurequip...e/PLID40900606)
* Use a 5 litre tank with a booster pump to connect to the front loader and use in combination with airwash to get the clothes clean.

That should get us through with 50 litres per day. (New ration is 25 litres per day and we are two in the house)

[Elders]

We used a porta-potti when touring .... Surely one way to save a LOT of water !!


Will admit that I have considered buying a PP ..... but somehow it just feels like "storing up baked beans" .....

[Rumble]

How about a composting toilet? not sure if they are as good as the adverts say, or if they smell, but they are supposed to use no water

[Chris Stoffel]

How about a composting toilet? not sure if they are as good as the adverts say, or if they smell, but they are supposed to use no water

The problem is that the sewage system in water borne. Each toilet must be flushed twice a day to keep the system functioning. Or else it will block up and that is not good.

[Jouko]

The problem is that the sewage system in water borne. Each toilet must be flushed twice a day to keep the system functioning. Or else it will block up and that is not good.

Zim had "BIG FLUSH" in Bulawayo at least one time. Everybody had to flush at specific time to get the system working.

Israel has a lot or water with a bit of salt. You cannot drink it but it is fine for many uses. As far as I know they are the only country where there is double water system. Could somebody to confirm.

I think Botswana has the same issue. But no 2 systems.

It cost money to set up double water system but it is possible. It is simply stupid to flush a toilet with drinking water.

[Reenen]

Zim had "BIG FLUSH" in Bulawayo at least one time. Everybody had to flush at specific time to get the system working.

Israel has a lot or water with a bit of salt. You cannot drink it but it is fine for many uses. As far as I know they are the only country where there is double water system. Could somebody to confirm.

I think Botswana has the same issue. But no 2 systems.

It cost money to set up double water system but it is possible. It is simply stupid to flush a toilet with drinking water.

Robben eiland het altyd n dubbele watersisteem gehad.

[Elders]

We used a porta-potti when touring .... Surely one way to save a LOT of water !!


Will admit that I have considered buying a PP ..... but somehow it just feels like "storing up baked beans" .....

Okay so here goes the next project ....


Very minor re-routing of the waste lines at the back of the house (just the shower, bath and washing machine), into a small sump with a submersible pump. This delivers the water into a tank on a roof behind the house, from here it will supply the toilets via gravity feed.


should result in significant water saving.



Question for those that already use grey water - what are the best methods to limit odours ?

[Paul Dold]

I dont use grey water but as part of water saving I use JIK to combat odours.

[WillemT]

Okay so here goes the next project ....


Very minor re-routing of the waste lines at the back of the house (just the shower, bath and washing machine), into a small sump with a submersible pump. This delivers the water into a tank on a roof behind the house, from here it will supply the toilets via gravity feed.


should result in significant water saving.



Question for those that already use grey water - what are the best methods to limit odours ?

Leave the washing machine water would be my recommendation. It’s a lot dirtier than shower and bath water.

Put a chlorine tablet in the tank.
And then drain the water every 12 to 24 hours. Determine what time would be best to drain. Greywater becomes not so lekker after 12 to 24 hours of standing.

[divanvanderwatt]

I just read in our washing machine booklet - the front loader can use up to 50 liters of water per cycle

Remember those camping washing machines - think it was called Sputnik or something?

[Gustav Jimny]

Question for those that already use grey water - what are the best methods to limit odours ?

Two capfulls of Dettol into my bath.
Bath water afterwards pumped into 20 liter drums, used for flushing, doing the dishes, and wash cycle for laundry.
Used dish water still goes down the sewer.
Laundry wash cycle not kept, but mostly used to flush the toilet after my morning constitutional, and to do last nights dishes.
Anything over from that goes onto the back lawn, to percolate down for my wellpoint !
Laundry rinse water kept for flushing during the week, if it goes off, goes onto the lawn.
And now recently fitted a 2200l JoJo for rain water, intending to get a another two for the wellpoint water, to give it time for the iron to settle down.
So, on average my daily consumption of municipal water is below 50l anyway.

[serieslr]

Okay so here goes the next project ....


Very minor re-routing of the waste lines at the back of the house (just the shower, bath and washing machine), into a small sump with a submersible pump. This delivers the water into a tank on a roof behind the house, from here it will supply the toilets via gravity feed.


should result in significant water saving.



Question for those that already use grey water - what are the best methods to limit odours ?

I have a manual pool floater in a 1000l slimline. Add two hth blocks to it set on smallest opening last about a month.

Have been running like that for a few months and the toilet water is clear but soapy.

Also add those blue blocks to the toilet tanks helps as well. Did this in the beginning.

But I do pump my water through a normal pool sand filter before going into the storage tank. However you have add the chlorine to get the smell away

[Nitebob]

Okay so here goes the next project ....


Very minor re-routing of the waste lines at the back of the house (just the shower, bath and washing machine), into a small sump with a submersible pump. This delivers the water into a tank on a roof behind the house, from here it will supply the toilets via gravity feed.


should result in significant water saving.



Question for those that already use grey water - what are the best methods to limit odours ?

I was contemplating this but was told by greywater installers this cannot work as the soapiness affects the seal on the toilet (make it snotty) and then it will start dripping...

[Elders]

I was contemplating this but was told by greywater installers this cannot work as the soapiness affects the seal on the toilet (make it snotty) and then it will start dripping...

Thanks for the heads-up.

I will keep an eye out for this.


Let's see what the toilet system does with the grey water .....


Worst case - during winter I can use the excess rain water for the toilets. So for most of the year I should be able to get this off the grid.

[bredsj]

Thanks for the heads-up.

I will keep an eye out for this.


Let's see what the toilet system does with the grey water .....


Worst case - during winter I can use the excess rain water for the toilets. So for most of the year I should be able to get this off the grid.

My grey water system is working without all leaking, ou vrou stories! More dificult to get rid of the smell though.

[100bedonderd]

To wat point can you mix sea water with freshwater

[SBSP]

Maybe a silly question but what happens to the electricity generators ? Dont they use steam ? Or is it in a closed loop system ?

[Chris Stoffel]

Maybe a silly question but what happens to the electricity generators ? Dont they use steam ? Or is it in a closed loop system ?

We don't have electricity generators in the Cape that work with coal and steam. Koeberg is a closed system and Steenbras work with water. Yes?

[MrTolbos]

I live in PE and we’re apparently not far behind CPT regarding a water crisis. We bought a 100 liter plastic wash basin and 8 plastic buckets. We placed the 100 liter wash basin in the shower, we stand in the basin while showering and it collects 99% of the shower water.

We scoop the water up with the buckets and flush the toilets with that. The water that’s left over the next morning goes onto the lawn and plants, however there’s mostly only 1 bucket of grey water left. You really don’t need to spend a lot of money on repiping and automating your grey water system. Keep things simple, it’s cheaper and less things to break. We even rolled out the system to the guest bathroom when ever we have a couple of friends over.


Everyone loves the idea and a lot of our friends have started doing the same. There’s zero smell to this system.

Next project is to catch up the washing machine water... We also have the capacity to store 25,000 liter of rainwater but it’s not raining enough to even come close to be able to switch off the municipal water

[CornelisVoigt]

Dis verbasend hoe vinnig mens water vanaf die dak kan opvang met watertenks. Maar ek hoor daar is n groot waglys vir die 5000liter tenks. Met n drukpompie kan n hele huis uit tenks water kry. Op die plase gebruik baie boere reënwater vir huis gebruik en drinkwater. Sonder enige duur filtreerders.