I was looking for a very basic grey water system to get me started and had this blue drum that we have been throwing recycled rubbish into for the longest time. After watching numerous YouTube videos on how to build a grey water system, I decided on this setup.

1. 1. I would gather only the shower water for now. Basin water has toothpaste in it and I didn’t want to risk the plants being killed off or the pipes clogged up.
   2. From some palettes someone threw away in the rubbish room, I quickly built a stand to raise the level of the water for better pressure.
   3. I took all the measurements and bought all the fittings from J.G. van Pittius which turned out a LOT cheaper than Builder’s Warehouse. They also have an incredibly knowledgeable guy there who is able to help you with your system. If you order bigger tanks, delivery is free too. (I am looking at getting a 500L tank next) 
   4. I did some planning and began the process of cutting the pipes to make the grey water system. There was some backing and forthing because I am no plumber, but eventually figured it all out through questions and YouTube videos.
   5. I have a cuttoff valve that cuts off the water and allows the water to either flow to the drum or down to the main drain. Even here, I left open the option for the bath water to run onto the back yard as our dog makes a lot of wees here and it can get a little stinky in the seering heat sometimes. Since we’ve done this, the smell has been 100 times better.
   6. I bought the the irrigation pipes (black) and sprinklers also from J.G. van Pittius which again is a lot cheaper than Builder’s Warehouse. These sprinklers will then water the pot plants.
   7. UPDATE:
      I have since installed a pump and now able to drag the hosepipe from the back garden to the front yard where I am able to pump out the water we collect.
   8. UPDATE:
      The simple filter system I had worked well but in these howling winds, it kept blowing over, so I decided to head back to Van Pittius and buy a proper filter system.

The real water savings comes in in if you can use the water for your toilet system so my next goal is to pump the water back into the house to be able to flush the toilet. That water will then be flushed into the main sewerage system. We will then have cycled the water twice before it goes into the sewerage system.