Services
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In addition to standard plumbing services, my company specializes in the installation in graywater systems. See below for more information on these. I have been in this industry for the best of 30 years servicing San Francisco, Sonoma and Marin County. Specializing in plumbing (Sewer-Water-Gas), branch drain systems, high end engineered systems, simple whole house systems, and Laundry to Landscape.
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Laundry to Landscape Art Ludwig is known as the creator of the Laundry to Landscape design, also known as L2L. He states that homes with septic tanks or that are in arid or Mediterranean climates, such as ours, should have one of these systems installed. If you want a lush garden in an area where we do not get rain all summer long and have reoccurring droughts, then you should strongly think about a more sustainable way to irrigate. These are very easy to install, even in an existing residence. An old washer can produce up around 40 gallons a load, while new efficient washing machines use between 10-15 gallons a load. Do not let your gently used water from your clothes washer go to waste!
This system involves securing a 3-way valve to the end of your clothes washers output hose allowing you to divert each load to either your sewer or your landscape. This is required because there will be times when your water may include substances that you do not want entering your garden, such as bleach or large amounts of pet hair. The end that does not go to the sewer is diverted to a specific area of your garden that is designed to be able to hold the maximum amount of water that you could possibly produce in a single day. The plumbing would include an air gap as seen below to help prevent the siphoning of water back into the machine. Trenches are then dug and large distribution tubing is added. Mulch is put on top of the trench basin to ensure that the graywater is dispersed under the ground and is not exposed to the surface. Valve boxes of some sort will be added to most outlet locations for easy access and maintenance. |
Simple and high end engineered systemsA full house graywater system is very similar to the laundry to landscape in design, however it incorporates water used in your bathtubs, showers, and bathrooms sinks as well. The installations are more complex and will likely require a permit from your local City because you will need to cut into your existing branch sewer drain lines. While this type of system is possible with an existing residence, it is much easier to install in a new development.
The plumbing from your bathtubs, showers, and bathrooms sinks are designed to come together at some point in your house. At this point a 3-way-valve is installed so that you can divert the water back to the sewer when your yard already has too much water to hold any more or if you know there will be contaminants that you do not want entering your garden. A simple system is used when it is possible to use gravity to allow the water to flow from your house to your landscaping. Depending on circumstances at your individual property, you may need to install an engineered system which has a booster pump and a filter to get the water the rest of the way to your desired landscape/garden area. These parts all require some routine maintenance to keep in good running condition as graywater does contain dirt, debris, and added nutrients. Irrigation tubing is added to the trenches, covered in mulch, that were dug around your desired landscape area and valve boxes are added to outlets for easy maintenance. |
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