Post by The Cell on Oct 22, 2008 12:19:50 GMT -5
A legal greywater irrigation system must accommodate all water plumbed into it, whether in the tank, with its connection to the sewer system, or out in the field. In California, this water must be used in an approved subsurface drip network. The Cell's surface drip irrigation style system has been approved by the Center for Irrigation Technology, as required by California law.
The irrigation system design the Cell will be using will have a controller and a predetermined amount of valves, fittings, tubing, emitters, and other components necessary for a nearly complete irrigation package. Additional components can be added as needed on-site for our particular landscape design. Our sophisticated system controller has 21 irrigation stations and all the best features of the nicest conventional controllers.
When initially installing our controller, we will program any number of the first valves (for example, valves 1-6) to irrigate areas with fresh water via conventional means. These valves might be used for drip on potted plants, or for sprinklers on that edible garden, or whatever needs fresh water. This first set of valves run off of the constant city water supply, and require a start time. You then program the other valves (for example, valves 7-21) to irrigate areas with greywater. These greywater valves are hard-plumbed to reuse greywater from your home as it becomes available; they do not need a start time.
For the valves that reuse greywater - when the tank almost fills and irrigation begins - greywater is immediately sent through our filter in high volume to the greywater irrigation valves with time programmed on them that day. That water is delivered to each valved area in two-minute doses, spreading the greywater around the property. For example, it gives valve #7 two minutes, then valve #8 two minutes, and so forth, until the tank runs out of water. Then, the float switch turns off the controller, and the controller holds its place in the irrigation program until more greywater is produced. If more greywater is produced, the controller picks up where it left off and resumes the process of sending water out in two-minute doses to the valves that require more water that day.
If the controller does not complete its irrigation program(s) by midnight, (it can have up to four programs running on any day), it opens a fresh water valve that supplements any irrigation program balance with city water. If someone takes a shower or does laundry after midnight, and causes the float switch to rise enough to trigger another greywater cycle, the controller shuts off the well water and reuses the available greywater. Later, if needed, the controller returns to well water to complete the program(s). So the landscape will always receive the proper amount of water.
Although this greywater is filtered all the way down to about 100 microns, it still contains organic solids and materials which are great for plants, but which clog all other underground emitters. Our design will use California-approved subsurface emitters that will not clog from root intrusion either, due to the patented air-gap design.
the mgmt.