Possible use of RO/DI waste water

[Fishman7]

never thought of dumping it into the pool what a great idea thanks guys !!!

 

[houstonhobby]

I run my RO/DI outside (I live in Houston) and have a very long output hose, which I put under the trees, in a flower bed, or on the grass somewhere. Whatever plant gets it is always grateful (it is hot as hades here).

 

[tonyda1st]

I use the water for my lawn as well and it still griws. I have not noticed any discoloration on my st augustine grass

 

[Silly clownfish]

My RO filter is in my basement. It is next to the washer and when I had a top loader it drained right in, but with a front loader that is no longer an option. Carrying water upstairs to take it outside to water plants is a pain. And pointless in the winter. Any other ideas?

Btw -chlorine is not an issue for those of us with wells.

 

[duperdave]

if you're on a well just dump it outside and it goes back into the aquifer

 

[Unome]

I don't have SW tank(yet). But years ago before I got into FW, I was into rose bushes. I had 36 in my yard.

One day taking a shower, I got to wondering, "Is this waste water okay for plants(i.e. my rose bushes)?" I started doing some digging around(this was before the internet) and found out by reading that a lot of people would spray soapy water on their rose bushes and the bugs didn't like the soapy taste and leave bushes alone. So I started plugging the drain in the tub when I took a shower. After I finished(would rinse feet after getting out), I would run a hose from the tub, out the window, start a siphon and let as much water as possible drain from tub into the rose bushes.

I did this over a period of about 6 months when weather was warm(being in Georgia that was about 9 months of the year) for about 3 years. I had rose bushes with leaves as big as my hand and most of my roses were about the size of softballs. I could go out every day and cut about 80 - 100 flowers(the ladies at work loved me). The really plus side to this was I had NO INSECT problems.

The dirty soapy water was being absorbed by the plants, the soap was getting into the plants and bugs fled the scene. Even the Japanese beetles. And it didn't change the smell of the roses.

Finally decided to give it up because I was spending about 2 hrs. a day trimming/pruning/caring for the roses. Even though I gave them to my wife, taking that 2 hrs. away from her was NOT the best idea I had.

 

[joshua.jebe]

waste water

waste water

i run my waste water to a 55gal drum and use it with top off for all my fresh water tanks on average 100gal a month i am using in topoff in iowa

 

[sonoma2nv]

i have a 600 gal storage tank all mu rejected water goes in and its hooked up to my sprinklers

 

[jccaclimber]

I dump mine out into the grass during the warmer months of the year. I don't water my indoor plants with it as I get very quick calcium buildup. This isn't an issue in the yard where the rain washes away any buildups.

 

[chilwil84]

mine goes to my sump pump then into a dry well, so it goes back to the aquafer it came from(or the one above it)

 

[cjcolvin]

I run the waste line to top off my pool.

That is awsome. I have accutally been thinking of doing that as well. We currently just have it run out to fill the dog bowl. Dogs always have water thought :beer:

 

[President Evil]

Aside from using the water for washing clothes, and the usual watering of plants, I also use it to wash my car.. get a couple of buckets of water and go to work...

 

[TampaSnooker]

I had 1/4" tubing with T's and valves run over my entire garden at my old house. Every bit of the garden got well watered and it was jammin.

As for using it in an African cichlid tank, it's already been dechlorinated - as long as you are keeping up with your carbon filter. Just look at the KH and pH of the waste water to make sure it's not too high. If your local water is relatively soft with low TDS, you're probably fine. My incoming water is quite high in TDS so I would have to test it before considering using it in my Malawi tank, even though they like swimming in liquid rock. My well water is just right as is for them.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Mine goes directly into my washing machine. Filling up a 5 gallon jug gives me about 2/3 the amount of water to run a large load of laundry.

 

[peter15]

I use mine to water the lawn

 

[Shan69743]

great ideas, i'll have to start looking for a large holding tank.

 

[Reeferz412]

I thought about this thread again. Since I use my RODI unit once every 2-3 weeks to fill a few five gallon buckets, I reserved an old beat up bucket for the waste water. I like to make my water during a water change to replace the water I am about to use. As the waste water bucket fills, I use that water to clean any equipment that requires ritual cleaning. I also used it to wash some rags I used that get encrusted with salt as I wipe down the floor as I do a WC. I filled another bucket with waste water and filled it with vinegar and dropped some powerheads that needed to be dipped. I use one bucket with a lid and collect the waste water to top off my outdoor fountain as well.

 

[Ajskennels]

i have mine plumed into my dogs auto watering system

 

[FuzzyZipperbaum]

And here I thought I was the only one running it to my pool! Mine runs over 40 feet underground popping out in the skimmer....

 

[s2nhle]

I used waste water for plant in summer and to the drain in winter.