Recycled water washing station

There may come a day when water is in even higher demand. Or some disaster happens and water is in high demand. You should have a plan to make that water stretch.

*** First one note. This is for light gray water. I think if you have a bigger dirt mess this may not be the place to clean up at. Also I do not suggest using dish water in this. Food contaminants may not make the water safe for hygiene purposes.   

This set up is a lot like a make shift ceramic water filter set up.  Just a few steps more.

Some call it a field sink.  And it packs up nice...to the size of one bucket.

You will need:

3 - 5 gallon Buckets  

1 - Bag of sand

1 - 6' Siphon Hose with pump or Multi-Use Transfer Pump  (or you can get fancier or more creative) I found these to be the cheapest.
1 - hose fitting, can be found in plumbing dept.

(you can use activated charcoal in this to Click here to see how to make your own)

Bottom bucket is where the filtered water will go. So to make this all work we need to start there.

You will need to drill a small hole in the bottom side. This is where you will attach the hose fitting. There are all kinds. Make sure to get one that fits the hose to the pump you get.  

You can even micky mouse it by using bottle caps on each side. If you get it tight enough it will not leak.

 

**suggestion get a longer piece of hose for one end, so that the pump can sit on the ground and be pumped with your foot, so your hands are free. (this extra bit of hose will cost about a buck at the hardware store) 

Attach one end of pump to the bottom hole fitting. 

 

Now you need to take the lid of that bucket and cut a hole in it...this will allow you to place the filter bucket on it so the water can drain into it.

Which leads to the next step....put holes in the bottom of the second make sure they aline with the bigger whole on the lid to the first bucket. Then place a clean cloth in the bottom of the 2nd bucket to keep sand from coming through.

 Now you can fill it with sand, charcoal, (or activated charcoal ) gravel even some grass fill the bucket about half way to leave room for water to sit..  What ever you have or prefer. Remember this is for washing hands face ect...when water is low so you do not waste your drinking water on hygiene.
So the more extravagant the products you put in the bucket the cleaner the water will be.

Now place the second bucket on the first.

Now repeat...make the large hole in lid you can just make a small drain hole in the bottom of the third bucket of the third bucket. Place on top this will be you sink bucket. You can use a smaller one like this basin bucket.

Duck tape the longer hose up the side making sure to have the pump on the ground and Bam you have recycled water wash station. Saving you precious drinking water and still allow to stay clean. 

Here are 2 videos of similar projects to give you ideas.

Song for this post will be one of my all time fav's Grateful Dead - Ripple