One of the most convenient fixtures in my tent is a dump sink, which is simply a plastic bucket with a drain in the bottom. The sink drains to a dry well outside, which is just a hole filled with rocks. Here's how I installed the dump sink and dry well at my new location in Brandy Station.
The project starts by placing the dump sink at the proper location inside the tent (not shown), then running 1 1/4" PVC pipe down the tent wall to the outside. From there, I run two 10' lengths of pipe downhill, away from the tent.
I dig a trench for the pipe, being careful to remove the top layer of sod first so that I can replace it later.
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| 1 1/4" PVC pipe running downhill from the dump sink inside the tent (not shown) |
Once the trench is finished, I place the pipe in the trench and see where it ends. That's where the dry well goes!
The dry well is just a hole in the ground large enough to accommodate around five gallons of water. I only use the dump sink for grey water (such as dish water, bathing water, urine, and so on) so five gallons is plenty of capacity.
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| Five-gallon hole for the dry well |
With the pipe in place and the dry well dug, I can bury the pipe and replace the sod.
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| Pipe buried and sod replaced |
The last step is to fill the dry well with large rocks. This keeps the grey water below the surface where it can safely seep into the soil.
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| Filling the dry well with rocks |
To finish the job, I soften the edges of the dry well with soil and sod. It gives the well a more natural look.
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| The finished dry well |
Cant even tell its there, genius!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of building an outdoor shower right on top of those rocks. Just a small wooden slat platform directly over the rocks so I can stand comfortably, with a privacy screen all around. If I do it, I'll be sure to post it to the blog!
DeleteI LOVE this idea!
ReplyDeleteI think most people probably wouldn't consider urine to be greywater, but since urine is supposed to be sterile, I don't think it's a big deal to dump it in the ground. (Although I'm sure the government would disagree, lol.) If you have a garden in the spring, though, you could pour the urine outside the perimeter of the garden, to hopefully deter some animals.
Loving the blog.
You're right about the health code violation. I talked to my county health services folks before setting up my systems and, indeed, I think I'm in violation!
DeleteGlad you like the blog. I looked at yours, too, but only briefly. I'm gonna make my way back out there soon and read some more!