When it comes to water, deciding what’s clean versus dirty isn’t as black and white as you might think. Between these two extremes lies another category of water: greywater. No, greywater isn’t some sexy new brand of designer vodka or men’s cologne. Greywater, named for its cloudy appearance, is the label given non-industrial wastewater. It’s the water that flows down the drain as you shower and that disappears more mysteriously after you run a load of laundry. Basically, any water that exits your home via a drain is greywater, with toilet water being the exception.--Michelle Kaufmann, leading green architect and sustainable lifestyle expert

Greywater Saves Water
Frighteningly, the typical U.S. home uses nearly 300 gallons of fresh water everyday. Using greywater in place of fresh water whenever possible would reduce that number to a far less jaw-dropping size. Unfortunately, collecting greywater at home has tended to be a messy and cumbersome business, attempted only by the most dedicated of treehuggers. Now, however, thanks to the AQUS greywater recycling system from WaterSaver Technologies, harvesting your greywater can be easy.

The AQUS is an ingenious yet simple little system consisting of a few pipes, a 12 volt battery power pump, and a 5.5 gallon tank that slides under your bathroom sink to capture water as it flows down your drain after brushing your teeth or washing your hands. The water is filtered, disinfected, and then sent someplace it can be put to good use…your toilet. When you think about it, it’s crazy that here in the US we use potable water in our toilets when there’s absolutely no need for it except, maybe, so Fluffy can quench her thirst somewhere more interesting than her water bowl every so often.

With the AQUS, however, a household can save thousands of gallons of fresh water every year by flushing with old wash water. The AQUS also saves a bit of money from washing down the drain since the system costs less than $300 and has a lifespan of 10 to 12 years. After a payback period of four to five years, you’ll be saving money on your water bill every month for years to come. It’s also important to point out that safety need not be a concern with the AQUS; the point of disinfecting and filtering the water is so it won’t be harmful to pets and humans, meaning Fluffy can still imbibe carefree.

Seawater and polar ice caps account for 99 percent of the Earth’s water, leaving all of us water addicts just one percent of the planet’s supply with which to quench of thirst. With more than half of that usable water already polluted, experts are predicting that the major wars of this century will be fought over water in the same way they were fought over oil in the last. So if water is the new oil, it’s time we all start treating it that way. Water conservation has to be an integral part of our daily lives, which is why integrating an AQUS greywater system into your bathroom make so much sense. Check out Arid Solutions Inc. or AquaPro Solutions to order yours today.

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