When selecting a filter system for a single-family residence, choose a tank, pump, and filter that can handle the potential maximum surge from your combined water sources, or you may periodically lose high-peak-surge water to the overflow.  As an example, if you have 5 regularly-used showers that can each produce 2.5 gallons of water per minute (GPM) and a clothes washer that can produce 12.5 GPM but only for two minutes, your maximum surge is 25 GPM over two minutes when all those fixtures are in simultaneous use.  Our standard 120 VAC pump distributes 50 GPM at level elevation with good irrigation pressure, when enough emitters are downstream to omit that volume, so our standard 70 gallon tank can usually handle that 50 gallon surge with our standard pump and filter vessel.  See the chart below for some standard pump flows, using 40 feet of head as the minimum required pressure on level property. 

Single-family sized pumps are 120 VAC single phase, even our ultra-high pressure model.  208 VAC single phase and 220 VAC single phase filter systems are standard on larger systems and require the correct controller. 

Note 1: All automation is provided by a ReWater controller, which needs 120 VAC.   A controller is included in all irrigation packages.  When ordering your irrigation package, you must know your pump's electrical requirement, as the controller's relay must be the correct voltage for that pump.  Our controllers come standard with a 120 VAC relay, which all but large commercial pumps require.

Note 2: For lifting water above the tank/pump location and irrigating with it, you will need extra pump pressure to achieve the same irrigation pressure as if you were irrigating at the same elevation as the pump.  At some point of lift, you will need to order our ultra high pressure 120 VAC pump.  Our ultra high pressure pump can lift water 60' vertically and still produce sufficient irrigation pressure to utilize ReWater's published hydraulic operating parameters chart.

Note 3:  For Arizona-type ReWater systems that rely on smaller orifice emitters than our underground drip emitters, your filter unit may need a larger surge tank, to keep from periodically losing high-peak-surge greywater to the overflow.  Small surface emitters do not flow as fast, thus empty the surge tank as fast, as ReWater's 12 GPH underground emitters.  You could achieve the same tank-emptying rate as our published hydraulic operating parameters chart indicates for our underground emitters by adding a lot of small surface emitters downstream of each irrigation valve, but it is easier to simply install a larger surge tank in the beginning than have to worry about designing your irrigation system around this water-storage issue.

Note 4: When using bubblers or some other type of surface distribution system, you only need to consider how much water can potentially be surging out of your building and accommodate that surge flow rate with an appropriately sized irrigation system, or use a larger surge tank, or some compromise of the two.

For multi-family, commercial, and institutional systems, the most common high surge is usually a more cost-effective design target than the maximum surge potential from the building.  For example, in a 100 unit apartment building capable of producing 125 GPM from showers and 50 GPM from lavatories, for a total possible surge of 175 GPM, the most common high surge will occur in the hours of 6:30 - 7:30 a.m., when many people shower right before going to work.  The "most common" surge considers that, while many people shower at night and use bathroom sinks in the evening hours too, the total surge occurs over a wider range of hours, thus the need for a much larger tank is diminished.  Many other factors such as lift and distance, and soil type and plant selection, come into play when designing larger filter and their accompanying irrigation systems.  ReWater regularly consults on the design, engineering, and construction of greywater irrigation systems and can do so for you.

NEED HELP FIGURING IT ALL OUT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC PROJECT?  WE DO CONSULTING, AND OUR CONSULTING FEES UP TO $600 CAN BE DEDUCTED FROM THE PURCHASE PRICE OF A COMPLETE REWATER FILTER UNIT AND IRRIGATION UNIT.

ReWater has been in business since 1990 designing, building, and installing such systems and can help you figure out the best system for you.  Call ReWater with consulting questions at  (619) 421-9121 or email us at support@rewater.com .

FILTER PRICING

The RWF2 is a cost-effective way to capture, filter, and distribute flows from laundry machines or up to only 4 greywater-producing fixtures.  It uses a special filter bag that can be cleaned or replaced periodically.  The frequency of filter maintenance depends on how much greywater is running through it.   We used to sell this system with a smaller pump, but it now has a more rugged pump.   It satisfies all codes.