# Releasing grey water to ground - Best Way?



## wildebus (May 19, 2018)

I will be away camped out in a field next weekend.  I will also have NO grey tank at that time so will be letting the water from the sink go into the grass.  (in reality this is what everyone does at this location anyway.  What I have done in previous years is carry my grey waste container to an side area to dump rather than main camping area, but not possible next weekend).

What I would like to do is some kind of filtering to avoid any foodstuffs etc. from washing up going onto the grass.  I have a recollection that there were some filter ideas posted up here sometime involving plastic bottles and straw or similar?  Anyone have any suggestions. Talking about 25L of grey water over the weekend tops I would say.


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## Lee (May 19, 2018)

Just put a load of long grass in a plastic bag with some holes in it and fasten over the end of the grey waste pipe to make a filter to catch any foreign objects and grease that may go down the sink.


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## Tim120 (May 20, 2018)

I have been told a bucket under the waste pipe with holes drilled in it to release the waste and a few stones to stop it blowing away should it be windy.
Not tried it but seen it in action and if you are happy with it then give it a go.


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## Johnnygm7lsi (May 20, 2018)

Tie a leg of the wifes tights round the waste pipe,,,,,,,,,,, preferably after she has removed them.


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## oldish hippy (May 20, 2018)

use a bowl then take it to a tree and water itas the electric tree need water  as well as electric


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## Minisorella (May 20, 2018)

Also, wiping everything off with kitchen roll before you wash it will mean there are less bits going down the sink to start with.


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## silverweed (May 20, 2018)

I never bother washing the kitchen roll I have to say, blow the expense


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## trevskoda (May 20, 2018)

Phone for dominoes pezza and save on washing up.


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## oldish hippy (May 20, 2018)

let the dog lick the plate then you dont have to do either


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## caledonia (May 20, 2018)

Wherever you be let your waste run free!


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## mrbigglesworth (May 20, 2018)

Go round to the neighbours late afternoon with a bottle of wine. If you play your cards right you should  be invited to dinner. Result. 

Mr B.


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## Nesting Zombie (May 20, 2018)

Hi ya WB,
Yep get exactly what you mean,
& I also use Kitchen roll in the Manner Minisorella suggests it REALLY does make a Difference!.
I use what I call a ‘Water Hippo’ to collect my Grey then Wheel it off for a walk to empty along a Hedge Row, (As I have in use at the moment as I’m in a Lay-by) -


Or I Put a length of Hose pipe that I use if a convenient Dump Point is close enough on the outlet tap to Discharge.
It’s got to be better than allowing -

It’s just a BAD image to On lookers
But as already said a Bucket is a good choice.


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## izwozral (May 20, 2018)

oldish hippy said:


> let the dog lick the plate then you dont have to do either



Sod the dog, lick the plate yourself!


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## wildebus (May 20, 2018)

izwozral said:


> Sod the dog, lick the plate yourself!


You haven't tasted my cooking!

 will probably use disposable plates - but having said that, I've been retrained since being in Scotland and wash them up as well 
:idea-007:


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## Caz (May 20, 2018)

On C&CC rallies, I've seen caravans that have a hose attached to the outlet to take the grey water away from the van, at the other end it goes into an empty 2 litre pop bottle full of grass with holes punched into it.


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## Byronic (May 20, 2018)

Grey water? No problem, that's what your neighbours waste bucket is for.
Probably best done after lights out though!


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## wildebus (May 20, 2018)

Caz said:


> On C&CC rallies, I've seen caravans that have a hose attached to the outlet to take the grey water away from the van, at the other end it goes into an empty 2 litre pop bottle full of grass with holes punched into it.


I think that might have been what I read before? sounds quite a neat solution while I work out what to get for the "proper" grey waste tank.


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## harrow (May 20, 2018)

wildebus said:


> I think that might have been what I read before? sounds quite a neat solution while I work out what to get for the "proper" grey waste tank.


Could you not use a bucket or washing up bowl ?

:wave:


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## Nabsim (May 20, 2018)

By the sound of it Dave you are hardly going to have any grey waste to deal with. Would a container you can close not do the job, one of those 25ltr black things with two caps so they can stand upright or lie flat? Only a few quid and it would just mean putting it out when you park

This is one I carry in case I need to drain some off where I cant empty: Waste Water Carrier


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## wildebus (May 20, 2018)

Nabsim said:


> By the sound of it Dave you are hardly going to have any grey waste to deal with. Would a container you can close not do the job, one of those 25ltr black things with two caps so they can stand upright or lie flat? Only a few quid and it would just mean putting it out when you park
> 
> This is one I carry in case I need to drain some off where I cant empty: Waste Water Carrier



It would. I didn't want to buy something I would never use again though.

However .... thinking back to a comment I made on the Solar Water thread, I DO want to get a water container that will heat in the sun (so a black one as mentioned in it), so maybe I should get one of the ones in your link, use it for the waste initially and then repurpose for Solar heated shower water once I have my proper grey tank fitted?


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## Les Haro (May 20, 2018)

wildebus said:


> It would. I didn't want to buy something I would never use again though.
> 
> However .... thinking back to a comment I made on the Solar Water thread, I DO want to get a water container that will heat in the sun (so a black one as mentioned in it), so maybe I should get one of the ones in your link, use it for the waste initially and then repurpose for Solar heated shower water once I have my proper grey tank fitted?



There's a black (bladder) bag you use for solar water, was thinking of putting it on the roof and pumping water up in the morning for evening shower.


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## Nesting Zombie (May 20, 2018)

Let’s be honest, 
The type of people who couldn’t really give a monkeys where they dump their Grey waste are always going to attract the attention of the more responsible ‘Motorhomer’ types, as well as any Passers by, & the general Public onlookers that often need little excuse for giving BAD press to us that then impacts on the more responsible people that love our lifestyle & Pass time.
So well done you WB for at least trying to manage what is an inevitable by product of using our vehicles.


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## Byronic (May 20, 2018)

Chainsaw Charlie said:


> The only people that actually give a monkeys about a bit of grey water are a few anally retentive motorhomers , most of us are not bothered what you do with your grey waste and would ask those that do care to go and annoy someone else .
> Not saying pour it down the high street but a bit of common sense.



By anally retentive, do you mean the ones that don't even need a Thetford Cassette?


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## alwaysared (May 20, 2018)

Minisorella said:


> Also, wiping everything off with kitchen roll before you wash it will mean there are less bits going down the sink to start with.



This is what we do anyway, stops the pipes from smelling nasty.

Regards,
Del


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## wildebus (May 21, 2018)

Caz said:


> On C&CC rallies, I've seen caravans that have a hose attached to the outlet to take the grey water away from the van, at the other end it goes into an empty 2 litre pop bottle full of grass with holes punched into it.



Decided to knock up a couple of these this afternoon 



IMG_20180521_174911 by David, on Flickr

LIDL 1L Fruit Juice, use a Dremmel to cut vertical slits along the sides (can't see them in the photo) and in the bottom and will see what happens. If the water comes out pretty clean, I will likely, even when I have a grey tank, leave the tank outlet open when parked up in the random fields that are used in festivals  (especially considering many of them are used for cow and sheep grazing).

Thanks to all for replies and comments


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## GWAYGWAY (May 21, 2018)

Said it before, run the hose across to the tugger next to you that is too close, and noisy and let it out under his step.


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## Nesting Zombie (May 22, 2018)

That’ll do the job as a trap nicely WB,
But don’t you think that the Bigger Black container might have suited the job a bit better for you, Or is you happy with that for your kinda usage matey.
As you suggest it’s not that important in fields & alike if only in one spot for a day or two, but if Parking On hard standing at say a Picnic area or Carpark you might need capacity!.


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## Derekoak (May 22, 2018)

*Grey waste*

Our doblo is small we do not have a grey waste tank but we also care. We are used to remote tent camping.  As well as cleaning food scraps (although we hardly ever leave any) off into the bin before washing up  I also clean off most oil and grease with paper towel. I then only use a little soap normally,  not detergent except occasionally. For emptying into the hedge only detergent will cause harm. We use  only about 6 litres of water  a day unless we wash clothes.  So our grey water output is small, probably more volume of pee! As NZ says we do not empty grey water down the sink when on tarmac or concrete, because it gives a bad impression. So then i just carry the washing up bowl to long grass or hedge.
 Wildebus what do you do with the grass after? you will never get it out of the bottle?  Ok as temporary expedient. For a long term solution an open tub with holes in that you could refill with clean grass?


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## wildebus (May 22, 2018)

Nesting Zombie said:


> That’ll do the job as a trap nicely WB,
> But don’t you think that the Bigger Black container might have suited the job a bit better for you, Or is you happy with that for your kinda usage matey.
> As you suggest it’s not that important in fields & alike if only in one spot for a day or two, but if Parking On hard standing at say a Picnic area or Carpark you might need capacity!.



For parking up in the fields, a filtered outlet like the grass+bottle will be fine I think (and actually more than the majority seem to do!)
The only source of grey waste is via the sink in my van - except possibly an outdoor shower and that water will go to ground immediately anyway.

Personally speaking, on hardstanding and carparks or the like I would not release the grey water (or have an outdoor shower for  that matter  ) and have always had plans for a fitted grey tank - and so in public places like the above, the drain valve will remain shut.

Plans for grey tank are for about a month's time as I may be able to blag some time off my brother who has a metalwork shop and can fab up some brackets.


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## wildebus (May 22, 2018)

Derekoak said:


> Our doblo is small we do not have a grey waste tank but we also care. We are used to remote tent camping.  As well as cleaning food scraps (although we hardly ever leave any) off into the bin before washing up  I also clean off most oil and grease with paper towel. I then only use a little soap normally,  not detergent except occasionally. For emptying into the hedge only detergent will cause harm. We use  only about 6 litres of water  a day unless we wash clothes.  So our grey water output is small, probably more volume of pee! As NZ says we do not empty grey water down the sink when on tarmac or concrete, because it gives a bad impression. So then i just carry the washing up bowl to long grass or hedge.
> Wildebus what do you do with the grass after? you will never get it out of the bottle?  Ok as temporary expedient. For a long term solution an open tub with holes in that you could refill with clean grass?



On the last point, good question. But I will just chop the end off and throw away grass and bottle as appropriate (or chuck in bin as is?).  Got plenty of grass cuttings and I buy the fruit juice every few days so the 'filter bottle' use is just delaying the inevitable disposal.
Making a filter like that is quicker then washing up a reusable filter as well.


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## Nesting Zombie (May 22, 2018)

wildebus said:


> On the last point, good question. But (Snip) I buy the fruit juice every few days so the 'filter bottle' use is just delaying the inevitable disposal.
> (Snip) .



Lol lol Careful you will be accused of adding to the Plastic Problem now by trying to do the right thing lol. Sometimes you just can’t win Matey lol


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## delicagirl (May 22, 2018)

wash up in an angled plastic kitchen mixing bowl  (uses less water), use ECO washing up products and empty washing up bowl into the hedge.  With shower....   park over a drain in a big layby and empty it there.


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## n brown (May 22, 2018)

whenever i see a horse pee or poo in the street, and think of the millions of dogs and cats urinating and defecating willy nilly, it puts my little bit of washing up water into perspective and i can sleep with a clear conscience


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## Byronic (May 22, 2018)

Add a little (natural) yellow colouring dye, then when chucked out
will at least look like truly organic waste.


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## Minisorella (May 22, 2018)

hairydog said:


> I find that when wilding, disposing of domestic rubbish is more of a problem than grey waste water.



I agree, especially if you can't get rid of it small doses - little and often - or burn it. There aren't anything like as many waste bins as there used to be, are there? I don't often wildcamp these days on my own though and certainly not long enough that I can't take my rubbish with me. Just to clarify, I never have a problem disposing of grey waste water at all but I still really don't like to let food bits and gunk get into the tank... too yucky and I've got enough to clean as it is! Hence the paper towel - two birds with one stone so to speak


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## runnach (May 22, 2018)

A wastemaster seems the obvious solution wheel it away down a grate or inconspicuous location ...with the filter perhaps as well so little debris hits the floor.

I still use tents,and it is awful having to look at a pitch and avoid the grease from previous occupiers thoughtlessness. Tents ,caravans and motorhomes are all culprits , a bit of thought goes a long way

Channa


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## Nesting Zombie (May 22, 2018)

channa said:


> A wastemaster seems the obvious solution wheel it away down a grate or inconspicuous location ...with the filter perhaps as well so little debris hits the floor.
> 
> I still use tents,and it is awful having to look at a pitch and avoid the grease from previous occupiers thoughtlessness. Tents ,caravans and motorhomes are all culprits , a bit of thought goes a long way
> 
> Channa



Yeah that’s what I use (See post 12)


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## Pauljenny (May 22, 2018)

Just do your washing up in plastic bowl. Carry the bowl to the nearest hedge. Chuck it.
That's what the C&CC do on grassy fields.... When everyone is looking.


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## runnach (May 22, 2018)

Chainsaw Charlie said:


> Why not get the set ?
> A wastemaster
> Aquaroll
> Awning
> And to complete the set a Fooking caravan




No No No ! you have forgotten the flagpoles and fairy lights essential kit nowadays !bowl of fruit too but 9pm yet cant comment :dance:

Channa


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## Byronic (May 22, 2018)

channa said:


> I still use tents,and it is awful having to look at a pitch and avoid the grease from previous occupiers thoughtlessness. Tents ,caravans and motorhomes are all culprits , a bit of thought goes a long way
> 
> Channa



Take a roll of Astroturf with you. Even better if you've got the energy, how about a roll of real turf !


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## Nesting Zombie (May 22, 2018)

Chainsaw Charlie said:


> Why not get the set ?
> A wastemaster
> Aquaroll
> Awning
> And to complete the set a Fooking caravan



I’ve got two out of the Three (Aqua Roll & Wastemaster) Use One or the other most days,
Got rid of my Awning years ago & Haven’t missed it a day.


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## Deleted member 62288 (May 26, 2018)

Gravity works for me, usually.

We all have mishaps along the way, in my case I was leaving a site near Bispo (algarve west) but by grey valve was blocked up and I couldn't unclog it. Some of you will know that trying to unblock a drain valve, (under the back of the van in my case) sometimes it suddenly unblocks and dumps and you don't want to be in it's way.

My valve is marked up in German (Open / Closed) I forgot which was which and forgot to ensure it was closed. So I left it as-is and continued my journey westwards towards Spain.

So I am bimbling along the motorway when the interior of the Hymer filled up with the stink of grey water that had been marinating in the warm Portugese weather for about a week. 

A glance in the rear view mirror advised me that the blocked valve was now clear and free while I had left a trail of smelly grey water behind me for a few miles.

Sorry, but there was nothing that I could have done to clean up the mess, but at least I knew that the valve was now working properly..

It was that pothole officer, thats wot did it, it must have dislodged the lever, was my prepared excuse in the case of a tap on  the hard shoulder.


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## wildebus (Jun 9, 2018)

So I actually got round to knocking up a waste tank setup now. 

I took advantage of an eBay 20% end of May discount offer and bought a container essentially the same as the one in Neils link (post below)



Nabsim said:


> By the sound of it Dave you are hardly going to have any grey waste to deal with. Would a container you can close not do the job, one of those 25ltr black things with two caps so they can stand upright or lie flat? Only a few quid and it would just mean putting it out when you park
> 
> This is one I carry in case I need to drain some off where I cant empty: Waste Water Carrier



Added an old foam floor square to go between the container and the van floor; and some heavy duty 'strapping'  (don't know the proper name) to keep in place, using the spare wheel supports and some additional fixings I added.



Grey Tank by David, on Flickr

For draining, I used Hoselock fittings as cheap and will be easy to attach an extension hose to drain at home or at a suitable drain point.
I also fitted a hoselock connector onto the lid of one of my filter bottles I made up.
By pushing the connector on its own into the fitted outlet host extension, I can just drain the water



Draining Direct by David, on Flickr

But can screw it into the filter bottle as well



Drain via filter by David, on Flickr.

I need to get a stopper on the end to stop it dripping out  (the Hoselock 'Stop' fitting only fully works on pressurised system) but overall I think this should work ok, and for a total cost of around £15.


(I can swap the tank lid connector for a push-on one if I find the host is hanging too low, but I think it should be ok as it is.  Or maybe see if there are hoselock right-angle fittings is another option?)


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## Nesting Zombie (Jun 9, 2018)

Well done & Thats right Posh that !.


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## Deleted member 62288 (Jun 9, 2018)

wildebus said:


> Decided to knock up a couple of these this afternoon
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You've wasted a roll of flexi conduit there.

If you ever forget what this was used for and end up installing it somewhere, there is gonna be an eternal smell from the pipe.


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## wildebus (Jun 9, 2018)

FringeDweller said:


> You've wasted a roll of flexi conduit there.
> 
> If you ever forget what this was used for and end up installing it somewhere, there is gonna be an eternal smell from the pipe.


That part was always temporary until I knew where the grey tank would go. Now cut to size.  Only used for virtually clean water anyway and excess worked out at around £2.50 value


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