Outdoor Sink Makes Water Recycling Simple

This is my new outdoor sink. I found the cast iron sink on the side of the road in Pomona and gleefully dragged the heavy beast several hundred yards to my car. I had a frame built for it out of scrap wood lying around the yard, the faucet and pipes came from another discarded sink, and we hooked it up to the hose outlet. It drains into a simple 5 gallon bucket which I can then pour out into the nearby landscape. It is super simple grey water. Now instead of going inside to wash my hands or rinse produce from the garden, I can use the outdoor sink and easily recycle my water. Plus, there is less dirt and compost in my kitchen sink. This is the kind of so-simple-its-brilliant stuff I just love. While I would like my entire house to have a greywater system, that isn’t really feasible at this time. The house is old and the pipes are very difficult, perhaps impossible, to access. So we are starting with the sink and soon we are doing a simple greywater system from the washing machine as part of our Summer Workshop Series. Every drop counts so we have to start somewhere.

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16 Comments

  1. Beautifully simple indeed.

    FYI–just got this handy old-school device–Smart Faucet, installed it on my bathroom sink, and it works very nicely to cut down on unnecessary water use. I was never one to let the faucet run while I brushed teeth, but I have noticed a decrease in volume of water down the drain. (Wow, that sounds like an ad for them, but I’ve got no affiliation–I swear.)

  2. Excellent idea! No if only I could find an abandoned sink…

    I have only one concern. If you have little children around (as I do) I would suggest securing any bucket of water that will be left unattended to prevent drownings.

  3. To those looking for sinks: Put out a “wanted” on Freecycle and/or Craigslist. Or if you know a plumber or general contractor, put the word out that you need a sink or two. It’ll save others the hassle of hauling it away and the guilt of dumping it in the landfill.
    I really like the way that sink looks. When I get my own place, I’ll put an outdoor sink into the garden plan. Thanks for sharing it.

  4. My husband designed a shower water diversion system that we are so pleased with we have decided to put it on the market. A cartridge pickup slides in the drain of your shower and continuously pumps the water through the wall and out to a hose where the gray water can go on landscape plants and fruit and nut trees. Saves a lot of potable water use. If you are interested, you can see it at http://www.MiragePacific.com

  5. I just came across this post. I would love to see a pic of the piping from the house spigot. I’m assuming you don’t need a permit for this in LA…?

  6. Love it..and easy to disconnect in the winter so pipes don’t freeze…great idea….now to check the sides of the road and dump places where disrespectful people just dump there stuff instead or recycling or taking to an actual dump…thanks for a great idea!

  7. I made something like this 5 years ago. hooked the faucet to a hose from the house for water and another to the drain to run the used water down hill to a bigger barrel to fill watering cans. Use the sink for washing hands, veggies, containters, tools and hosing off garden boots. love it

  8. Pingback: Outdoor Sink Makes Water Recycling Simple | Alternate Snippets

  9. Pingback: Outdoor Sink Makes Water Recycling Simple - This sink is ridiculously easy to make from "found" or repurposed parts. The sink is hooked up to an outdoor hose (no plumbing) and water from it goes into a simple 5 gallon bucket to collect grey water that can

  10. Loved this idea so much, had my husband to make me one this past week end…We used a old stainless steel new we are going to put a old water pump on the side of it…gorgeous…

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