Neptune Aquatics

Flushing my toilet? :)

Pianotips@hotmail.com

Pianotips@hotmail.com

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IS it ok to use the water from the water changes to flush my toilet with? I was going to pipe my toilets to a spare tank on sensors to flush and fill my toilets (I am thinking a system like using rainwater).. We use the water from the tanks to flush the toilets.. So I was going to automate it. I was wondering though is this fine? I mean.. this water gets put back into our water supply.. I wont be contributing to someone getting cancer will I?
 
No problems at all using it. Difference is the water will be free of chlorine/chloramines but have about 20% more TDS. No biggy!

Why do you think toilet water gets used in our water supply again?
 
Salt water won't be too good for any toilet mechanisms that have metal parts.

Also, you'll probably get some bacterial growth in the toilet tank from the dirty water. Won't smell too good.

Also, when you flush toilets, you do get some aerosolization of the water. Not so great to be doing that with dirty tank water. You can pick up some good respiratory diseases that way. There have been cases even with babies getting sick through that vector from having tanks in their room.
 
Oh... Oi! Should have rad a little better, didn't realize it was salt water, just heard so many "is the RO waste water ok to use..." topics my mind instantly went there.
 
ah so then its not a good idea? Thanks... it was a thought >< i'm sad I thought i could help save a little water >< I thought they recycle some of the water from sewage for drinking water?
 
Well you could desalinize it by running it through a reverse osmosis system..... however that does kind of defeat the purpose of saving water :D
 
Mr. Ugly said:
when you flush toilets, you do get some aerosolization of the water. Not so great to be doing that with dirty tank water. You can pick up some good respiratory diseases that way. There have been cases even with babies getting sick through that vector from having tanks in their room.
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Is this a fact? I have a 10 month old and although the tank is not in her room it is in the family room where we spend much of our our spare time. The tank is pretty clean though.
 
Ran across the references a few years back. I'll post if I can find them.

Not an issue with the tank being clean or dirty. There's a lot of bacteria in the tank water, some of which can make people sick.

The splashing you get with the water movement generates aerosols which carry bacteria.
 
sfsuphysics said:
No problems at all using it. Difference is the water will be free of chlorine/chloramines but have about 20% more TDS. No biggy!

Why do you think toilet water gets used in our water supply again?
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Here is an article, and there was another one about northern California too. they are trying to build one up in Sacramento as well.
 
Pianotips@hotmail.com said:
sfsuphysics said:
No problems at all using it. Difference is the water will be free of chlorine/chloramines but have about 20% more TDS. No biggy!

Why do you think toilet water gets used in our water supply again?
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Here is an article, and there was another one about northern California too. they are trying to build one up in Sacramento as well.
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Link?

There is no way my water could get muni water could ever get toilet water in it. My treatment plan is 1K' below the reservoir water comes from. I live in Santa Cruz though. Our treatment plant leads to the ocean, not the sink :)

EBMUD pulls from a different source as does the one in SF and none are near the treatment plant. Both treatment plants go to the ocean.

The article most likely is about the delta and how stuff does get dumped in there and that water feeds muni customers (not BA customers though). That has been a big stink put on by the central valley farmers that got water restricted last year.
 
Mr. Ugly said:
Salt water won't be too good for any toilet mechanisms that have metal parts.

Also, you'll probably get some bacterial growth in the toilet tank from the dirty water. Won't smell too good.

Also, when you flush toilets, you do get some aerosolization of the water. Not so great to be doing that with dirty tank water. You can pick up some good respiratory diseases that way. There have been cases even with babies getting sick through that vector from having tanks in their room.
Click to expand...


I know when i used to clean cooling towers that the technician always told me to wear a mask because i can catch Legionaries Disease. This is one of the reasons we used to put a lot of bactericides in the water.
 
Wasn't that from pigeon poop in and around the towers?

edit: never mind

Legionellosis is an infectious disease caused by gram negative, aerobic bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella.[1][2] Over 90% of legionellosis cases are caused by Legionella pneumophila, a ubiquitous aquatic organism that thrives in temperatures between 25 and 45 °C (77 and 113 °F), with an optimum around 35 °C (95 °F).[3]

Legionellosis takes two distinct forms:

* Legionnaires' disease, also known as "Legion Fever"[4] (archaic), is the more severe form of the infection and produces pneumonia.[5]
* Pontiac fever is caused by the same bacterium, but produces a milder respiratory illness without pneumonia which resembles acute influenza.[5]

Legionnaires' disease acquired its name in July 1976 when an outbreak of pneumonia occurred among people attending a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia. On January 18, 1977 the causative agent was identified as a previously unknown bacterium, subsequently named Legionella. Some people can be infected with the Legionella bacterium and have only mild symptoms or no illness at all.

Outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease receive significant media attention. However, this disease usually occurs as single, isolated cases not associated with any recognized outbreak. When outbreaks do occur, they are usually in the summer and early autumn, though cases may occur at any time of year. The fatality rate of Legionnaires' disease has ranged from 5% to 30% during various outbreaks.
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Potential sources of such contaminated water include cooling towers used in industrial cooling water systems as well as in large central air conditioning systems, evaporative coolers, hot water systems, showers, whirlpool spas, architectural fountains, room-air humidifiers, ice making machines, misting equipment, and similar disseminators that draw upon a public water supply. The disease may also be spread in a hot tub if the filtering system is defective.[8] Freshwater ponds, creeks, and ornamental fountains are also potential sources of Legionella.[9] The disease is particularly associated with hotels, cruise ships and hospitals with old, poorly maintained pipework and cooling systems. When the disease is caused by contact with the organism in a hospital, it is called a "nosocomial infection."
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the above is from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legionellosis
 
Euphyllia said:
This sounds like a good way to conserve water and cut down on the water bills! Thanks for not being a water waster like I am! :bigsmile:
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Read the thread and not the title and you'll find that it really isn't a good idea ;)
 
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