You nailed it on the “expect surprises” front. Every time I’ve worked on an old house, it’s like a scavenger hunt behind those walls—never quite know what you’ll find until you’re knee-deep in it. Galvanized pipes especially... those things are a gamble. I tried to tie into one for a greywater line last year, and the inside looked like it’d been filled with oatmeal for decades. Ended up replacing a whole run just to get flow.
Your point about filters is spot-on too. It’s so tempting to skip or cheap out, but the mess that builds up isn’t worth saving a few bucks. I’ve seen setups where folks used whatever was lying around, and six months later they’re dealing with clogs and smells they can’t trace. Swapping out sediment filters regularly is just part of the deal—like changing oil in your car.
I do think laundry-to-landscape is the most manageable for most people, especially if you don’t want to be constantly fiddling with things. Whole-house greywater sounds cool on paper, but unless you’re really into maintenance, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I tried helping a friend set one up in his 1920s place, and between the weird pipe routing and ancient valves, we spent more time troubleshooting than actually using the system.
City codes are definitely getting stricter lately. My neighbor got flagged for a DIY setup that technically shouldn’t have been an issue, but inspectors can be unpredictable. It’s a pain to undo work after the fact, so double-checking before you start saves a lot of hassle.
Rainwater toilets are such an underrated solution. The quirks are real—I’ve had to manually prime mine after long dry spells—but it’s been reliable otherwise. And honestly, once you get used to the little bits of maintenance here and there, it just becomes routine.
It takes some patience and a willingness to roll with whatever weirdness your house throws at you, but these systems really do pay off over time. Not glamorous work, but there’s something satisfying about making old plumbing do new tricks... even if it means getting your hands dirty more often than you’d like.
Rainwater toilets are a game changer, but yeah, you’ve got to be ready for the quirks. I’ve seen setups where folks forget about the maintenance and then wonder why their flush is barely more than a trickle. It’s not rocket science, but you can’t just set it and forget it either. I’m with you on the filters—if you cheap out, you’re just asking for trouble down the line. Nothing like pulling apart a system and finding a filter that looks like it’s been through a mudslide.
Old houses are a wild card every time. Last month I opened up a wall expecting copper and found some Frankenstein mix of galvanized, PVC, and what I swear was garden hose. Makes you wonder what people were thinking back in the day... or maybe they just used whatever was handy.
Laundry-to-landscape is definitely the sweet spot for most folks. Whole-house greywater sounds cool until you’re crawling under the house at midnight because something smells off. If you’re not into regular tinkering, it’s probably not worth the headache.
City codes are a moving target too. One inspector says it’s fine, next one wants to see permits for everything including your garden hose. Just part of the fun, I guess.
- Been there with the rainwater toilet flush... Spent an afternoon wondering why it sounded like a hamster sipping from a bottle. Turns out, filter was basically mud soup.
- Old plumbing is like a box of chocolates, except half of them are full of galvanized mystery.
- City code roulette is wild—one inspector told me my “temporary” bucket setup was “innovative.” Next guy nearly fainted.
Old plumbing is like a box of chocolates, except half of them are full of galvanized mystery.
Ain’t that the truth. Last winter, I had to chase down a leak behind a wall—turned out the “mystery” was a pipe patched with what looked like chewing gum and hope. City code roulette drives me nuts too. One inspector called my greywater diverter “forward-thinking,” next guy flagged it as “potential cross-contamination.” Never know if you’re getting a pat on the back or a citation. These rainwater setups sound great on paper, but in practice? Maintenance is relentless, and tenants rarely mention when things start gurgling weird.
