I've been thinking about setting up a greywater system at home since our water bills are getting kinda ridiculous lately. Anyway, I started looking into it and realized my house is pretty old—built in the late 60s—and I'm not sure if the existing plumbing setup can handle it without some serious modifications. I talked to one plumber who said I'd probably need to redo a bunch of pipes, but another one said it might be simpler than that depending on how the original plumbing was done.
I'm a bit confused now, honestly. Has anyone tried installing a greywater setup in an older home? Did you run into issues with your pipes or drains not being compatible? I'm hoping it's not gonna turn into a huge renovation project...but you know how these things go sometimes.
"I'm hoping it's not gonna turn into a huge renovation project...but you know how these things go sometimes."
Yeah, I totally get that hesitation. My place was built around the same time (early 70s), and when we looked into greywater reuse, we ran into similar confusion. Here's what I'd suggest based on my experience:
First, check if your laundry room or bathroom plumbing is easily accessible—sometimes older homes actually make it simpler because pipes aren't hidden behind layers of drywall or concrete. If that's the case, you might luck out and only need minor adjustments.
Next, try to find out what material your pipes are made from. Older galvanized steel pipes can be tricky since they corrode over time and might need replacing anyway. But if you're lucky enough to have copper or even early PVC piping, you could be in better shape than you think.
Honestly, don't get too discouraged yet. Even if some modifications are needed, it doesn't necessarily mean tearing up half your house. We ended up doing a partial reroute for our washing machine drain—it wasn't exactly fun, but it wasn't a nightmare either. Just take it step by step and see what's actually behind those walls before assuming the worst...
