Members of Raymond Ngere’s family live in two homes on a property in Northland. Each house has its own septic tank that is piped into a single effluent drain. That drain has been struggling to cope in recent years, so Raymond when looking for a solution.
The WaterMate, a greywater diversion unit sold by Allflow, was the answer. The WaterMate recycles a home’s greywater for garden irrigation. For Raymond, the key feature was to divert some of the greywater from one of the family’s houses away from the effluent drain and recycle it instead for the garden and bush.
“I knew what the problem was and I found the system I needed to fix it,” says Raymond. “Then I found out Allflow in Nelson sold it, so I emailed them with questions about price, installation, and equipment. They were fast and polite and answered everything. Even when I came back to them after the unit arrived, they helped me.”
Raymond installed the small WaterMate himself at his sister’s house.
“I’ve done a bit of plumbing and I was a farmer, so I knew what I was doing. I hooked it all up and it runs perfectly!”
While the WaterMate can divert more than 100 litres per person per day, Raymond says his sister’s family of six is diverting at least 300 litres per day away from their effluent system and probably more on heavy washing days.
“In the summer I set up the WaterMate to pump the filtered greywater to sprinklers in her garden that pop up out of the ground. Then in the winter I have it set up so the water goes into the bush next to the house.
“My sister knows she has to clean the filters every three months. She got clever because she built a deck over the system but she created a door in the floor that opens on a hinge so she can get to the filters and clean them. Everything is hidden from view but accessible.”
Raymond was so pleased with the performance of the small WaterMate that he has ordered the large WaterMate from Allflow for the other house on the property. It is the main house, is larger, and many of Raymond’s family members live there. He’s going to install it underground and has already placed the dripper line in the ground in the bush, ready for connection. The story will continue …
Overall Raymond says if you’re plumbing inclined, it’s very simple to install the small WaterMate at your house and he would recommend it and Allflow to others.