The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems - Includes Branched Drains [Paperback]

Art Ludwig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Create an Oasis describes how to quickly and easily choose, build, and use a simple greywater system. Some can be completed in an afternoon for under $30.

It also provides complete instructions for more complex installations, how to deal with freezing, flooding, drought, failing septics, low perk soil, non-industrialized world conditions, coordinating a team of professionals to get optimum results on high-end projects, and "radical plumbing" that uses 90% less resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Greywater for dummies and greywater encyclopedia in one information goldmine." -- Dan Chiras, author, The New Ecological Home; The Solar House

"Ludwig is a water visionary... The most practical and complete presentation of the subject I have seen." -- Michael MacCaskey, Editor-in-Chief, National Gardening

From the Publisher

Greywater is laundry, shower, sink, and dishwater. It may be reused for other purposes, especially landscape irrigation.

Create an Oasis with Greywater thoroughly covers all greywater basics. It will benefit everyone who is using or contemplating the use of greywater. This 5th edition of the world's best-selling greywater book includes 50 pages of new text, photos, and figures, as well as the entire text of our (former) Branched Drain Greywater Systems book.

Create an Oasis shows you how to:

* Save freshwater by irrigating with household washwater

* Relieve strain on your septic tank

* Purify wastewater better without energy or chemicals.

Other topics include:

* Why to use or not use grey water

* Health guidelines

* Grey water sources

* Irrigation requirements

* Twenty system examples and selection chart

* Biocompatible cleaners

* Grey water plumbing principles and components

* Maintenance and troubleshooting

* Freezing

* Rain

* Preserving soil quality

* Storing rainwater

* Compendium of common grey water errors and preferred practices

* Suppliers

* References.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Oasis Design; 5 Rev Exp edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964343398
• ISBN-13: 978-0964343399
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > How-to & Home Improvements > Plumbing & Household Automation
  • #12 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Landscape
  • #42 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Conservation

More About the Author

Art Ludwig is an ecological systems designer with 28 years full-time experience in water, wastewater systems, energy, shelter and human powered transport. His specialty is complex, integrated "systems of systems." Art has studied and worked in 22 different countries, consulted for the states of New York and New Mexico on water reuse policy, and given dozens of lectures and workshops.

He designed his own education in Ecological Systems Design, graduating from UC Berkeley. At Berkeley, he developed the first cleaners specifically designed to be biocompatible with plants and soil, and founded a successful business to manufacture and distribute them.

Art currently lives with his family near Santa Barbara, surrounded by over 20 different kinds of fruit trees.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 82 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No Grey Area Here February 8, 2007

By Nate Downey

Format:Paperback

Luwig provides page after page of valuable information. Anyone wanting to reuse greywater needs to buy this book. Ludwig's branched drain systems is simple, affordable, and highly effective at using greywater in the landscape, but you can make many mistakes if you don't heed the master's advice. I have installed several systems based on Ludwig's work, and I shutter to think what would have happened if I had not read his books! In addition, his writing style makes for an enjoyable reading experience even though some of the material is, by necessity, technical.

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat's Pajamas November 9, 2006

By Tad Montgomery

Format:Paperback

Walk, no - run to your nearest locally-owned bookstore and order this little puppy. Art & co. are North America's foremost experts on greywater use, and they've been writing this book for 15 years. There are lots of hard-earned lessons embedded in these pages. The one thing I wish there were more of is practical advice for dealing with codes & officials in heavily regulated (e.g. suburban) environments.

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, a little overwhelming January 14, 2008

By Dr. Who

Format:Paperback

I found this book more for someone looking to convert their existing house and plumbing to run on a grewater system, as opposed to for someone looking to build a house around/incorporating a greywater system (which is my situation).
Still, an extremely specific and informative book for those who are interested in knowing every nuance of making a greywater system out of any situation.