Make it safe
Define the water source and every intended end use.
All guides
Greg’s field guide
Alternate Water
Explore rainwater, greywater, emergency storage, and responsible reuse.
11
First, understand the job.
Alternate water works when the intended use, treatment level, storage, and local rules all agree.
Looking for a no-plumbing sanitation option for an off-grid or water-scarce site?
See the composting toilets guideStep by step
Do it in this order.
Find the actual problem
Check local health, plumbing, and cross-connection rules.
Make the repair
Size storage for realistic supply and demand, not best-case weather.
Test your work
Label non-potable systems and protect the drinking-water supply with approved backflow methods.
One last check
Dry everything, run the fixture more than once, and look again in ten minutes. A tiny drip now becomes cabinet damage later.