Buyer Beware

Does the unit have a tamper proof professional lock?

The majority of competitors products do not have a lid locking mechanism. This is simply unsafe. We will not supply a grey water system without a purpose built wheelie bin locking mechanism. Unsecured grey water tanks are dangerous for children, pets and wildlife.

One product simply provides a screw to secure the lid to the bin. The unit that uses this method also employs a lint trap inside the bin, which the customer is encouraged to check weekly. Screwing and unscrewing in and out of wheelie bins is tiresome and we expect that most customer will not bother (risky)

Is a failsafe method provided to ensure the pump does not burnout due to blockages?

Dirty water pumps used in wheelie bins are normally a vortex pump. This means that for periods up to thirty or so minutes the pump will happily keep pumping away even if the outlet hose is blocked, or a nozzle is closed etc. All that happens is that the same water spins around inside the pump, gradually increasing in temperature. After approx ½ hour (depending on the pump) the water temperature will reach a level sufficient to bind the bearings (= broken pump). This type of failure is not covered by pump manufacturer?s warranties.

The Home Water Bowser has a failsafe pressure tube in the outlet plumbing to ensure water circulates inside the pump and bin if the outlet hose is blocked or a nozzle is left closed.

If a filter is supplied, can the filter be cleaned without opening the lid?

The Home Water Bowser has a filter located on the outside of the bowser for easy and clean access.

We have seen two methods of lint filters in other units.

We recommend using rubber gloves when cleaning inside grey water wheelie bins.

If a filter is supplied, can the cartridge / filter material be cleaned?

The filter for the Home Water Bowser is a professional irrigation filter, with a plastic 40 mesh, removable for easy cleaning.

The unit with the open lint trap uses a combination of a coarse mesh filter with a finer sock filter. The sock filter is not designed to be cleaned and will require regular replacement.

Does the unit have a large inlet for accepting down pipe water?

Why limit yourself to only saving grey water? Having a large inlet in the lid allows you to position the Home Water Bowser near a downpipe, automatically pumping out rain water, in addition to grey water.

The large inlet also allows the easy addition of extra buckets of water, again automatically pumped out to your garden where you need it.

Other units do not have an inlet in the lid, or the lid inlet does not accept down pipe sized fittings.

Does the product have a usable bottom drain?

EPA regulations state that grey water must not be stored for more than 24 hours. Submersible pumps will always leave approx 50mm of grey water in the bottom of the unit.

The bottom drain of the Home Water Bowser is designed to drain this water via the 20mm sullage hose (hose connects via click fitting), so that the grey water is not wasted. This drain is a professional grade ball valve.

Some units do not have a drain at all, and suggest that the water be emptied by tipping the bin over. Apart from being an unsafe practice and making a mess near the bin, it is likely that problems will occur with the location of the pump within the bin.

Another unit has a small valve located at the bottom of the bin. This valve is not designed for connecting to a hose, and our experience is that the connection of the valve to the bin is likely to fail after regular use.

Is 20mm ¾" sullage (outlet) hose provided?

A properly designed unit will have 20mm outlet hoses rather than the standard 12mm garden hose. The smaller hose creates to much drag for a 550W pump, and as a result the outlet water pressure will be significantly lowered.  This will provide poor performance for nozzles, sprinklers and drip systems.

All outlet hoses and hose fittings provided with the Home Water Bowser are 20mm bore.

Does the washing machine water have unimpeded entry to the unit?

Washing Machine pumps are small, and are not designed to pump water over long distance, to a higher point, nor push water through right angled plumbing parts away from the washing machine.

Failed washing machine pumps are very expensive to replace.

Some units require the grey water flow to pass through right angles in order to force the water through a lint trap. This increases load on the washing machine pump.

When designing the Home Water Bowser, our #1 design criteria was to ensure that washing machine water should not be impeded in any way, and that the hose should be connected horizontally to ensure that inadvertent hose kinks would not occur. Any lint filtration would only be applied in-line after water had left the Home Water Bowser pump.

Is the pump rated at 550W?

The Home Water Bowser uses a 550W pump that we import directly from China (yes all pumps are made in China). The pumps are made in the same factory and the same performance specifications as a leading trade brand. We consider that this is the correct size pump for maintaining effective pressure for the use of filters, sprinklers, nozzles and grey water drip systems.

Some units use a 400W pump. We believe that this provides insufficient pressure for the above uses.

Is a nozzle or sprinkler provided with the hose?

Most units do not provide a complete set of fittings (eg nozzles or sprinklers). One reason for this is that the manufacturers do not want to encourage fittings that can be turned ?off? which could result in pump failure. 20mm fittings are expensive and difficult to locate.

Because the Home Water Bowser is fitted with the fail safe pressure valve, we have no hesitation in including the required fittings, saving you money (and your pump).

Is the unit designed as part of a total water solution?

The Home Water Savings wide range of products are designed with a total solution in mind, from collection rain water and grey water from multiple locations (and storage units) through to distribution via nozzle, sprinkler, pressure units and professional grade rain and grey water drip irrigation systems.

This gives you peace of mind that you can extend your system without having to replace previous purchases.

You get what you pay for? right?

Home Water Savers spent over 6 months designing the Home Water Bowser and has a continuous development program in place.  Much of the effort was spent on establishing design and business relationships with quality suppliers, and ensuring that the price we pay for components is acceptable for volume production.

We don't just buy components from our suppliers, we engage them in the design process, sharing ideas and new concepts.

As a result we consider that the Home Water Bowser is the best grey water and rain water re-use product on the market, has by far the most features and yet maintains a very strong price advantage - saving you money.