On Wed, 10 May 2006 19:21:11 -0400, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

On 05/10/06 03:44 pm mm wrote:

Its even recommended in many if not most septic systems that clothes
washing and showers are spread out over several days. i.e. don't spend
Saturday mornign washing several loads of clothes and towels.

So, when we had a septic tank, my mother bought a washer that would
reuse the wash water. The people within the city limits had city
sewers. Was it a coincidence that she cut down on her water usage, or
do you think the appliance salesman asked if she had a septic tank and
recommended this? This was in 1957.

Reusing only works if you don't get your clothes very dirty. It would
never work with me, at least since I moved out of my mother's house.

The washing machine had two wash water intakes, and two outputs. The
first time from the hoses to the wall, like all machines have now.
Then that water was drained into the wash tub. Then the rinse water
was drained via a pipe throught the washwater into the drain.

Then for the second load, a switch or a starting point on the circular
timer knob had the soapy wash water sucked in from the wash tub. I
don't know how hard it would be, if physically possible, to use the
water a third time, but we didnt' do that. It automatically sent the
washwater out through that tube to the drain the second time.

It was a Whirlpool Suds-mizer, iirc. Do they still sell such things.

Many years ago in Australia those washers were readily available, but I
don't recall them being promoted for use with septic systems -- simply

You're probably right. She never said anything about that.

My mother was very finicky about cleanliness too. Annoyingly at
times. It was probably her clothes in the first load, which were
probably not even dirty.

as a means of saving water and detergent. We had two of them, the first
maybe a Whirlpool, and the second definitely a Hoover. "A Hoover
*washing machine*!?" I hear you cry. Yes, Hoover had several different

This way one could reuse the dust from the vacuum cleaners, by
applying it to the clothes and then washing it off. I think it was
called a Dust-mizer.


models of washer on the market in Australia.

Whatever the model, not all the water could be retrieved so some had to
be added, and some additional detergent had to be used the second time.

Perce