Flushsink 1.0

This weekend I installed the prototype flushsink, a slight variation on this guy's methods and materials. Remember, the idea here is to take the clean water that's already coming into your toilet tank each time you flush, and wash your hands with it before it gets to the tank. Your hand-washing is the furthest "upstream" use of the water, and it's the same water through the same pipes that go to your other taps -- you are *not* washing with "toilet water"!!

This is the very basic, ugly materials quick-and-dirty version that can be removed easily. Version 2.0 will be more elaborate and finished looking.



I figure, use what you have! I was worried at first about which household bowl I might sacrifice by drilling holes, and then I saw this cheap-o clip on light in the garage. Remove the bulb fixture and it's already got a drain! On top of that, it easily can be dismantled and put back to its original use when upgrading to version 2.0.



Feed plastic tubing through copper piping for your "faucet." This isn't for cleanliness; it's mostly so you don't have to worry about soldering copper joints or worry about any leaks. Plus, it makes it easier to direct the discharged gray water back into the tank.



Cut a piece of ply any size and shape you want for your "countertop," with a drain hole and a hole for the "faucet" to come up through. Affix a small funnel to the underside so the drain will be channeled into a second, separate length of plastic tubing. Caulk the hell out of it.

Then caulk it some more.



And here's how it works! Very simple: Inside the tank, the clean water supply line tubing (black) usually goes straight to the white overflow pipe and pumps 1.3 gallons of fresh water into that pipe each time you flush. Now, the black supply line feeds up into the new sink, and the drain of the new sink feeds into the overflow in the tank. Presto!

Here's the finished product and a video of it in action.