GardenAngel FAQ's

How much water is available to use on a garden each week with the GardenAngel?
A household doing eight loads of laundry each week can reuse approximately 58,000L per year. This is roughly the same amount of water that could be captured in a 5,000L water tank with nine significant rainfalls per year or about the same amount of water it takes to fill a backyard pool.  With the GardenAngel, homeowners will not have to rely on rainfall to water their gardens; they will have their own restriction-free source of garden-ready water.

Can I condition shower water in the GardenAngel?
No, the GardenAngel and conditioning agents are set up specifically to deal with the high level of contaminants found in laundry grey water.  Adding shower water will dilute the water and add other contaminants that cannot be neutralised in the GardenAngel.  

For what garden size is the GardenAngel best suited?
The GardenAngel is perfect for smaller gardens with limited room for a rainwater tank as it is just  1300mm wide x 360mm deep x 1100mm high.  What’s more, the GardenAngel can produce the same amount of water as a 5,000L rainwater tank at a much smaller cost.

In larger gardens, or where more water is required than a GardenAngel can produce,
The GardenAngel is ideally used in conjunction with a rainwater tank to care for prized plants. Use the GardenAngel for regular subsurface irrigation of the precious plants and use a rainwater tank for sprinkling the lawn which can survive with less frequent watering.

Why is the water from the GardenAngel™ particularly suitable for the garden?
The GardenAngel is a grey water conditioning system designed specifically for sub-surface garden use.

• It removes phosphates so it is suitable for all plants, including Australian natives .
• It balances salt so it is good for the long term health of the soi
• It adjusts the pH of the water to a mid-range, similar to rain or tap water
• It disinfects the water, killing most of the bacteria, viruses and other impurities
• It filters the water to remove lint, hair and other contaminants so it can be easily pumped through an under-mulch dripper system (the most effective way of watering an Australian lawn or garden)
  

Is the GardenAngel easy to use?
Yes. When enough water collects in the GardenAngel, simply add the required number of scoops of GardenAngel pH Balancer and GardenAngel Soil Protector and press the ’Process’ button. Three and a half hours later the water is ready for use in the garden.  Press ’Distribute’ and the water will be pumped through your subsurface irrigation system to your garden.  

The GardenAngel is energy efficient, using just 1/3kWh per batch.  During the water conditioning phase the unit uses no electricity and is silent.  

How is GardenAngel installed?
The GardenAngel sits discreetly outside the home’s laundry and is available in cream.
The GardenAngel can be set up in three easy steps.

1. First, connect the outlet hose from the washing machine to the GardenAngel unit.
2. Next, plug in the power cable. 
3. Finally, put the drainage pipe over an external drain and the system is ready to use.
   

When the garden-ready water pipe is attached to the subsurface irrigation dripper system, a supply of garden-ready water is available for use.
 
Why can’t the water from the GardenAngel be used elsewhere?
The GardenAngel was specifically designed to provide water for sub-surface irrigation. The water from the GardenAngel is conditioned to ensure it is suitable for plants and soil.  However, it is not drinking water standard or suitable for sprinkling the lawn.

Can I hook it up to my hose instead of subsurface irrigation?
No, although the GardenAngel disinfects the water to kill most bacteria and viruses, it should only be used according to the guidelines for raw grey water and that means it must be used subsurface only.  Using a hose for grey water is dangerous as this can allow bacteria to become airborne and spread disease.  

What type of washing machine is it compatible with?
The GardenAngel is compatible with any type of washing machine. The main consideration is the GardenAngel should be placed close to the washing machine so that the washing machines’ waste-water pump only has to do the amount of work it was designed to do and is not damaged.

Where can you buy the GardenAngel and what is the cost?
The GardenAngel will be on display at selected garden centres, home ideas centres and from outlets specialising in environmentally friendly products. You can order a GardenAngel directly from Perpetual Water for $2,490* plus delivery, including a one year warranty.  *Introductory price valid until end January 2008.

Who makes GardenAngel?
GardenAngel is manufactured by Perpetual Water, an Australian company dedicated to providing innovative solutions to the nation’s water shortage.  Perpetual Water was founded in 2003 by ABC New Inventors winner John Grimes and has patents worldwide with their grey water treatment technology in the Perpetual Water-Home®.