For some, the idea of having a gun in the home is repugnant. For others, the idea of not having a gun in the home is unthinkable. Nothing can be said to either of these parties to change their minds. They are dead set on their beliefs and will not budge. That’s fine.

However, there are millions of homeowners who haven’t made up their mind on the subject. They want to protect their family but worry what might happen with a handgun around. To help those still on the fence about having a gun in the house, HomeGuide411 takes an unbiased look at this important issue.

A Quick Word About Statistics
Although statistics will be mentioned in this article, your decision should not be based on numbers. It should be based on what you think is the best way to protect your family and property. After all, anyone, on either side of the issue, can find numbers to support their view. Regardless of whose statistics you use, it’s undeniable that families all over the United States frequently use guns to protect themselves and sometimes people misuse guns in the most serious of ways. The ultimate decision on whether or not to have a gun in your home is yours and yours alone. It should not be made by a researcher or a politician.

Will You Even Be Able To Use A Gun?
Before starting down the path to acquire a gun ask yourself if you would be able to use it if the unthinkable were to happen. You’ll do anything to protect your family but does that include firing a weapon at a human being? If you don’t think you can squeeze that trigger and fire a gun at a person, or even point it at them in the hopes of scaring them away, then maybe you should just get a baseball bat (which, according to the FBI, is the number one weapon used in violent crimes in the U.S.).

Are You Ready For The Responsibility Of Gun Ownership?
Owning a gun is a huge responsibility (and expense). Not only do you have to go through the process of obtaining one legally you also have to know how to shoot and clean it. Furthermore, you need to know the laws in your state regarding intruders. Every state is different and it’s your responsibility to know the exact conditions in which you can discharge your firearm. If this sounds like too much work than owning a gun isn’t for you.

Do You Have A Safe Place To Store Your Gun
You’ll need to store your gun in a secure place where only you and/or your spouse can get to it. Also, experts recommend that you store your ammunition separately. So you’ll need two hiding places. For added security, it’s recommended that you put a trigger or cable lock on your gun and then store it in a safe or lockbox. After saying all that, you’ll want to make sure your storage places are quickly accessible incase a perpetrator enters your home. If you can’t think of a good place to store your gun and ammunition in your house you might want to scrap the idea altogether.

Do Guns Really Make You Safer?
According to studies having a hand gun in your home puts you at a greater risk of homicide, firearm homicide, and suicide. I’ve seen one study that states a gun in the home is 12 times more likely to kill a friend or family member than an intruder. It makes sense that owning a gun increases your risk of being victim of gun violence just like owning a car increases your risk of being in an automobile accident. Those numbers don’t mean something bad is going to happen to you and your family but it does mean bad things can happen with guns around. You should also keep in mind those numbers aren’t restricted to law-abiding families who practice good gun safety. Those numbers include shootings committed by ex-cons, drug dealers, and gang members.

Does Anyone in Your Home Suffer From Mental Illness?
You may want to think twice about owning a gun if someone in your household suffers from mental illness. Not having a gun around doesn’t mean they won’t hurt themselves or someone else living in your home but it might mean they’ll have to work a lot harder to inflict bodily harm. Ultimately, if you’re careful and diligent about keeping your guns locked and secured you’re likely to experience zero problems no matter who lives under your roof. Still, if you live with a mentally ill person it might be best to keep guns far away especially since most gunshot deaths are suicides.

Conclusion
Owning a gun is a huge responsibility, but when seconds count and the police are minutes away a firearm can mean the difference between life and death. Yes, having a gun around can be dangerous but they can and do protect families.

Of course, there are other things you can do to protect your family besides, and in addition to, owning a gun. You can add outdoor lights, upgrade locks on windows and doors, install home alarm systems, and form neighborhood watches.

After all this, homeowners must realize one thing. If someone wants to get into you home bad enough they will find a way. Sadly, nothing can keep us and our loved ones 100% percent safe 100% of the time. At the end of the day our family’s safety comes down to having our hopes and prayers answered.

Since he took office, President Barack Obama has made various attempts to shore up the housing market, insisting that banks revise loan terms, adjust home values, and so on. This past January, in his State of the Union address, he outlined further plans to give homeowners support and relief. Some of the action points fold in consideration for the perpetually high unemployment rates.

In broad strokes, Obama’s plan includes:
• Broad-Based Refinancing to Help Responsible Borrowers Save an Average of $3,000 per Year
• Homeowner Bill of Rights
• First Pilot Sale to Transition Foreclosed Property into Rental Housing to Help Stabilize Neighborhoods and Improve Home Prices
• Moving the Market to Provide a Full Year of Forbearance for Borrowers Looking for Work
• Pursuing a Joint Investigation into Mortgage Origination and Servicing Abuses
• Rehabilitating Neighborhoods and Reducing Foreclosures

Foreclosed homes that sit empty don’t do anyone any good. They lead to decreased values on the neighboring homes and, because they force that many more people into the rental market, they lead to increased prices – and decreased inventory – there. On top of that, because credit is so tight, gun-shy banks are still hesitant to lend to honest-to-goodness qualified buyers, and so the houses stay vacant.

If Obama’s plan works to its full potential, it could go a decent way to bolstering the housing side of our collecetive economic woes. Of the refinancing portion, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, notes, “The macroeconomic benefit could be significant. … Homeowners’ extra cash will quickly find its way into the economy.”

Of course, most of Obama’s ideas need Congressional approval to get underway and that’s not an easy thing to come by. The Republicans have made it very clear that they have no interest in passing anything the President wants passed, no matter how many economists back him up. And, this being an election year and all…

On the other side of the ballot, GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has voiced his plan to eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development. That move alone would cut the safety net for low-income citizens that come via Section 8 housing vouchers and community development block grants.

Being a free market capitalist, Romney has also stated that he would not intervene in the foreclosure process on behalf of homeowners, preferring, instead, for it to “run its course and hit the bottom.” As posited last Fall, step two of Romney’s notion is to let investors buy those homes at their rock-bottom prices and rent them back to the former homeowners.

This position is perfectly aligned with the business he did at Bain Capital, so it’s easy to believe that he means what he says. And, of course, Romney famously owns several massive homes – one of which is in La Jolla, California, and comes replete with a car elevator. So to say the he might be somewhat out of touch when it comes to making ends meet is a colossal understatement.

In addition to sustainable building techniques, here are some other alternative housing options.

Shipping containers are built to be about as durable as anything out there. After all, they sit on the decks of massive sea vessels as they traverse the oceans carrying all manner of everything. Nowadays, though, as designers look for evermore affordable and evermore sustainable building products, they are turning to these steel boxes, often with stunning results.

A shipping container house in Flagstaff, Arizona, shot by Angel Schatz.

One of the greatest benefits of shipping containers is the ease with which they stack and connect to create modular buildings. Also, the basic square, steel design of the boxes make them fairly functional in terms of adaptability. Windows, insulation, wall coverings, flooring, paint, and the like go right in without too much fuss.

With a price range of $1,500 to $3,000 each for containers that are 40 ft long x 8 ft wide x 8 ft tall, the basis of a 1,280-square-foot home would cost $12,000, at most. Cheap!

Shipping pallets follow a similar meme in terms of reusing goods on the cheap. Because pallets utilize standard sizing the world around, building materials are available just about anywhere to craft a pallet home. In one early and thoroughly stylish rendition, pallets were doubled up for durability in the walls, floors, and ceilings with various conduits, pipes, and insulation between the layers.

Standard 48″ x 40″ pallets cost about $15 for recycled wood and $25 for new. However, they are so prolific, that oftentimes they can be gathered up for free. Statistics say that some 700 million pallets make their way around the U.S. each year with about 150 million of them landing in landfills. One design estimates the need of 100 pallets for a temporary 250-square-foot structure that doesn’t employ the double-layer technique.

Earthbags – also known as sandbags – have been utilized for emergency barriers and structures for decades. Renowned for their resilience, earthbags stand up to not only bullets and floods, but also earthquakes, fires, decomposition, and pests.

Add in the fact that what is needed consists of a decent blend of soil, some used grain sacks, and a bit of barbed wire, and it’s easy to see how earthbag shelters are an incredibly affordable, sustainable choice for communities pretty much anywhere on the planet. A finish coat of earth-based plaster both supports the structure and improves the appearance.

Once again, costs come in way, way low compared to traditional building. For an 800-square-foot, the price tag would run about $10,000 or $10 per square foot.

For people who don’t really care to build their own alternative home, prefab options also exist. Yurts, “tiny homes,” and motorhomes are all worth exploring.

Facing steep home heating costs, it can often pay to utilize space heaters in the most-used areas rather than blanket the whole house. Picking the right heater for the job can be tricky, as there are a number of different styles to choose from.

The two overarching categories of space heaters are convection and radiant.

Convection Heaters
In convection units, the air is warmed either directly or indirectly. Air circulates within the chambers of the unit where it passes over a heating element before being dispersed into the surrounding area. Convection heaters provide a constant, if diffuse, source of heat and work best in well-insulated rooms.

Within the convection family of heaters you will find heating elements powered by oil, electricity, hot water coil, or steam coil. The oil units take longer to warm up, but their surface temperatures remain safe. Of course, the fuel involved – whether heating oil, propane, or kerosene – is obviously flammable and, therefore, a fire hazard. Carbon monoxide poisoning is another risk involved with fuel-burning heaters.

Alternately, electrical systems get to their hotpoint much faster but can present fire and electric shock hazards if not properly maintained and monitored. According the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), electric space heaters are the cause of more than 21,000 home fires and 1,500 fire-related injuries and deaths annually.

Radiant Heaters
Radiant heaters employ a number of different heating elements. Everyone is familiar with the traditional radiator units in apartments that circulate a liquid (usually diathermic oil) through its system of pipes in order to generate heat.

Other types of radiant heaters use electric-ribbon heating elements or tungsten filaments within a quartz tube whose heat is reflected out of the unit by a metal reflector mounted behind the element through the process of electromagnetic induction. These units provide good warmth in small areas that is absorbed by the body rather than the air.

Although they heat up quickly, their heat also dissipates rather rapidly once the heater is turned off. Radiative systems work well to warm people in rooms with less-than-stellar insulation and are very energy efficient with their targeted warming approach.

Safety Tips

• Never leave a space heater unattended if it is turned on.
• Situate the space heater on a level surface out of reach for children and pets.
• Never use a space heater in a damp room unless it was designed expressly for that purpose.
• Make sure all combustible materials (curtains, furniture, paint cans, etc.) are at least three feet away from the front of the heater and also a safe distance from its sides and rear.
• If using an electric space heater, afford it a dedicated outlet to prevent circuitry overload and potential overheating.

Whether we chalk it up to climate change or merely forces of nature, natural disasters – including winter storms – are a fact of life. Many municipalities suggest that citizens make survival kits for themselves and their families to get them through 72 hours without outside assistance. But, as we are seeing, it might be well-worth planning for even longer, just to be on the safe side.

There are a number of supplies that should be included in every disaster kit, no matter whether you live near an earthquake fault, in a tsunami zone, or in blizzard country. According to 72Hours.org, the basics include:

• Water – calculated at one gallon a day per person
• Food – canned, ready-to-eat, and not requiring water to prepare
• A can opener, plates or bowls, utensils, and any other food-related needs
• First Aid kit
• Unscented liquid bleach and an eyedropper for water purification
• Clothes – for cold weather and rain, including gloves/mittens, hats, and boots
• Blankets or sleeping bags for each person
• Heavy work gloves, a crowbar, utility and/or pocket knife, hammer, nails, adjustable wrench, dust mask, rope, duct tape, permanent market, paper, and plastic sheeting/tarps
• Flashlight, battery-operated or hand-cranked radio, cell phone and charger, a whistle, and fully charged batteries
• Toilet paper, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other personal sanitary supplies
• Heavy-duty plastic trash bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
• Medications, pet supplies, and any other special-needs items (prescription glasses, hearing aids, syringes, etc)
• Copies of important documents (passports, drivers licenses, health insurance cards, etc), emergency contact information, photos of family members and pets, emergency cash in small denominations, emergency health information, and spare keys

For winter storms, additional items include:

• Rock salt, sand, and snow shovels
• An emergency heating source and a sufficient supply of heating fuel or dry firewood
• A back-up generator, fuel, and related supplies

If a power outage is expected, there are a few extra steps you can take:

• Turn your refrigerator and freezer up to their coldest settings. (Be sure to turn them back down when power is restored.)
• Plastic your windows, insulate your pipes, and let your faucets drip to avoid freezing.
• If you water supply is in jeopardy, fill your tub and extra containers with water to use for sanitary needs.
• Make sure you know how to manually open an electric garage door opener.
• Unplug electronic equipment that may be damaged if the power surges.

Know the people and resources in your immediate area, be familiar with possible “escape” routes, and always keep your car at least half full of gas. Having good relationships with your neighbors will always make life a more pleasant and easeful experience. During a disaster, it could also save your life… or theirs.

More than likely, a well-outfitted kitchen already has the basics in place – sharp knives, a honing steel, tongs, spatulas, vegetable peeler, cast iron skillet, dutch oven, etc. Beyond that, though, there are some choices that might just make your vegetarian life a little bit easier.

Kitchen Equipment
A high-speed blender is an absolute must-have because you can whip up soups and sauces in a matter of minutes in one. The more common choices for many people are also the more expensive – Vita-Mix and Blendtech both carry a price tag of over $400. However, KitchenAid makes a fantastic five-speed gem that Popular Mechanics found to be even better than its expensive competitors and it costs under $200, half that for a refurb machine on eBay.

Though they may seem somewhat interchangeable, a food processor is actually a companion piece to the blender. This guy handles the chunkier jobs – like salsa and pesto – that don’t work so well in a blender. With a full set of attachments, a food processor will also handle grating, slicing, and a whole host of other preparations with ease. Cuisinart is, of course, very well-respected in the realm and for good reason. KitchenAid, though, also makes a great gizmo if you’re one for brand loyalty.

Juicers may conjure up hippie-tastic images, but they are actually a very versatile and handy piece of kitchen gadgetry to have. Opt for a masticating or tricating model over the cheaper centrifugal types. With the more advanced engineering, you can not only make great juices, but also nut butters, ice cream, noodles, and more. Champion and Omega are the leading brands here and will last for decades if cared for properly.

One piece of equipment many may not consider is a dehydrator. Along with your food processor, you can use this fellow to make your own protein bars, flavored nuts, kale chips, dried fruit, essene bread, fruit leather, and more. For hard-core users, Excalibur is the dehydrator of choice due to its durability and functionality.

Ingredients
To really do vegetarianism up right, your pantry should be stocked with some basic items that will always come in handy. First up would have to be dried beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, lentils, etc) and brown rice. Stored in glass jars, your supplies will last a long time and be there to serve you well in a pinch. With a variety of raw nuts (walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, etc.) and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax, etc.) on hand, you’ll also be ready to whip up some tasty, healthy snacks on a moment’s notice.

No chef would be caught without a stash of extra virgin olive oil. It’s the best choice for both cooking with and making things like salad dressings. The lesser used coconut oil is also a fine addition to your repertoire. Make sure to get extra virgin, organic if you can.

Spices. A kitchen isn’t complete without a solid array of them. Sea salt, aleppo pepper, cayenne pepper, cinammon, nutmeg, turmeric, mustard seed, cloves, chili powder, cumin, and coriander are probably among the most utilized. But, if you want to be daring, try adding garam masala, cardamom, za’atar, chipotle, smoked paprika, and a few other global flavors to the mix. You won’t be disappointed.

Most people believe that when they sell their homes they will recoup all the money they’ve spent on home improvement projects. Unfortunately, almost all home improvements DO NOT pay for themselves. In fact, the only renovation that will pay for itself is installing a steel front door. That home improvement project has an average return of 102 percent.

Some of the best renovations, in terms of getting a return on your investment, are improving the outside of your domicile. Examples of such improvements include replacing siding, swapping out your garage door, and installing new windows.

Still, none of those projects come close to returning all of your building costs or even 85 percent, but they will save you money on energy costs and improve your curb appeal. Experts recommend that instead of making a bunch of costly home improvements you should just clean, organize, add some fresh paint, and/or replace worn carpet.

If you’re planning on staying in your home for a long time then by all means, renovate away. Customization won’t reap rewards when it comes time to sell but if it makes your dreams come true than it’s definitely worth the money.

HomeGuide411 looks at the five worst home improvement projects based on getting a return for your investment. Our list utilizes a report conducted by Remodeling magazine and the National Association of Realtors. In addition to breaking down each of the five worst home renovations, we also provide practical and inexpensive alternatives.

1. Home Office
Adding a home office will recoup less than half of the building costs. That’s because most people don’t work at home and therefore don’t need a home office. Square footage in a home is very precious and most prospective buyers would rather have another bedroom.

Alternative: Put the money into a new desk, chair, or a storage system—stuff you can take with you when you move. Top-of-the-line office furniture may not be the same as a brand new home office but it will definitely make working from home a lot easier.

2. Sunroom
Sunrooms sound cool but they generally recoup just 51 percent of their initial investment. Basically, potential buyers feel they’re an inefficient use of space. Instead of a sunroom, they would rather have a room they could use for a nursery or as a mother-in-law suite.

Alternative: Forgo the sunroom and build a covered patio or deck or even an uncovered patio or deck. These have a much better return on their investment than a sunroom. To save even more money, create a place in your backyard where you can sit, read the paper, and enjoy a cup of coffee.

3. Bathroom
On average, a new bathroom recoups 60 percent of the initial building costs. That seems counter-intuitive. What home buyer doesn’t want another bathroom? However, bathrooms have what is called a high concentrated square footage cost. In other words, you have to spend a lot of money to remodel a relatively small area of your home.

Alternative: Instead of adding a bathroom, a better use of your money might be updating fixtures, faucets, countertops, and cabinets. You probably won’t recoup your investment but it might behoove you to add one if your home has fewer bathrooms than the other properties in your neighborhood.

4. Backup Generator
This is a regional home improvement project undertaken by those living in areas where severe weather causes lengthy power outages. This project recoups an average of 59 percent of the initial investment. Bottom line, home buyers don’t have backup generators on their home buying wish lists.

Alternative: The money you would spend on a permanent power generator can be put towards one that’s smaller and portable. You can also put money into making your home more energy efficient. That will really help when your portable generator has to provide electricity to heat or cool your home.

5. Garage
Adding on to your garage is expensive and labor intensive. Since a garage addition is basically only good for keeping your car dry, it’s not the greatest home improvement investment. On average, this project recoups 62 percent of the original building costs.

Alternative: You’ll have better luck selling your home if you skip adding on to your garage and instead clean it out, add a coat of paint, and make sure it’s completely finished. If you absolutely need more garage space try cheaper alternatives like a tool shed, a car canopy, or a car cover.

For many, a condo is the way to go because the age-old maxim holds true – location, location, location. Most urban condos are brilliantly situated right at the heart of a city. This means that people can generally walk or bike to most of their key destinations, including work, entertainment, and the like. Add in a solid public transportation system in cities like San Francisco and New York, and the need for a car is fairly well eliminated.

Oftentimes, buildings will even include retail shops and restaurants on the first floor with residential spaces above. Other amenities can be a concierge, a fitness center, a business center, a pool, or a rooftop garden, all for the exclusive use of residents. It’s really an easeful set-up. Plus, you don’t have to mow a lawn.

Still, if purchasing a condominium is in your future, there are a few things to consider before diving in. First of all, unless it’s somehow a stand-alone unit, condominiums involve communities in a whole is greater than the sum situation. And there’s a condo association in place to ensure that rule supercedes all others.

Because every condo association must abide by some pre-determined by-laws, be sure to read over them carefully to make sure you can, too. Pretty much everything you need to know about living in that building will be addressed within these documents including how issues are handled and how disputes are resolved. Some ownership agreements even outline restrictions on pets, storage, and overnight guests, so make sure you understand what you’re getting into with your purchase.

One of the downsides of living in a condo versus a house are the inevitable common areas and shared walls. Unless the building boasts thick concrete interior construction, you will more than likely be subjected to any and all noises made in your neighbor’s unit. Of course, if your address puts you in downtown Chicago or Seattle, the sounds of the city may well override any heightened television volume coming from next door.

As is the case with community living situations, the costs associated with the building’s maintenance are also communal responsibilities. The percentage you must pay – along with your voting rights – will be assessed and outlined based on your ownership percentage. Be sure to calculate these expenses above and beyond your mortgage and other individual costs, as your end-game buying power might not be as robust as you assume it to be up-front.

Even with some of the negative aspects of living in a condo, the positive factors might just win out. Convenience and amenities weigh more heavily for some than others. As with any major life decision and/or financial investment, be sure you do your research prior to signing on the dotted line because condos are more sensitive to fluctuations in the housing market than single-family homes are. That being said, they can also be wonderfully affordable options.

Now, though, some harsh realities are coming to light about CFLs. Firstly, they contain small amounts of mercury. While it really is a small amount, highly toxic mercury just isn’t something you want to have around.

Secondly, CFLs emit what’s called dirty electricity whichc can trigger migraine headaches, dizziness, and brain fog. It’s also credited with worsening symptoms for people suffering from lupus and epilepsy. The problem lies in the high frequency at which the bulbs operate in order to save energy.

So, what does that leave the eco do-gooder who doesn’t much want to revert to candlelight? LEDs. According to Professor Magda Havas, who is one of the world’s leading researchers on the effects of EMF, “Electrical sensitivity (ES) or electrohypersensitivity (EHS) is becoming a growing concern because of our increasing exposure to electromagnetic energy from electronic equipment and wireless devices. … LEDs are the light of the future for both for energy efficiency and [because they create] no RF or dirty electricity.”

A white LED lamp can operate for 100,000 hours – that’s 11 years of continuous operation. The average life of an incandescent bulb is a mere 5,000 hours. So, while the price tag of LEDs are considerably steeper, you get what you pay for.

With longevity on its side, LED also boasts tremendous energy efficiency. Somewhere around 80% of the electricity consumed by an LED is converted into light with only 20% lost to heat. Here’s a staggering statistic: “It is possible that if every house in the United States switched to LED lights, 90 current power plants could retire.” Alternately, flip that ratio on its head and you have an incandescent’s power scheme.

As one site puts it, “In real money terms, if a 100-Watt incandescent bulb is used for one year, with an electrical cost of 10 cents/kilowatt hour, $88 will be spent on electricity costs. Of the $88 expense, $70 will have been used to heat the room, not light the room. If an 80% efficient LED system had been used, the electricity cost would be $23 per year – there would be a cost savings of $65 on electricity during the year.

“Realistically, the cost savings would be higher as most incandescent light bulbs blow out within a year and require replacements whereas LED light bulbs can be used easily for a decade without burning out.”

Indoors, outdoors, flashlights, lanterns, lamps, Christmas lights… all of these can be switched over. Yes, the upfront costs may seem prohibitive for some individuals. But when you realize that changing one bulb over to LED keeps a half ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, you’ll realize that we – collectively – can’t afford NOT to make the change.

Another factor weighing on the decrease in supplies is the fact that we have set up major metropolitan areas in desert lands that have no naturally occurring fresh water sources of their own – think Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Millions of people, then, rely on water pumped very long distances in order to supply their needs.

Wherever you live, water conservation should be a vital component of your sustainable living paradigm. In a previous post, we looked at rainwater harvesting as a means to create a source of freshwater for use in irrigation and other external applications. Let’s take that notion one step further, now, and dig into greywater systems that repurpose the water used in your home to squeeze out every last drop.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, between 60 and 70 percent of the average household’s annual water budget is poured into outdoor irrigation. That’s a huge sum. Huge! And it’s altogether unnecessary.

On the flip side of that coin, the typical family of four uses nearly 40,000 gallons of water each year for their daily oblutions – showering, tooth brushing, clothes washing, and the like. A typical shower uses about 25 gallons of water – same for a load of laundry – with a bath gulping down double that amount.

By installing a greywater system in your home, you can capture the water used in your shower, sinks, washing machine, and dishwasher then run it through a filter and re-use it to irrigate your outdoor landscaping and garden. (Alternately, you can cycle the greywater back for use in your home’s toilets, though that requires a more complex system. Tying toilets into your rainwater catchment system, though, is a cleaner, more efficient process.) Either way, the water serves two functions for the price of one.

If your home has a septic system, then you probably know that keeping big water loads, soaps, and detergents out of the tank helps its functioning and longevity. Interestingly, the same properties in mild phosphate soaps that are harmful to the septic tank and waterways can actually provide beneficial nutrients to trees, shrubs, and plants.

TheNaturalHome.com offers some hard-earned advice to homeowners looking to set up a greywater system:

• never store “treated” greywater in a holding tank, cistern, lagoon or pond for future use
• always filter hair and other particulates to prevent bio-mat clogging of leach field
• never allow greywater to drain atop bare ground – irrigation must be below soil or mulch
• never use unlabeled, unsealable, unvented containers for your greywater filter basin tank
• never bury your settling tank without planning ahead for easy access and yearly inspection
• never leave PVC exposed to sunlight – UV damages & PVC creates toxic smoke in a fire
• always vent fixtures, settling tank and leach field – fresh air ensures good system health
• always drain and vent containers & planterbed – wet soil needs oxygen or goes sour
• add nitrogen to your greywater reuse system now and then, as one thing lacking in greywater irrigation is nitrogen