Water recycling

( Tribune photo by Chris Walker / July 20, 2009 )

A closer view of the basement in an energy-efficient home belonging to Michael Yannell, located in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood on the city's North Side. This picture shows the elaborate plumbing engineered to recycle water from the washing machine to toilet water. Wash water is filtered for lint in the tank at upper left, then flows through chlorine tablets (located in the blue container in the top center of the picture) and on to a 35-gallon storage tank at right. When flush water is needed, the pump at lower left draws the water from the tank through the two stainless micron filters (bottom center) and through the tubular, stainless UV filter, then on to the toilets.