Turning my old, heavy duty top load washing machine into a high efficiency model

[Fumesucker]

9. Anything that avoids lugging water up two flights of stairs and still saves is a win in my book..

Sounds like a good plan to me..

Although with the sump pump and hose you could pump your wash water upstairs for the flushing if the pump will push sufficient head. Use the rinse water for the garden and the wash water for flushing and let your tub and sink water go to the garden. That would keep the phosphates from detergent mostly out of your garden.

Here in the humid Southeast even a small 5,000 BTU room air conditioner can create several gallons a day of condensate water, that could be worth collecting.

As for saving water on the garden, mulch mulch and more mulch, keep that evaporation to a minimum by covering bare ground. Our county puts large piles of wood chips out from brush clearing/tree trimming and anyone can go and load up just for the shoveling. Old newspaper also makes an excellent water saving mulch.

What time you water counts for a lot too, evening after the ground has cooled and the water has the night and early morning to soak in with minimal evaporation seems to be the most efficient.