[Rob_Mac]

We stopped cleaning windows on a residential level back in March but as I have posted recently have picked up a nice 6 weekly run of nursing homes in the stoke on Trent area.

I am quite concerned about the amount of waste from reverse osmosis systems and have been looking at ceramic filtration, steam distillation and ultraviolet options amongst others.

I am looking for a system that can either be bought and or adapted to create reverse osmosis quality water with zero reject of waste water.

Ceramic filtration will produce high volumes of water but to what purity level?, steam distillation looks like an expensive option ad I have not looked into ultraviolet enough to know what I am saying.

There must be a way with prefilters to produce a zero waste set up with all the options available. I do not want to use DI vessels.

Have any of the suppliers or anyone else got experience of looking for alternatives to the RO units

Rob

[alanwilson]

ceramic filtration is much like ro in quality although I think it uses waste water too.

uv is for killing bacteria - it won't remove dissolved solids.

Ionics do a zero waste ro.

Why are you so worried about waste water?

[Rob_Mac]

Because I feel that even at a ratio of 1:1 which the 300 gpd RO Man unis I have been using produce I would like to have a system that has no waste output.

I have been looking into ceramic filtration for some time now and I feel that it is a useful alternative. Have not seen that it produces waste anywhere. Can you point me in the right direction if this is the case.

I have had some water stored for the period between selling our residential work and now and with the sale of the residential work I also sold the RO units. This water was used on the cleans and I do not have enough to do the next cleans.

I have a 4 week period now to invest in a set up that will give me what I am looking for, before the next cleans are due.

Rob

[michael papworth]

You are quite a large company with quite a lot of clout I would imagine. You are dealing with nursing homes - businesses that (i) operate in large buildings with large roof areas and (ii) I would imagine are run by intelligent and caring people.

Go for rainwater harvesting.

Could you somehow get an agreement with the nursing homes to clean their roofs and gutters in return for collecting rainwater from their roofs.

That way, collecting from a clean roof, you would be collecting water at 002 to 004 ppm tds. That's good enough for cleaning windows without any treatment - and you don't even need to transport it, as it's already there, on site for you.

All you need to do is turn up and pump the water directly from the storage butt(s) directly to your operators.

[alanwilson]

have you seen how much water goes down storm drains every day?  

up to yourself but sending 2500ltrs of waste water down the drain every week doesn't bother me.

[michael papworth]

have you seen how much water goes down storm drains every day?  

up to yourself but sending 2500ltrs of waste water down the drain every week doesn't bother me.

I'm not going to enter into any debate about this as it would be pointless, however ...

I can quite understand m-clean's point. Any saving is worth making. It's also a stance that he's taking and I, for one, applaud him for it. Well done.

[Rob_Mac]

Wally

I would like to be the business that you see, probably bigger than some on here but not capable of asking commercial clients for favours like this.

I have looked at rain water harvesting from our roof, though this is old corrugated asbestos and of a good size it would have a good yield - and we are certainly getting enough of the wet stuff.

I will set up a rainwater catchment system on Monday and see what purity I get. You watch now it will stop raining!!!!

Alan

I know what you are saying and I drive past a persistent leak on a local road every day but I genuinely want to reduce waste water and to offer this as a marketing tool.

Rob

[Rob_Mac]

Alan

I also feel that sending 2500 litres per week down the drain is not important but when you put that 2500 litres of water into the bigger picture, when people are dying of thirst then I feel somewhat obliged to look for alternatives and solutions.

Your 2500 litres with my 2500 litres and a few others, with all the waste from the behemoths of the water industry who ought to have more of a conscience than smaller operations then we waste far too much water in the west.

Doing my bit and looking for an alternative will assuage my guilt that there are thirsty people in the world

Rob

[Clive McDonald]

You've got to buy what you got rid of.

There is no clever answer. Don't you think the Isrealis or the Arab's would have found it if there was. It's life and death to them and these are countries that produce the greatest nuclear physists and mobile phone technicians in the world.

The RO thing was hit on in the seventies during the space race.

Water can't be wasted or destroyed- rivers carry thousands of gallons out to sea and it comes back as rain.

Saving water in the UK is pointless.

[windowwashers]

Has anyone every tried putting see water though an RO ?
I dont live near the sea anymore so cant test it.

[Rob_Mac]

Discount

Again I don't disagree with you but senseless waste is a real bugbear and there ought to be a solution of the combined filtration systems that could create a waste free set up.

At whatever cost water is per tonne - approx £1.20  every time I yield a tonne I throw atonne away £1.20.

Over a year that adds up. 5 working days per week (approx) £6.20 per week x 50 weeks per year!!!

Rob

[Rob_Mac]

You can buy salt water systems

Rob

[windowwashers]

You can buy salt water systems

Rob

I would need a very long hose Rob I live in bedfordshire, if you need some water your welcome to have some off me if you passing  also have an ro I think its a 300gpd and pump etc sat in lock up.

Ian

[Rob_Mac]

Was that info any use the other night

Rob

[Mr H]

Depending on the TDS of the waste water you could always refilter it back through your RO.
I live in a very soft water area and use to use an RO but I would store the waste and then pump it back through the RO with the waste still going back to storage.
I use to produce around 2000L to about 100L waste. Not quite 0 waste but a very big saving.
I now use DI only purely because its quicker, easier and takes up less space.

Regards
Mr H

[Dean Taberner]

Hi Rob,

Dont worry about the waste mate

Hows business?

Dean.

[Rob_Mac]

I did something the other day that may surprise people.

Went to look at some commercial council work - quite large scale. Started off with a lttle bit of graffiti removal and ended up being reclamation clean on several streets around Middleport - They are knocking the area down but because they have a few, 3 or 4 people still in the terraces they have a duty of care to maintain the area.

I had been called in by a chap that I have been pestering for some work and the initial graffiti removal was his part of the job.

The contact when I turned up was not the guy I had been pestering but someone from the council, it turns out he is the purchasing manager for Stoke on Trent council - the man to know!!!!.

He asked me to go direct for the reclamation clean and to ignore my contact. Completely against my ethics despite the works being worth about £7000.00 - 9000.00.

I told my contact and hopefully have created a little bit of trust but still feel a bit awkward about the whole situation.

Have just come back from a supermarket clean at Finchley Rd - London so I am keeping the bailiffs from the door but it is much quieter this year!!!!


Always worry about throwing money literally down the drain !!!

How about you?

Rob

[Oakley Windows]

Has anyone every tried putting see water though an RO ?
I dont live near the sea anymore so cant test it.

Total no-no by comparison to tap-water sea-water is as full of minerals as your every going to get, except for the water in the dead sea..

[windowwashers]

Was that info any use the other night

Rob

Yes Rob was very helpful cheers for that  I will reply I just need to think a little more what I want to put

Ian

[Rob_Mac]

Ian

I always need constructive criticism on my approach so if there is something there that needs addressing then I am happy for that.

Rob