Good Reclaim recommendation for SS Operation

[washregal]

I have a 7 bay ss facility - my water bill is reasonable.. my Sewer bill is outrageous - usually upwards of 5-8 x what my water bill is. I have a 3 pit silt type system - 7 bays filter into pit one then gravity feed into pit two - then to pit three then out to sewer.

All (3) of these pit / holding tanks are underground in my equipment room - I would like to use reclaim on the following:

- HP Rinse Water
- Winter Weeps

Thinking the above would be ok - can I use reclaim for other functions?

What is the best recommended filtration 5 micron and below? Concern is clogging of my tips especially in the winter - Has anyone had success with any Reclaim systems for SS/ built there own etc? I would reall like to hear more as well as potential water saving I might incur.

Thanks oyu

 

[MGSMN]

I personally have not seen reclaim water used for any self serve functions other than weep. Ryko made a reclaim weep system for self serve that had underground pvc lines connected from the HP gun holster tubes in each bay that gravity fed to a single 15 gallon in ground tank in the equipment room. A pump would draw from the tank to send the weep water to the pumping bench. The 15 gallon in ground tank had a city water float to keep it full if needed and also had an overflow drain and a heater option. This setup did not use any pit water and the system worked well. The reasons for not using reclaim in self serve are because we have zero control as to what can get dumped in the pit and therefore the possibility of getting passed through the reclaim system: oil, livestock manure, drug waste, paint, any of the cleaners we use on the walls and whatever else the public can think of. If you're still considering a reclaim system have a look these: Aquabio , Clewer , Waste Water Design or PurWater .

 

[mac]

I think you would be wasting your money. First, let's be honest. I would bet a dollar to a doughnut that there is not a reclaim system on the planet that gets water even close to tap water in quality. Most get the rocks out and make it so it doesn't stink too bad, but fill a glass with it and hold it up.

 

[MEP001]

I've seen several SS washes that had reclaim. Only the high pressure soap function and weep could run off the reclaim. It takes a lot of soap to cut through the crap still in the reclaimed water, and it's difficult to get rid of the smell. Between the cost of the equipment and the high maintenance, there's very little money saved unless your wastewater charges are outrageous - mine is 5 times water and I still wouldn't do reclaim unless someone gave me the equipment and installed it free.

 

[OurTown]

Since you can't have one without the other what is your combined water and sewer per 1,000 gallons? Ours works out to about $12 which I think is reasonable these days. Keep in mind that our water is 16-18 grains of hardness.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I have a home made weep reclaim system almost exactly as described above by mgsmn. I've calculated how much it saves me in the past, I dont recall the exact numbers but it was 90-95% less than the cost of weeping city water, 1000's of $ every year.

Obviously having pvc pipes under your bay floors when the wash is built is ideal, but if you can figure out a relatively easy way to get the water from the wand holsters in the bays back to the ER, the rest is easy to build.

 

[RAAOO7]

Any new self service built, cities will require a reclaim system. Sucks!

 

[mac]

You just have to learn how to play the game. There are reclaim systems available for around ten grand. Install it and just don’t use it. No building inspector will be able to tell if it’s working or not.