Reclaim system tony vertin ver-tech labs at wsta 2013

Reclaim SystemsTony Vertin, CEO, Ver-tech Labs

May 15, 2013

www.ver-techlabs.com

What’s the Future of Water?

31 countries are facing severe water stress

Over one billion people have no access to clean water

If nothing is done, by 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population will not have enough water for the basics of life


Why do we need a reclaim system?

1. Water rates are becoming more expensive.2. Sewer rates are becoming more expensive.3. Impact fees are increasing.4. Water and Sewer rates are rising at a rate of

5% to 30% a year5. Effluent standards are becoming stricter6. Good for the environment7. Many municipalities require reclaim systems for

new and existing washes


Conclusion

Water Reclamation Systems are coming to

your local transit authority.


What is a Transit WashWater Reclaim System?

A system that takes used water from a transit wash and recycles the water for use back into the wash.


What comprises a transit wash reclaim system?

• Wash Equipment

• Water Reclaim Equipment

• Maintenance

• Chemistry

As a system, all of these components need to work together for the system to be successful.


Wash Equipment


Wash Equipment Parameters

• Friction or touchless washing?

• Does the system use a drying agent or wax?

• Does it utilize soft water?

• How much water is used to wash each vehicle?

• Is there an underbody flush?

• Newer large vehicle wash systems are coming

with more-pressure, nozzles, and water.


Water Reclaim Equipment


Typical components of a reclaim system

• Sedimentation or settling tanks

• Mechanical filtration(filters or cyclonic separation)

• Oxygenation of the water (ozone or air sparging)

• Biological (bacteria or enzymes)

• Controls and sensors


Settling Tanks

Water enters a series of tanks that will allow dirt and large particulate to settle

A poorly designed tanking system can potentially mean disaster for the wash operator


Settling TanksAbove Ground in Retrofit


Filtration Systems

160 GPM

220 GPM


Ozone Generation Unit


Control Systems


Where can reclaim water be used?

• Undercarriage

• Side Panels

• High Pressure Rinse

• Flooder Arches

• Mitters

• Lawn / Shrub Watering


Design Criteria

• Is there sufficient capacity in the system to handle

the amount of water produced by the wash?

• Is there redundancy in the equipment?

• Where is the water going to be used?

• What percentage water is reclaim?

• Does it remove the contaminants from the water

that need to be removed?


Reclaim Equipment Design

6 P’sProper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance


Maintenance


Maintenance

• Has the manufacturer provided you with a

schedule of system maintenance?

• Are you doing it?

• Change filters or clean strainers

• Pump the tanks

• Not doing it costs more in the long run

• Outsource the maintenance?


Reclaim Compatible Chemistry


What does reclaim compatible mean?

Does the chemistry used to wash and dry the transit vehicle help or hinder the performance of the reclaim system?


Reclaim Compatible Chemistry

• The most overlooked and misunderstood part of the reclaim system.

• Tremendous impact on maintenance frequency of reclaim equipment, appearance of buses and maintenance of buses

• Many chemical companies, wash equipment and reclaim equipment do not understand what reclaim compatible means


Problems associated with non-reclaim compatible detergents

• Foul odors like the "rotten egg" smell technically known as hydrogen sulfide

• Increased frequency of reclaim system pump outs • Dirty cloth that scratches buses and leaves them

dirty• Disgruntled employees • Excessive use of chlorine, peroxide, ozone,

enzymes, etc., in an unsuccessful and expensive attempt at control of odors.

• Corrosion• Dirty Buses


Chemistry of Cleaning

plus and lifts them into the wash solution

Drying agents deliberately use a positively charged surfactant that is preblended with an oil.

As these hit the vehicle, the positive charge (+) is attracted to and bonds with the negative (-) caused by electron particles on the vehicle surface displacing water which rides on top

OIL


Adverse Reaction

PLUS = combining and forming a water insoluble material

During the wash process and in the reclaim, both of these oily tails can pick up dirt particles:

like a wet body picks up sand when rolling on a beach.


The Result

A black, sticky, oily, insoluble snot that clogs filters and reclaim equipment, leaves the cloth dirty and abrasive, buses dirty, and employees gagging.


Sulfonated Detergents

Most common detergents

Adding sulfur to reclaim system

Can create hydrogen sulfide, “rotten egg” smell.

In extreme cases turns copper pipe black


Free Rinsing Chemistry

• Free rinsing means less water usage• Reclaim compatible products rinse better• Removes the dirt from the cloth• Saves money on water and sizing reclaim

system


Use the right amount of soap

• More is not better• Accurate dispensing• Less detergent for reclaim system to

contend with


Magnesium Chloride or Road Salts

• Does your detergent react with and remove magnesium chloride?

• 1700-4000 ppm of road salts require that the tank be diluted with fresh water or pumped out.



Put yourself in best position to succeed

Treat water reclamation as a system, not a piece

of equipment.


Find out more!

Contact Ver-tech Labs at [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Reclaim system tony vertin ver-tech labs at wsta 2013