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Environmentally Responsible Cleaning: Be Sure to Look at the Whole Picture by Brent R. Kaiser Having spent some 25+ years in the pressure washing industry, I have seen countless important advances in equipment, chemicals, cleaning techniques, and safety. However, with the increasing enforcement of the Federal Clean Water Act, perhaps the biggest changes in our industry are yet to come. As the states have conformed to this federal law, the cities and other jurisdictions are conforming to the state laws. What this means is that we as an industry must work together to conform to these laws. That is not to say we should do this blindly, as many laws are enacted without proper input from those governed by the laws. As an industry, we need to stand united, educate our industry on the existing laws, and work together to educate our local politicians to create the necessary changes in those laws directly affecting our industry. This is evidenced with communities such as Gwinnett County, GA and their Stormwater Management “Surface Cleaning Program” (found at www.gwinnettcounty.com). A very small excerpt from their very extensive website states, “A NOTE TO CONSUMERS: If you are a consumer and are interested in contracting with a surface cleaner for cleaning services, you should be aware that your selection of a contractor is an important first step in protecting water quality. Many contractors do not have the equipment necessary to complete their cleaning activities without causing water pollution within your local streams and lakes. You can help prevent water pollution by selecting a contractor who abides by the County’s Surface Cleaning Guideline.” This is a sign of the times in our industry; this is not going to go away, but rather become the norm. There are three main areas of concern in terms of environmental impact within our industry according to the EPA: water runoff, recovered wastewater, and water conservation. Water Runoff Water runoff is an EPA issue regardless of who is doing the cleaning, what is being cleaned, or where the cleaning is taking place. The Clean Water Act in very basic terms says that nothing other than rainwater unpolluted by human activities should be allowed to go into any sewer or storm drain. That being said, there are simple solutions our industry should use to address wastewater runoff and ensure we are in compliance with this part of the Clean Water Act. Water runoff can be addressed by utilizing drain covers, dams, and mats in conjunction with various means of wastewater recovery. This technology complies with wastewater runoff regulations when used properly! It is generally low cost and is, in some cases, such as truck washing, the only way to contain the wastewater. The type of equipment needed will depend entirely on what is being cleaned. Another option is to use a point-of-use recovery system utilizing various vacuum assisted cleaning heads and tools. For instance, if you are doing horizontal surface cleaning the most efficient means of dealing with wastewater water runoff is through point-of-use technology utilizing a cleaning head with

vacuum recovery. The key here is using a cleaning head that creates a sufficient seal with the surface being cleaned, thus containing the wastewater and providing for the most efficient and thorough recovery. New heads are being developed to specifically address this issue. I would suggest that you physically try various cleaning heads with vacuum recovery, as many cleaning heads do not adequately seal, allowing water to escape, thus negating the whole purpose of vacuum recovery and still requiring the use of drain covers and/or dams. It is equally important to match the size or diameter of the cleaning head to the vacuum recovery system being used. Too large of a cleaning head for a given vacuum recovery system can result in excess fluid being trapped in or escaping from under the head. There are cleaning heads with vacuum recovery available for linoleum, wood, tile, and vertical surfaces as well. Two Different Technologies for Vacuum Recovery

In addition to using the proper cleaning head itself, it is also important to understand the various vacuum recovery systems available and to make sure that the system you choose will handle the amount of fluid you are generating with your pressure washer. Two types of vacuum systems are commonly used. The first is a centrifugal fan type of vacuum; it is generally is used in home floor vacuums and wet/dry shop vacuums, is almost always electric, and limits how far away you can work from the vacuum system itself. What does this mean to you? First of all this type of system should never be used around any type of liquid without a properly installed GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) for your protection. You will need a properly sized power source, fused to handle the load of the vacuum, and a number of properly sized extension cords. For example, a 100-ft extension cord needs to be a heavier gauge than a 50-ft extension cord for the same amperage. Secondly, this type of vacuum system is generally limited to approximately 50–150 ft maximum recovery distance from the vacuum itself, meaning this is your maximum working area before moving the equipment. How many times will you need to move your equipment to get your job done? This type of vacuum is also usually only good for about 8-10 inches of mercury vacuum or 108-136 inches of water lift. What that means to you is your ability to move or lift vertically, one column inch of water is limited to 9-11 feet, or about one level in a parking garage. This type of vacuum system is basically designed for periodic or intermittent use. The second type is a positive displacement vacuum; it is generally used in commercial carpet cleaning systems and industrial material handling systems, is engine or motor driven, and is not nearly as limited by how far away you can work from the vacuum system itself. What does this mean to you? If this type of system happens to be electric driven you will still need a properly installed GFCI for your protection. You will most likely not need to worry about extension cords with this type of vacuum system as it is generally capable of recovering fluids from 300–600 ft from the vacuum itself. In addition, this type of vacuum is good for about 14-16 inches of mercury vacuum or 190-218 inches of water lift. What that means to you is your ability to move or lift vertically, one column inch of water is 16-18 feet, or two levels in a parking garage. This type of vacuum system is also designed for day-in day-out work 8–12 hours/day, 7days/week. This means more productive cleaning, thus more money to your bottom line! Regarding Wastewater The EPA regulations for addressing recovered wastewater vary according the amount and type of contaminants. Recovered wastewater can in some cases, under specific guidelines, licenses and/or permissions, be pumped into a sanitary drain once captured. Regulations governing this sort of disposal come from the sewage authority that will receive the wastewater. Another option is to recover the wastewater into a containment tank for transport to a treatment facility or to your own facility for proper treatment. Before transporting any wastewater captured at a site, you need to take into

consideration: local laws with regards to transport of such materials (e.g. California, and possibly other states, require some wastewater tanks to be purple in color); whether a permit is required; how much wastewater will be transported; correct vehicle and/or trailer; disposal fees. The most economical and comprehensive option is to utilize a point-of-use filtration system. These systems are taken from site-to-site and remove contaminants from the recovered wastewater as you are washing. Some of these systems remove enough contaminants that the filtered water can be reused. A major attraction to this type of a point-of-use filtration system is that it reduces the amount of fresh water that has to be transported to a site. To determine if a particular point-of-use filtration system is right for your applications, it is important to look at a series of questions. First and foremost, is this system addressing your filtration needs? Is this system capable of removing hydrocarbons (fuels, greases, oils, etc.), chemicals (from your cleaning or residual), heavy metals (lead, mercury, beryllium, etc.), as well as trash, stones, dirt, etc.? Secondly, is this system sized properly for your needs? Is the system capable of keeping up with you and your wash system? For example, will it filter 3-5 or 8 GPM constantly, consistently, and without clogging? Now that you have diligently collected and filtered out these contaminants, do you still have a HAZMat issue on your hands that requires you to spend more of your hard-earned profits to dispose of them? In other words, do you now have oil, grease, chemicals and/or contaminated filters that you still need to dispose of, and what are the costs associated with that disposal? Keep in mind that just because you have done your part to filter these materials out of the wastewater, it does not mean you are not still responsible for their lawful disposal. Also consider costs involved with the operation of a point-of-use filtration system. Generally speaking, physical filters themselves are the largest cost due to the fact that that a different filter medium is normally required for each type of contaminant being removed; cartridge type filters being more expensive and bag type filters being less expensive. Things to keep in mind with filters are: how many are there, how often do they need to be replaced, how easy is it to replace them, if one clogs in the middle of a job what is the result, and does the one contaminate the others? Another option is using filtration media such as sand and/or activated carbon, or a coagulant. Where sand and/or activated carbon are capable of removing limited contaminants, a coagulant filtration system is capable of removing a multitude of contaminants including, but not limited to: chemicals, dirt, heavy metals, etc. The advantage of a coagulant type of system is that the material, whether powder or liquid, is relatively inexpensive, easily handled, and filters out a multitude of contaminants. Once reacted with contaminants, coagulants separate into clear water and a sludge. When removed and dried, the sludge in many cases becomes an EPA acceptable non-HAZMat waste. When considering oil removal/separation there are numerous options including, but not limited to: coalescing filters, which leaves you with liquid oil to deal with; absorbent filters, which leaves you with an oil soaked material to dispose of; enzymes, which may or may not have handling and/or contamination complications themselves; solidification, which can leave you with a non-HAZMat disposable material if and only if it is a non-leachable substance. In other words, a material that will not release the absorbed contaminants back into the environment. When filtering out simple contaminants such as dirt and sand, this can be done with a settling tank or better yet, a Hydrocyclone. Settling tanks are a simple solution, but generally require a fairly large tank and a fairly lengthy amount of time to clear the water. On the other hand a Hydrocyclone; which

operates on water flow spinning out the contaminants from the water by centrifugal force, is small in size and will filter out these contaminants at 3-10 GPM or more, according to the specifications of the device.

The most environmentally responsible equipment choice is a system that has minimal replaceable filtration devices, and at the end of the day ALL contaminants can be disposed of in any waste receptacle without creating a HAZMat violation. This type of system does exist in our industry. Water Conservation With regard to EPA water conservation, there are various ways to address this situation, from simply using less water (which is actually a law in some areas such as Denver, CO) by using a smaller spray tip, to using a point-of-use water recycling system. In addition to the filtration processes and issues surrounding the recovery of wastewater, a point-of-use water recycling system can provide quality filtration and allow you to reuse the collected wastewater for rinsing. The key with this type of system is one that will remove all contaminants and generally speaking filter down to at least 5–3 microns. (Fine sand is about 250 micron, Portland cement is about 74 micron, plant pollen is about 37 micron, and cigarette smoke is about 2 micron.) Keep in mind that in order to rinse with the same water that you have just cleaned with, this water has to be ‘pure’, void of all contaminants. Again, this type of system does exist in our industry. The optimal environmentally conscious solution is a single recover/recycle system which resolves multi-system operational issues, duplicate filtration processes, multiple power sources, plumbing nightmares, and multi-manufacturer warranty issues. Equipment manufacturers are moving in this direction, and there are a few integrated systems available from single manufacturers without these nightmares. Although water conservation does not directly affect everyone in this industry, as an industry dependant on water we have be the ones doing our part to conserve a dwindling natural resource. As well, we as an industry should be policing ourselves with regard to water and soil contamination. The technology exists and is readily available in our industry to stop our pollution of water and soil. There is no reason for anyone in our industry to ever be fined for non-compliance. Brent R. Kaiser is President at ECO Cleaning Systems www.ecocleaningsys.com, a manufacturer of wash/recover/recycle equipment.