Feb 01 2011
Car Wash Water Can Be Reclaimed Without Odor
Increasingly municipalities are requiring that new car washes constructed include reclamation systems. The use of reclaimed water presents the car wash industry with many practical water treatment problems including algae growth on the car wash walls and noxious odors throughout the stalls.
New ionization and oxygenation equipment has been successfully integrated with existing water treatment strategies for car washes in Minnesota, Maine and Michigan since 1999. It takes no more than two hours to install this new equipment in typical 6 bay car washes. The self sacrificing copper ionization anodes and titanium/platinum oxygenation anodes along with a DC voltage controller are able to run at an annual operating cost of fifty dollars per bay per year with an estimated 30 minutes of maintenance performed 4 times per year. Typically any bag or cartridge filtration maintenance is eliminated from the car wash and weekly water testing is strongly recommended. In 2009, glass filter media in swimming pool filtration platforms with low pressure, high flow rate valves have been manufactured to help separate solids in the filtration process.
On the sites with the new ionization and oxygenation equipment the noxious odors have practically been eliminated and the algae growth on side-walls has been eradicated in both the summer and winter months. Often the algae itself is a source for odors but in a car wash the build up of soaps, dirt, minerals and plant life mix together to create an environment that increases algae and mold growth. The dissolved oxygen (DO) level in the source water is brought up into the 6.0-6.5ppm range from a low 2.0-3.0ppm range while a low level copper residual at .2-.4ppm is maintained in the water through the use of automated programmable controllers and flow switch controls. The increased DO is applied to both the cold and hot water and is not dependent on pH. The copper and titanium/platinum are both capable of raising the DO levels in hot water.
With respect to specific site maintenance, the bulk of the effort involves basic testing and cleaning. Specifically, testing of copper levels is conducted with a simple Lamotte EC 70 test kit. Quarterly cleaning of anodes is conducted in a diluted acid wash and takes less than twenty minutes. Both testing and maintenance are essential since the residual copper is responsible for the algae and mold control.
The reclamation water treatment system can be installed as part of a new car wash build or added to all existing water treatment strategies. It may be cost effective to replace bag or cartridge filters with glass media in a swimming pool filter. Virtually all of the operating cost and one half the maintenance hours was previously used to clean or replace the cloth or paper filters. Equipment can be configured for self-service or automated bays with 2, 4 and 6 total bay models configured, price for the equipment ranges from $10,000 to $20,000, plus installation.
ECOsmarte is the World leader in Chemical Free Water Technology. ECOsmarte’s systems with Residual Bacteria Control have roots in NASA.