water reclaim

Claytonsbest

New member
I am expanding to offer water recovery. My questions are this:
Do you have to recapture your water to a vacuum, then sump pump it out of the vacuum and into the large tank? Can you not just purchase or fabricate a system where you vacuum the water strait into the large tank? Obviously I am not trying to re invent the wheel but it seams to me that if you can take out a step then it will be more cost effective to set up. I am looking for the fastest most cost effective way to reclaim. Due to the cost of filtering systems I do not be feel that filtering the water over and over is an option at this time. I have already contacted several dump locations throughout my wash area. I also have a call into the city as well as the county in regards to the current laws and regulations regarding the hauling and disposal of wastewater. What is your system of recovery/reclaiming? Please post equipment details and pics if possible. Thanks in advance. Rick
PS- I have a 3500psi @ 4.5gpm -200deg wash unit- two 525 gal water tanks on a 16ft trailer. I already do resturants (exterior only) and gas stations and this is where I am expanding.
 
I think pushing water (sump pump) is easier/cheaper rather than pulling/sucking (vacuuming) to pick up water. I will post some pictures showing what we have done.

We contained the water, picked it up and put in (the water) into the sanitary sewer. This was all done with the permission of the local sanitary district.

The first picture shows the containment and sump pump.

Dave Olson
 

Attachments

  • sumppump w text.jpg
    sumppump w text.jpg
    56.6 KB · Views: 752
Next picture shows line going into tank on the back of one of our trucks.
 

Attachments

  • 500 gallon tank w text 1.jpg
    500 gallon tank w text 1.jpg
    20.9 KB · Views: 672
The last picture shows us dumping into a 4" clean-out in the sanitary sewer.

Dave Olson
 

Attachments

  • back of truck w text 1.jpg
    back of truck w text 1.jpg
    19 KB · Views: 590
Dang, Dave! That system couldn't have cost much! The most expensive part of it is the tank. Thanks for showing me that recovery isn't all that hard to do! It is something I've avoided even thinking about because I just didn't want to deal with the hassle. Heck, you could even run the line straight to a sanitary sewer if you have one close by.

Thanks!
 
That great. Thank you for the picks. That seems to be a very cost effective way to start reclaiming. What size sump pump do you reccomend? Also, are there concerns with the pumps? ie running dry? overheating? clogging up? etc..Thanks again...Rick
 
None of the recovery stuff has to be real expensive. I have used both a vacuum system, and one like Dave's and they both work. If you want to go the sump pump route, you will want a Simer Geyser pump. It is blue like the one Dave has, and I would be willing to bet it is the same pump. You can buy them from Delco, or I go to the local Ace Hardware and pay about half the Delco price for one. For the hoses, get some Pool drain hose or something similar, but at least inch and a half hose, and cut it cin small sections of about ten feet, and put some sand in it, and fill the rest with water. Use the big paper clips from Office depot, and you have an effective berm.


Scott Stone
 
We got the sump pump from a local supply house for about $65. It is samll enough that you can run it with the 2000 watt generator on your washer as long as you are not running hot.

Can be a problem plugging the pump up with debris. We made a screen to go around the pump to keep the large stuff away from it! Kind of a pain but it worked.

Another thing to keep in mind if you are cleaning fleets. We lost 50-60% of the water through evaporation and blow off. The fleet that we were doing we used about 900-1000 gallons of fresh water and never filled the 500 gallon waste tank full.

Dave Olson
 
Yeah, the binder clips. David is right. If you are doing fleets, try this, and you won't need any berms, if the conditions are right. If htere is a curb all the way around the parking lot, go to the drain cut out. Get some of the cement that comes in a tub. Dig a hole large enough for a 5 gallon bucket. Put a five gallon bucket into the hole, and fill the dirt around the bucket. The bucket needs to be below the level of the parking lot. Use the concrete to make an apron to direct the flow of the water to the bucket. Set your sump pump in the bucket, and you capture the water, and pump it back with no berms.
One huge advantage to using the vacuum system is that the customer can see the hose and will not mistake it for some other kind of hose. I have ahd that happen a few times using a sump pump.

Scott
 
Pool drain hose will work best with sand in it. Filling it with water does not work for long. They tend to end up having a bunch of small holes in them just from positioning them on the concrete. Tried 3 different ones and each leaked after the first or 2nd use (looked like sprinklers).

They also make sump pumps that can pass larger pieces without clogging up. They are a bit more expensive. Visually checking the bottom of the pump will tell you how small of a piece (or pieces) will block it.
 
It is not that they mistake it. It is that they cannot see it. So they think that you are not recovering. IF they think that you are not recovering, you could lose the account.
As for the pool hose, I have never had that problem. I do use hose that is not truly pool hose,now. It has reinforcement threads in it, and is very durable. I got it at a hose supply house, the day I could not find any other pool hose.

Scott
 
This is not a sales pitch!

Wash water recovery is the way to go for all pressure washer companies. It doesn't have to be an expensive system like the Fury, just the same idea. We designed our own system. I use to work for a janitorial company that installed and repaired truck mounted (mostly vans but some are in trailers) carpet cleaners and this is where I got the idea about water recovery. By designing a sytem that will work with your space requirements you will be able to go into places and get jobs that most other contractors can't get or do.
Who do you know that can take their pressure washer into their house and clean the kitchen floor tile (3000 psi 8 gal per min 200 deg)? Probably no one! I did it in my own house with very little water left on the floor, and no, there wasn't water all over the walls or any where else that it wasn't supposed to be. We have a vacuum system that will suck up the water as we go powered by a 25hp Kohler running a roots 45 blower. The water goes into a recovery tank (100 gal) then is pumped to our water filtration system that has a pumpout in it that we empty into a sanitary sewer. We use Steel Eagle hard surface tools with vac ports on them.
We cleaned a Mariot kitchen, walkin freezers and hit a small portion of the restaurant tile to show them what it would look like....We got that job too.

Phil
phil@taylorwebs.com
Who Cleaned It, for a cleaner Enviroment.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like he is offering good info. That's the neat thing about this industry... alot of creativity. Good post Phil.
 
Dave,

Does the recovered water get any fitration prior to the sewer?

If not I assume it satisfies the EPA's requirements.
 
Dave,

Does the recovered water get any filtration prior to the sewer?

If not I assume it satisfies the EPA's requirements.
 
The one you must satisfy is the local Sanitary District. This meets EPA reg's. The sanitary district must give you approval to put waste water into their system.

Dave Olson
 
Back
Top