Water Reuse
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Sponsored By:
Water Reuse
As water resources are increasingly stressed by drought conditions, water reuse is becoming a common topic in certain areas of the country.
As water resources have been increasingly stressed by drought conditions, other shortages and overloaded municipal water treatment plants, water reuse and grey water have become two of the most common topics within the professional sector. At the same time, the public has become more aware of - and more receptive to - onsite water reuse technologies. This increased visibility and higher demand is largely due to rising water bills, changing regulations and the helpful guidelines in green building programs such as standards issued by the LEED Green Building Council.
What are “Water Reuse” and “Grey Water”? Water reuse has been compared to recycling aluminum and other materials in manufacturing. The main difference is that reuse is focused on finding creative ways to use onsite potable water for more than one purpose. Grey water refers to potable water that has been used for bathing, showering, and washing clothes and dishes. This water is typically reused just once before discharge to septic systems or municipal wastewater treatment plants. It’s important to note the difference between these uses and “black water”, the water that exits the home or other location as wastewater from toilets. Today’s homeowners can take advantage of such grey water while providing minimal yet effective onsite treatment to conserve precious potable water and reduce the load on wastewater systems. The biggest single opportunity to reduce household water usage is to reuse shower and bath grey water for flushing toilets. The EPA estimates that 25% of indoor household water is used for toilet flushing.
Scarcities, Regulations, Standards, and Green Building Practices The residential market has been more and more active in recent years. In 2016, when California Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order making emergency drought-related water conservation measures permanent, the director of the California Department of Water Resources cautioned that the state was “just one dry winter away from returning to where we were.” Cities around the world have instituted more stringent regulations, including rationing, to ease burdens on existing infrastructure and fight higher energy costs related to water supplies and wastewater treatment. Local codes may vary, but state and national codes are often the guidelines used. In the United States, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and subsequent legislation improved water efficiency and reduced energy costs associated with domestic water usage. One important and effective example was establishing maximum flow rates for shower heads, faucets and clothes washers. The EPA’s WaterSense
© ProudGreenHome.com | Sponsored by Bio-Microbics
Water Reuse program defines water efficiency as the use of improved technologies and practices to deliver equal or better services with less water. According to the most recent survey on residential landscape trends from the American Society of Landscape Architects, professionals expected water reuse to be one of the the fastest-growing trends for 2016. Their clients are focusing on environmentally responsible, low maintenance, low cost outdoor living spaces using grey water for lawn irrigation and landscaping. Reusing grey water from bathing for flushing toilets can cut household water consumption by more than 9,000 gallons per person per year, cutting water bills by as much as 50%.
Effective Residential Water Reuse Dramatically Reduces Consumption By the EPA’s figures reusing grey water from bathing for flushing toilets can cut household water consumption by more than 9,000 gallons per person per year, cutting water bills by as much as 50%. Bio-Microbics, a global leader in water technologies, offers a unique residential water recovery system to treat and filter grey water from showers and baths, and recycle it for toilet flushing. With grey water collected from just one 10-minute shower, the unobtrusive Recover® unit can supply water for as many as 20 flushes. The grey water is filtered to remove fine particles/contaminants and chlorinated to prevent bacterial growth, then stored until called for when a toilet is flushed. The Recover® unit shuts off automatically when the toilet tank is full. This system is listed with the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Research & Testing, under the “Reclaimed Water Conservation System for Flushing Toilets” (Standards CSA B128.1-2006 & CSA B128.2-2006).
Smart Technology Prevents Leaks, Learns Usage Patterns Water leaks account for approximately 12% of all water use in the average American home, and the toilet is one of the most likely places to find them. Sometimes you can hear a faint hissing or trickling, but most of the time water leaking through a flapper or fill valve simply flows through the tank silently. The smart controller on the Recover unit learns the toilet tank size, enabling it to monitor and detect leakage and show an alert on the control panel. Knowing the toilet tank size also minimizes the use of potable water to make up the difference if the grey water stored should run out. The controller also automates a tank cleaning cycle and enters an Auto-Away mode by detecting usage pattern changes, initiates a self-cleaning procedure for the filter, and provides maintenance reminders.
© ProudGreenHome.com | Sponsored by Bio-Microbics
Water Reuse Safety First Provides Alerts and Safeguards The Recover® system has many safety features built in to protect public health, many of which go beyond product standard requirements. On the potable water makeup connection, incoming water goes through an approved air gap to prevent any risk of cross connection with the greywater. The unit has an optional dye system to color the greywater a crystal blue. This reduces risk of cross connections should someone accidently plumb a greywater line to a fixture such as a sink. The system also has flood protection features which will alarm the user in the event of a high water level in the system or if the pump continues to run after a set maximum run time.
Recover® Fits Within a Philosophy and Product Line With water supplies increasingly strained, communities are looking for new ways to develop and manage local water resources. One of the most exciting paradigm shifts in sustainable water management is the integration of smaller, decentralized onsite systems that treat and reuse water within buildings whether commercial, industrial, or residential. Grey water treatment systems, onsite rainwater filtration, stormwater management, and treated wastewater reuse are some of the other products offered by Bio-Microbics, Inc., a globally recognized and award-winning manufacturer.
About the Sponsor Bio-Microbics has decades of real-world operating history with more than 60,000 installations in over 70 countries, where the reclaimed water produced adheres to water efficiency standards in the Coding Guidelines for most “Green” building certification programs. Bio-Microbics products are an integrated water strategy for the rural/urban environment. Tested and certified by many national and international programs, they provide long-term operational performance with easy, low-cost maintenance. © ProudGreenHome.com | Sponsored by Bio-Microbics
Sponsored By:
Water Reuse
As water resources are increasingly stressed by drought conditions, water reuse is becoming a common topic in certain areas of the country.
As water resources have been increasingly stressed by drought conditions, other shortages and overloaded municipal water treatment plants, water reuse and grey water have become two of the most common topics within the professional sector. At the same time, the public has become more aware of - and more receptive to - onsite water reuse technologies. This increased visibility and higher demand is largely due to rising water bills, changing regulations and the helpful guidelines in green building programs such as standards issued by the LEED Green Building Council.
What are “Water Reuse” and “Grey Water”? Water reuse has been compared to recycling aluminum and other materials in manufacturing. The main difference is that reuse is focused on finding creative ways to use onsite potable water for more than one purpose. Grey water refers to potable water that has been used for bathing, showering, and washing clothes and dishes. This water is typically reused just once before discharge to septic systems or municipal wastewater treatment plants. It’s important to note the difference between these uses and “black water”, the water that exits the home or other location as wastewater from toilets. Today’s homeowners can take advantage of such grey water while providing minimal yet effective onsite treatment to conserve precious potable water and reduce the load on wastewater systems. The biggest single opportunity to reduce household water usage is to reuse shower and bath grey water for flushing toilets. The EPA estimates that 25% of indoor household water is used for toilet flushing.
Scarcities, Regulations, Standards, and Green Building Practices The residential market has been more and more active in recent years. In 2016, when California Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order making emergency drought-related water conservation measures permanent, the director of the California Department of Water Resources cautioned that the state was “just one dry winter away from returning to where we were.” Cities around the world have instituted more stringent regulations, including rationing, to ease burdens on existing infrastructure and fight higher energy costs related to water supplies and wastewater treatment. Local codes may vary, but state and national codes are often the guidelines used. In the United States, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and subsequent legislation improved water efficiency and reduced energy costs associated with domestic water usage. One important and effective example was establishing maximum flow rates for shower heads, faucets and clothes washers. The EPA’s WaterSense
© ProudGreenHome.com | Sponsored by Bio-Microbics
Water Reuse program defines water efficiency as the use of improved technologies and practices to deliver equal or better services with less water. According to the most recent survey on residential landscape trends from the American Society of Landscape Architects, professionals expected water reuse to be one of the the fastest-growing trends for 2016. Their clients are focusing on environmentally responsible, low maintenance, low cost outdoor living spaces using grey water for lawn irrigation and landscaping. Reusing grey water from bathing for flushing toilets can cut household water consumption by more than 9,000 gallons per person per year, cutting water bills by as much as 50%.
Effective Residential Water Reuse Dramatically Reduces Consumption By the EPA’s figures reusing grey water from bathing for flushing toilets can cut household water consumption by more than 9,000 gallons per person per year, cutting water bills by as much as 50%. Bio-Microbics, a global leader in water technologies, offers a unique residential water recovery system to treat and filter grey water from showers and baths, and recycle it for toilet flushing. With grey water collected from just one 10-minute shower, the unobtrusive Recover® unit can supply water for as many as 20 flushes. The grey water is filtered to remove fine particles/contaminants and chlorinated to prevent bacterial growth, then stored until called for when a toilet is flushed. The Recover® unit shuts off automatically when the toilet tank is full. This system is listed with the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Research & Testing, under the “Reclaimed Water Conservation System for Flushing Toilets” (Standards CSA B128.1-2006 & CSA B128.2-2006).
Smart Technology Prevents Leaks, Learns Usage Patterns Water leaks account for approximately 12% of all water use in the average American home, and the toilet is one of the most likely places to find them. Sometimes you can hear a faint hissing or trickling, but most of the time water leaking through a flapper or fill valve simply flows through the tank silently. The smart controller on the Recover unit learns the toilet tank size, enabling it to monitor and detect leakage and show an alert on the control panel. Knowing the toilet tank size also minimizes the use of potable water to make up the difference if the grey water stored should run out. The controller also automates a tank cleaning cycle and enters an Auto-Away mode by detecting usage pattern changes, initiates a self-cleaning procedure for the filter, and provides maintenance reminders.
© ProudGreenHome.com | Sponsored by Bio-Microbics
Water Reuse Safety First Provides Alerts and Safeguards The Recover® system has many safety features built in to protect public health, many of which go beyond product standard requirements. On the potable water makeup connection, incoming water goes through an approved air gap to prevent any risk of cross connection with the greywater. The unit has an optional dye system to color the greywater a crystal blue. This reduces risk of cross connections should someone accidently plumb a greywater line to a fixture such as a sink. The system also has flood protection features which will alarm the user in the event of a high water level in the system or if the pump continues to run after a set maximum run time.
Recover® Fits Within a Philosophy and Product Line With water supplies increasingly strained, communities are looking for new ways to develop and manage local water resources. One of the most exciting paradigm shifts in sustainable water management is the integration of smaller, decentralized onsite systems that treat and reuse water within buildings whether commercial, industrial, or residential. Grey water treatment systems, onsite rainwater filtration, stormwater management, and treated wastewater reuse are some of the other products offered by Bio-Microbics, Inc., a globally recognized and award-winning manufacturer.
About the Sponsor Bio-Microbics has decades of real-world operating history with more than 60,000 installations in over 70 countries, where the reclaimed water produced adheres to water efficiency standards in the Coding Guidelines for most “Green” building certification programs. Bio-Microbics products are an integrated water strategy for the rural/urban environment. Tested and certified by many national and international programs, they provide long-term operational performance with easy, low-cost maintenance. © ProudGreenHome.com | Sponsored by Bio-Microbics
