Water, Water, Everywhere
Sharon Koehler
Stone Industry Consultant
Photo courtesy Rockcrete USA
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Fabrication water runoff headed to a holding pit for filtration. Photo courtesy Rockcrete USA |
What is water to you? It’s that liquid stuff that makes crops grow, enables us to go fishing, wash our vehicles, keep our bodies healthy and for a lot of us, it helps feed our families by being an essential part of our shops.
It also makes our shop floors slippery; it congregates in the corners to make puddles, as our saws and other tools use it to fabricate stone. We see it every day, but do you ever really think about it? How dirty is it? How much do we waste in a day? Where does it go when we are done with it? How can we keep run-off from being a pollutant? There is so much to think about! While you are thinking about water, think about water systems and what they can mean for not only your shop but the environment as well.
A water system can help reduce machinery maintenance costs. Clean water helps your machines run smoother and prevents clogging. Not to besmirch your community water, but hard water or even alkaline water can lead to part breakdowns, increasing your maintenance costs. A water system can help remove those chemicals, driving your costs down and extending the life of your equipment.
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Zack Smyser: “We utilize a Turrini DEP350 system. It has a 95 gallon per minute capacity, and we purchased it through Gerry Van Der Bas and Simon Bradberry, who were very helpful throughout the set-up process. ” The Turrini water filtration system provides clean water for fabrication and treats the mud from used water. Photo courtesy Granite International |
A water system can not only help you save on your water bill, but can help reduce the need for public water, which in turn lightens the load on your community’s public water plant. Plus, when there is a water crisis in your area, like a water main break, and public water is not available, you will still have water to run your shop.
Filtration systems are not always recycling systems. We have a smaller, older shop here in town that filters its water before it goes directly into their local sewer system. They don’t have the capacity to have a full-fledged recycling system in their shop. They were “grandfathered” in when new laws went into effect to stop that sort of unregulated dumping. At least they filter their used water before it goes into the sewer system. Depending on where you live, you may face fines and other penalties for polluting and over-burdening the local water system.
There is a shop out in the northwest that didn’t have any type of system at all. They just let their water flow out the shop door. When the property owner saw the damage to the foundation, he got all riled up and took them to court. The shop had to pay thousands in fines and thousands to fix the foundation. They almost got shut down. They actually did sell after that. The new owner immediately put in a water system.
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Above: Basic filter press system Below: Pit construction. photo by Rockcrete USA |
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Types of Water Systems
A Turrini Water System is a sludge or mud bag collecting system. Water flows through a trench into a dirty water collection pit. Then everything is pumped into a container where chemicals are added to help promote settling of the various contaminates in the water. The sludge is then pumped into containment bags. Once the sludge is dry (about a day), the whole bag can be taken by forklift out to the dumpster and safely thrown away. A new bag is then secured to the frame and the process starts all over again.
According to Zach Smyser at Granite International in Cicero, New York, they have been incredibly happy with their newly purchased Turrini system. He notes that the 95 gallons per minute set up they have is very low profile and maintenance is minimal, about 15 minutes every 4 to 6 weeks. The reason a Turrini system can keep such a low profile is due to the fact that the system is “on demand.” Water storage in a large separate tank isn’t necessary. All systems are automatic, including the pumping and chemical addition to the water. The only real labor is removing the bags for disposal and setting up new bags. Their tank holds over 2,200 gallons and Zach estimates that it saves them approximately 45,000 gallons of water a day. He isn’t sure how much it saves on their water bill, but he is confident that it’s A LOT!
The only drawback for them was in the very beginning. They had a bit of trouble getting the water to chemical ratio right, mostly he thinks, just because they weren’t used to the system. Once they got that under control, which didn’t take very long, everything has been fine, and has worked smoothly.
Gerry Vanderbas with Stone Industry Group, which sells both the Turrini and the Clearly systems, commented that the Turrini system is all stainless steel and comes with a one-year warranty after installation. After a system is installed, there is also training on how to run and upkeep the system.
The Clearly Water System, which Stone Industry Group also sells, is the brainchild of Gerry and his partner Simon Bradbury. When the pandemic hit, there were, as we all know, supply chain issues that resulted in some less-than-ideal lead times. So, they developed their own water system as a way to help their customers. It operates on the same premise as a Turrini sludge-bag system. While it is not all stainless steel, it does come with the same one-year warranty and training as the Turrini System.
Filter Press System
The filter press system uses a different method of water filtration. In these systems, water is forced through a series of specially designed filters. The filters then collect the sediment and pollutants in the water, sending clean water back to machinery in the shop. Before the water runs through the filter, it is kept in a sedimentation tank or pit so larger particles can settle to the bottom.
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This filter press system uses water very efficiently and was designed to fit the medium-capacity water-use needs of this wet shop. |
The size of the set up can vary greatly depending on the needs of the shop. The more filters needed, the more space it takes up, plus it needs a reservoir tank for the water. However, some systems can be installed vertically instead of horizontally, reducing the machinery footprint.
There also may be a bit of added labor with a filter press system. The pit needs to be cleaned out occasionally, plus the filters need to be cleaned, and occasionally the filter cloth needs to be replaced.
David Schalow of Marva Marble and Granite in Richmond, Virginia likes their filter press system installed by Water Treatment Technologies. They have a 24-filter system with a 6 x 6 x6 foot pit which holds approximately 2,500 gallons of water, and a water tank that holds another 7,500 gallons. He likes it because it doesn’t waste any water and it doesn’t put any pollutants into their local water system. He did say that the company trained them on the system after installation and answered any questions they had moving forward. He feels that the system has more than paid for itself over the years.
The only thing he wasn’t completely happy about was when they run a lot of marble or quartzite through, it seems the filters need cleaning a little more often.
Water systems are sold by multiple companies. Water Treatment Technologies, Water Treatment Solutions, Beckhardt, and Stone Industry Group are just a few. As such, their footprints and operating systems vary widely and so does their cost. Do your research and pick the one that is best for your shop and for your local water supply system.
Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharonk.SRG@gmail.com.