Saving water

Follow these top tips to save water in your business

  • Install self-closing taps (e.g. those with push-tops) to prevent them being left on. Consider fitting tap IR sensors to automatically switch water on and off
  • Fit spray-heads and flow regulators to taps to control the amount of water used. They can reduce tap water use by up to 80%.
  • Consider fitting toilet cisterns with devices that reduce the flush volume (often called hippo bags). You could save up to 3 litres per flush.
  • Think about installing dual flush toilets. These use no more than 6 litres per full flush and 4 litres per reduced flush.
  • Fit urinals with water conservation devices, such as pressure switches and infrared sensors, which ensure that urinals are only rinsed when necessary. This can save a huge amount of water as urinals otherwise flush 24/7, even when the building is unoccupied!
  • Consider installing modern ‘waterless’ urinals. These modern waterless urinals produce very little or no odour.
  • Try collecting rainwater or greywater (from sinks etc) for flushing toilets or landscape maintenance. Storm water attenuation tanks can often be used for this purpose.
  • Use trigger operated sprays when preparing food. Use these instead of washing it under a tap as this uses more water.
  • Allow sufficient time for food products to defrost naturally. Try not to relying on water thawing as this uses more water.
  • Fit a solenoid valve to equipment. These ensure that it can only use water when the equipment is turned on.
  • Set the rate of flow on equipment such as ice machines and potato peelers to a minimum. This ensures best performance while saving water.
  • If you use channels for food waste disposal, fit sensors. These ensure that water flows only when necessary.
  • Ensure dishwashers are only used when fully loaded. You should also check that nozzles are clean and do not need replacing.
  • Fit hoses with triggers and spray nozzles. These restrict the water flow and make the flow more controllable.
  • Consider water- efficiency when purchasing new equipment. For example, liquid ring vacuum pumps can be replaced by dry vacuum pumps.
  • Restrict and regulate mains water pressure, process by process, to minimise water use. Pressure reducing valves are cheap and easy to install.
  • If you use lever or rotating tap type valves to regulate flows, remove the tap/lever or wire them up or otherwise lock them. This will help to prevent tampering.
  • Regularly check for faults, leaks and overflows using a preventative maintenance programme. Checking water use when the building is not occupied, either overnight or during shutdowns, is a good way to detect problems.
  • If you have several cleaning stages, consider capturing water from the final rinse (the cleanest rinse water). Consider using it for another part of the process such as the first wash of dirty equipment or the product.
  • Adopt water- efficient cleaning equipment. Carefully directed high-pressure water will usually do a better and quicker job than low pressure water. Computer-programmed Cleaning in Place systems are often the most efficient way of cleaning vessels and other key items of equipment.
  • Optimise the sequencing of product batches by size or colour to minimise the amount of cleaning that is required. For example following marmalade by strawberry jam will require minimal cleaning but far more is required the other way around!
  • Considered using line ‘pigs’ (rubber or steel plugs driven by compressed air) rather than water flushing. If your organisation has to clean out pipe work. As well as reducing water use and effluent, line ‘pigs’ save valuable product.
  • Try recirculating cooling water and controlling it using thermostats. You can also optimise ‘bleed and feed’ on water circuits by using conductivity sensors to detect mineral build-up.
  • Regularly checked and de-scale any nozzles on your equipment. Companies should also consider the effectiveness of the nozzles used and the coverage (e.g. the fan) provided.
  • Install solenoid- operated interlock controls on pumps and equipment that switch off water supplies when not needed. Alternatively, fit equipment with timers to avoid wasting water outside working hours.
  • Recover waste steam by fitting condensate traps and condensing coils. This can allow steam to be partially captured within a semi closed-loop system.
  • Treat effluent using ultra-fine filtration methods, such as membrane systems, to recover both water and valuable raw materials. Membrane treatment is now widely used in the food and drink and pharmaceuticals sectors for example.
  • Consider capturing, filtering and recirculating any chemicals and detergents you use. This may require a percentage of reclaimed chemical to be bled in with virgin chemicals.
 

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Need information, advice or support? Contact us on 1850-green1 (1850-473361) (helpline is available Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:00) or by email at contactus@greenbusiness.ie. Companies may also submit a request for a free Resource Efficiency Assessment (REA), involving a site visit to your business by an expert.