Case Study – Treating Water for a Glamping Site
Initial Analysis
A glamping site may not be what you first think of when considering a place that needs water treatment. We really do get enquiries from all sorts of industries.
The site in question had ten large glamping tents and other facilities that required multiple products for their water treatment needs. Their original water supply came from a borehole pump, which was capable of delivering 1.5m3 per hour, however they needed to produce 5.4m3 per hour in order to distribute the water around the whole site.
From this, we surveyed the water analysis from the site which showed:
- High turbidity
- Elevated levels of iron and manganese
- Bacteria count
- Low pH (Acid based)
- Very hard water
- Elevated levels of nitrates
The site already had a 10,000L storage tank, however they still needed essential water treatment equipment to treat the water. They also needed to ensure that the water stored in the tanks over a length of time remained safe to drink.
What we recommended
The entire systems consisted of the following:
- Filter Ag+ unit with WS1 CI Clack Control Valves.
- Duplex Ecomix unit using Clack WS1 CI control valves and a motorised alternating valve.
- Duplex Nitrate unit using a nitrate selective anion resin and Clack WS1 CI control valves.
- Juraperle pH correction unit with a WS1 CI control valve.
- 2x Luminor Blackcomb 5 UV’s and 2x 5 Micron Pre-Filters.
- All Luminor Blackcomb 5 UV’s were pre-programmed with customer information and logo.
The Solution
For the high turbidity level, J&F put together a backwashing Filter Ag+ Unit. The unit was additionally supplied with a No Hard Water Bypass Valve to prevent any carry over of sediment to the other units during the back-wash cycle.
Filter Ag+ is highly effective when it comes to turbidity removal in water, as it has a large surface area and microporous structure- making it very efficient at removing stubborn matter. The surface area is 100 times greater than your standard silica sand, therefore resulting in better filtration and higher sediment removal.
Next is a duplex Ecomix unit. This was to treat the water hardness and the iron and manganese. Water hardness was a concern due to the scale clogging up pipework, leaving traces behind on taps and showerheads, and just overall having better quality water for customers to use while washing their hands and cleaning.
Ecomix was chosen over other filter medias, as it is a very effective and highly efficient all-in-one solution to tend to the removal of iron, manganese, ammonia, organic matter and water hardness. Setting this up as a Duplex system meant that the site has a continuous supply of water, with no downtime while the system regenerates.
After that, we also recommended installing a duplex nitrate removal unit with NR-1 resin. Nitrates are one of the most common contaminants in private UK water sources due to fertilisers, however they also can be naturally occurring in the soil. Using NR-1 resin is the most effective way of removing nitrates from the water supply, as they are highly soluble in water.
We also included a Juraperle pH correction unit to help with the low pH of the glamping site’s water supply. A water pH of 6.8-7.2 is considered safe to drink. The site’s water was too acidic which can cause multiple side effects including nausea, headaches and gastrointestinal issues. Not only that, even if you’re not drinking the water, the low pH can cause corroded pipework, damage to appliances over time and cause blue/green marks on sinks and faucets. Primarily made up of calcium carbonate Juraperle dissolves into the water supply, lifting the pH to an acceptable level.
Sometimes potable water, if sat there long enough, can become contaminated with new germs and bacteria when in a storage tank. Because of this, we advised adding two Luminor Blackcomb 5 UV disinfection systems with 5 micron pre filters to be used alongside the storage tank, and before distribution to the site.
Stagnant water in the storage tank needs to be circulated through the UV in order to remove any harmful bacteria that has built up over time. UV disinfection exposes the harmful organisms to ultraviolet light, rendering them inert, and therefore defective. To ensure the system could perform efficiently, we also advised adding at least a 5 Micron pre filter to remove any contaminants larger than 5 microns from the water before entering the UV system.
The above system was all installed using Clack Valves, which were pre-programmed prior to despatch. No Hard Water Bypass Valves were also added to each part of the system. The Blackcomb UV controllers were also programmed with our customer’s logo, contact details and barcode to direct the glamping site to their website for any enquiries, maintenance or issues.
The overall verdict
In conclusion, the glamping site is very satisfied with their new water treatment solution. If you notice any issues in your water that resembles these, don’t hesitate to get in contact or give us a call on 01538 399 048. As you can see, we can provide an effective solution that will be tailor designed to treat your specific water treatment needs.
