By Megan O’Connor, with technical input from Johan Landman, Alpha Plumbing
How Alpha Plumbing created water and cost savings for Bantry Construction in Jet Park, Boksburg.
Pipe connections to 110mm water line. All images supplied by Alpha Plumbing
When a client contacted Alpha Plumbing hoping to go off the grid and save financial costs on their 13 000ℓ-per-day water expenses, the company took on the task to implement water- and cost-saving measures.
What the client needed
The client – Bantry Construction, based in Jet Park, Boksburg – faced an average water consumption of 13 000ℓ per day, and contacted Alpha Plumbing in the hopes of finding a solution to this large consumption. They wanted to go off the grid in terms of their water, opting to rather operate from borehole water, while saving both costs and water at the same time.
The installation
The process took three weeks to complete, and the entire installation was completed using uPVC piping, as the owner elected not to use galvanised pipe in order to reduce costs on a project of this scale.
In addition, two extra water meters were installed to monitor usage accurately. The system also included the necessary non-return valves, shut-off valves and backflow prevention valves to protect the installation and prevent any cross-contamination with the municipal water supply.
The supply solution
The total backup water supply for the project is 30 000ℓ. For aesthetic reasons, 5 000ℓ JoJo tanks were selected for the installation, so that the tanks could remain below the boundary wall and not affect the visual appearance of the site.
The 10 000ℓ of storage capacity is allocated to borehole water pumped from the ground. This water is then transferred to a 5 000ℓ supply tank, which feeds into a large-scale filtration system designed by Bio Zone. The water is then filtered gradually, and the treated water is stored in three 5 000ℓ tanks, providing 15 000ℓ of purified water to the factory each day.
Water is then boosted to the factory by means of twin pumps made by HMS Pumps, which were specifically designed for the application.
The new system allows the client to save on their water usage and costs and is completely off the grid – allowing production to continue, even when the area’s water is off.
