HOME IMPROVEMENT
- Written by Kobus Carstens (Free Water Systems)
Home improvers all over the Western Cape have spent a lot of time making their bathrooms into a comfortable refuge where they can relax and forget about their day.
This has however been changed by our Water Wise Awareness which makes us jump over a bucket in the shower only to kick it over later. Remember that large bath you had installed last year? I am sure you can still only imagine how it feels to fill it up, because it simply takes too much water.
The toilet has also come under fire; there are now so many bricks and bottles on the inside that it sometimes takes two flushes to clean the bowl.
Even for those who have resorted to bath in the pool, hard times have fallen. With so much water lost during a backwash we can hardly afford to backwash once a month.
OH! If only we could get back half of the water that ran down our gutters last winter!
Free Water Systems has developed solutions to these problems.
With our GREY WATER SYSTEM we collect the water from your bath, shower, washing machine and hand basins, to irrigate your garden area with water that you would normally throw away! So no more bright green plastic buckets in your new marble finished shower. Light the candles and invite your partner to share that large corner bath, knowing that minutes after you pull the plug the water is sprinkled into your garden. Savings of your total water bill could exceed 35%.
Our TOILET STOP is a simple device that replaces the flushing mechanism in your toilet. The system will only flush for as long as you hold the flushing handle. As soon as you release the handle the flushing stops. This allows precisely the least amount of water required to clean the pan. Most of the time you will only need a litre or two but still lets you use all the water if required. Savings of your total water bill could exceed 20%.
Our BACKWASH RECYCLING SYSTEM is especially designed for those who hate the fact that they are Backwashing away thousands of litres of water every year. This very simple device receives the water normally thrown away from a swimming pool backwash process. This water is normally toxic to plants (especially from salt water pools) and unwanted in storm water drains and sewers alike. The kit consists of a water chamber into which, during backwashing, a little flocculent is added. After 24 hours all the clarified water is allowed to run back into the swimming pool.
Now for that lost rain water! The SMART Rain Filter is fitted to most of your down pipes and filters the water, so that the clean water can be piped into water tanks, or even be diverted straight into your pool.
We would like to offer advice on saving water. Call our call centre on 0860 SAVE WATER or 086 072 8392.
FROM DUST TO DUST
- Written by Kobus Carstens (Free Water Systems)
From dust to dust
From stones to desert
From drought to floods.
Walk down any road in Cape Town and you will see inviting chip-stone sidewalks or at the very least you will feel like your walking into a paving showroom.
We are creating our own desert.
Heat-island phenomenon
Urban Heat Island is essentially a ‘bubble’ of hot air which can engulf an entire city. It is generated by the radiant heat emanating from all of the paved areas and buildings in the city.
This is quite a serious problem in fact so serious that Tokyo legislated in 2002 that rooftop greening for newly constructed buildings is compulsory.
But there is hope. Heat Island Phenomenon was proven to be alleviated by Rooftop Greening (survey by Kyushu University and Nippon Institute of Technology 2000)
I am not proposing that we all plant buffalo on our roofs. I am merely suggesting that we keep the chip stones and paving for grave yards and car parks.
We need to plant trees and shrubs everywhere. The reality is that we can successfully sustain our gardens with water we throw away. We recycle everything else why not recycle your water that you so dearly paid for.
We can put 50% of your water usage back into your garden. So if your water bill shows 16000L per month then we can put 8000L back in your garden (The same as carrying 800 10L buckets of water into your garden per month).
How far does 8000 L go?
Lawns:
8000L will give a 200 m2 lawn 10mm of water 4 times per month
Flower beds:
8000L would give 200 m2 of flower beds 5 mm of water twice a week
Trees
Established trees hardly use any water - 8000L would sustain 70 new trees watered once a week.
The reality is that a grey water system will cost the same as paving 45 m2 and sustain 300 m2 of garden.
Fresh water is a finite resource yet very few people seem to want to hold on to it when we receive it for free from the sky. A 200m2 roof will produce 110 000L of rain water per year or about 9000L per month.
I can hear it already, but all our rain falls in winter when we don’t need it. In fact statistics shows that a 200 m2 roof will harvest 2700 litres in December and 3600 litres in February. Couple this with a 5000L rainwater tank and we can fill our pools, irrigate our gardens and flush our toilets for free.
Then there are all these unsightly pipes leading from all the gutters and ugly tanks standing next to the house. The majority of houses in Cape Town have storm water drainage system. So all the rain water leaves the property in one pipe. Our Smart rain system simply catches the water just before it leaves the property and automatically pumps it into a rain tank hidden in the far corner of the property.
So for the normal house hold and average garden grey water or rain water would do well to sustain your garden. For larger houses, use both grey and rain water. Grey and rain water systems pay for themselves surprisingly quickly and would add to the value of the property, as would your green garden.
It is not only home owners that can make a difference. Petrol stations have huge canopies colleting hundred and thousand litres of rain water, perfect to plant and sustain lush gardens and more importantly to drive their carwash machines with free water.