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You must have noticed an increased use in solar hot water systems in Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Tennyson, Chapel Hill, and others. The demand for these water heaters is growing at a fast rate compared to a few years back. So, what's causing this demand?

Well, some reasons can explain why homeowners and commercial properties are going for solar water heater system. Experts at Hot Water Brisbane have provided us with the following factors that are creating this demand. They include:

solar hot water

Environmental Awareness

Australians are more aware of environmental degradation today than ever before. The recent intense bush fires have shown us how bad is global warming can be. That's why people are now trying to use clean energy. The plumbing pros at Hot Water Brisbane have commented on the increased number of inquiries with regards to solar power hot water plumber installations in areas such as Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Tennyson, Chapel Hill, and Kenmore Hills.

Plumbing technician Jeff suggested that the rising popularity of environmentally-friendly energy sources and campaigning in those areas have played a part in residences and commercial properties requesting for solar-powered hot water systems.

Availability of Solar System

According to Jeff, a plumbing technician with Hot Water Brisbane, the solar hot water systems are more available than ever before. A decade ago, only a few brands were producing these types of water heaters worldwide. But with the growing demand for green energy, more manufacturers have come up.

woker fixing solar hot water system

So, today, you enter a store in Brisbane and come out with a solar-powered water heater system. So, the ease of access to these types of hot water systems is one reason for the new demand. That never used to happen a while back. In some cases, you needed to place an order with the manufacturer for the unit to be constructed.

Government Incentives

The Australian government is giving incentives to residents investing in clean energy. Most homeowners are applying for the STCs. It is a government scheme that provides financial incentives for people installing clean energy.

So, you will get back some of the money you invested in a solar-powered hot water system. This is a big factor that is driving more and more Brisbane residents to install solar hot water systems. If you can get back thousands of dollars after installing this system, why not replace the old gas system with a solar-powered model?

panel cells of solar hot water system

Availability of Solar Energy

In Brisbane, we have no shortage of solar energy. We have plenty of sunshine almost year-round, which is the energy need by these hot water systems to heat water. So, any technology that utilises solar energy will do very in this part of the country. This includes solar hot water systems.

The only time that you might need a backup is some days in winter when the sun might be weak. But for the other seasons of the years, you are guaranteed to get a constant supply of hot water from the unit. So, the availability of sunlight in Australia is one of the factors fueling demand for these water heaters.

Improved Efficiency

Unlike the first solar-powered hot water systems, today, we have some of the most efficient models. According to Jeff, solar hot water systems released a decade ago were super inefficient. They couldn't get the water hot during the fall and winter seasons. That's why the uptake by the market was not good.

The modern solar-powered hot water systems are designed to maximise heat absorption. The new models come with high-efficiency evacuation tubes, which maximises solar heat absorption. So, they can heat water even during fall and winter. The insulated tank keeps the water hot for a long time. So, if your home water demand is not big, the tank can supply hot water for the whole night.

hot water powered by solar energy

Free Energy

Have you ever imagined how your energy bill would look like if you remove the water heater? Well, you can be sure that more than 30% will be slashed. That's the motivation driving Kenmore and other Brisbane suburbs to install these units.

Solar energy is available for free. It's a gift from nature that costs you nothing. After installation, you will enjoy a constant supply of hot water at zero heating costs. This will have a huge impact on your finance in the long run - you will be saving a lot of money.

Low Maintenance Cost

There is no doubt that a solar-powered hot water system is one of the most expensive water heaters. It might also cost you more to install compared to the electric models. That's unless you get financial incentives from the government. But Jeff mentioned that it is one of the cheapest water heaters to maintain.

fillng a tub with hot water powered by solar hot water system

One thing about these hot water systems is you don't need frequent maintenances. They do not have moving or heating parts like gas and electric models. So, their rate of wear and tear is very low. That's how the cost of maintaining these units is one of the lowest in the market.

In conclusion, the solar-powered hot water system is the future. The fact it uses clean energy makes the planet safer. With advancing technology, we expect more improvement to make these units better. With time, they might wipe out the gas and electric hot water systems.

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Water is quickly becoming a scarce resource globally. The ever-increasing number of people without access to clean and safe water for drinking proves this finding. That’s why water recycling is increasingly becoming crucial in water conservation efforts. 

Water recycling is simply a water conservation method that includes treating wastewater with the intention to reuse it. Any wastewater from homes or industries can be collected and treated to make it safe for use. In addition, you can collect your greywater and use it directly in your yard or gardens instead of using tap water. But how does the water recycling work? Well, that’s what we are going to look into this guide.  

How Does Water Recycling Work? 

The working mechanism of water recycling is pretty simple. However, the method used for recycling depends on the kind of water that is being treated. For example, recycling wastewater that has faeces is not the same as recycling greywater. Similarly, the intended application of the recycled water is another factor that determines how you do recycling. For example, if the water is to be used for agriculture, then it needs to be thoroughly compared to yard irrigation water. In addition to that, you can have a customised solution for your wastewater. 

For a standard water recycling system, it has four main stages of water recycling. They include removal of larger particles, filtration, chemical removal and lastly sterilisation. Here are the 4 stages explained: 

1) Removal of Large Particles 

The first stage of water recycling is the removal of larger particles in the wastewater. Whether it is sewerage or industrial water, there are large particles that are easy to remove. Depending on the expected results, there are several approaches to be used. They can be mechanical sieving of the particles or machines designed for this work. Once the wastewater passes through this stage, it will come free of any large particles such as food chips and so on. However, it will still be dirty and unsafe for use. So, you need to take it to the next stage.  

2) Filtration 

clean drop of water

After you have removed all particles in the wastewater, the next stage is filtration. The filtration system is subdivided into two stages. Although the water has large particles removed, there is the likelihood of more particles in the water. So, the first stage in the filtration process is pushing water through fine sand and gravels to remove remaining particles. The second stage is filtering the water using a 3-stage cartridge filtration system. It is a powerful filtration system that produces the required maximum particle size. While at this stage, the water is free of particles and some of the microorganisms, including some bacteria. 

3) Removing Chemicals 

One of the major components in wastewater is the chemicals. Whether it’s greywater or industrial ones, you will find chemicals that make water unsafe for human use. The most common are the surfactants. These chemicals found in detergents and that’s why you can’t miss them in the wastewater. Other components common components in wastewater include calcium, manganese ions, iron, and magnesium. They are responsible for the hardening of the used water.  

At this stage, chemicals such as phosphate are added to the water to remove water hardening components. However, it does not remove surfactants, and both are harmful to animals and plants. There are two ways that you can remove these two components from the water- chemicals that coagulate them or using bacteria to decompose them. Up to this stage, the water is safe to be used for but not human use. If the water is for cooking or doing laundry, you need to go to the fourth stage. 

4) Sterilisation 

The fourth and last stage is sterilisation. Once the water is free of detergents and other chemicals free, the only thing that you need to remove to make safe for human use is eliminating diseases causing organisms, parasites, bacteria and viruses. There are many ways you can sterilise the water with chlorination being one of the most common. Chlorine is the most efficient water treatment when it comes to getting rid of microorganisms in the contaminated water. It is also one of the best options for water that is to be stored for future use. 

UV sterilisation is growing popular with outdoor adventurers. The water treatment method uses UV rays to kill all microorganisms and parasitic pathogens in the water. The technology works by disrupting pathogens’ cellular functioning. The technique is ideal for emergency water sterilisation. In just a matter of seconds, UV rays will have sterilised the water. 

woman drinking water on a tumbler outdoors

What Is Grey Water Recycling System? 

Unlike the typical wastewater, greywater is any water coming from all parts of your home except the toilet. Therefore, it should not come into contact with faeces. So, it is water from your tubs, bathroom, washing machine, shower and sink. This water contains traces of grease, dirt and food. 

Although it is dirty, you can use it for irrigating yards and even growing plants. In facts, this water could be more nutritious than tap water. Therefore, a greywater recycling system is a system that enables you to recycle your greywater and reuse it. There are three main greywater recycling systems you can use depending on the intended application. They include: 

Direct use System 

This is where the greywater from the house is collected and directed to the yard or gardens. In this case, all you need is a plumbing system or a pipe to take the water to the gardens. You don’t need to do any form of treatment to reuse the water. With that, you will be able to reduce the amount of water used in your home. 

Biological System 

There several ways that biological systems work. First, you can use sand to filter the water if you don’t want food particles. All you need is to pour water in a sandbox and use gravity to remove large particles in the water. The second biological system involves treating the greywater using a septic tank. 

Mechanical Filters System 

This is a straightforward process of recycling greywater. What you need is to undo the U-bend under a sink and collect the used water in a bucket. Then you can manually pour the water in your toilet’s cistern. However, it can be a time-consuming and tiresome system, but it works in case of no alternative. 

In conclusion, water recycling is crucial when it comes to water conservations. It helps to reduce the amount of water usage by reusing wastewater. The water conservation method can also be on a larger scale by factories and huge companies to reduce their water consumption. It’s a water conservation method that will not only reduce water usage but also cut on your water bills. 

See our latest post about how we outsource business tasks so we can focus on water research and better product development.

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bottle of drinking water

Water contamination is not an Australia problem but a global issue. It is rare to find clean and safe water for drinking today. That’s why it is not recommended that you drink untreated water not even id it is rainwater.

Interestingly, most people don’t actually it means with dirty water. If you ask around, most will say it’s the colored or smelling water, which is not actually the case. In this guide, we are looking at the dirty water and the best dirty water purification process:

What is Dirty Water?

Dirty water is any water that is contaminated with disease-causing substances. There are many ways that water can get contaminated with open defecation being one of the major causes. Open defecation exposes a population to waterborne diseases like Hepatitis A, typhoid, and cholera amongst others. Other major causes of dirty water or water pollution are industrial wastes, herbicides, and antibacterial compounds, and so on.

Some people think that rainwater is the safest to drink, but that is not true. What most people don’t know is that there are many harmful and acidic gases in the air, mostly produced by industries. Once the rainwater comes into contact with these gases, it becomes dirty, acidic, and thus not safe for human consumption. So even water from your faucet is not safe for drinking. Fortunately, there are ways that you can make any dirty water safe for drinking.

9 Tips On Making Dirty Water Safe For Drinking

There are many ways that dirty water can be purified to make it safe for human contamination. There are numerous simple purification methods, as well as sophisticated technologies. Here are 10 tips on making Dirty water safe for drinking.

1.Boiling Water

Boiling water is the simplest purification process that is widely used and recommended by medical specialists. It is also one of the most reliable water purification methods for almost all people around the world. What you need is contain and a heating apparatus to boil the water. Studies have shown that no parasite, bacterial, and other pathogens causing diseases can survive the temperature of boiling water. That’s why it is one of the reliable purification methods.

boiling water

2. Use Iodine

Iodine has been used for decades as one of the water treatment agents, especially for people who love outdoor adventure. It is very effective and also very convenient on the go solution for dirty water. What you need is just to add iodine solution, crystals or tablet into the water in a container, shake it well and wait for 30minutes for the iodine work. It will kill all viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens in the water.

3. Use Water Filters

Most homes in Australia are using water filters to purify water before drinking. There is all sort of water filters in the market with the main difference being the technology used to purify the water. However, the principle is the same- to remove harmful chemical compounds and pathogens that cause diseases. So water filters get rid of bacteria, parasite, and chemical elements in the dirty water.

4. Use Ultraviolet Light

This is one of the most effective technologies that most people are now adopting to purify water. It is one of the popular water purification methods with people who love outdoor adventures. The technology uses the ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in the water. What you need to is expose the dirty water to the UV light for a few minutes, and you are good to go.

However, the purification process does not remove solid particles like water filters. So you might need another process to remove solid particles. The technology works very well for upstream water where pollution and exposure to harmful chemicals are almost zero.

5. Distillation

faucet water

Distillation is one of the best dirty water purification methods. This process works best in conditions where the only available water is too dangerous for human consumption. The distillation process involves boiling and cooling the collected steam, cool it to get quality drinking water. It is a more sophisticated process but produces the best quality drinking water. It requires quite an expensive setup including the copper fitted steam vent.

6. Reverse Osmosis (RO)

Ro is one of the techniques used by water filters to purify dirty water. The process is known for producing one of the cleanest and safest water for drinking. These water filters usually work by removing inorganic solids in the water by applying more than the osmotic pressure. So when going to the market, you can buy this type of water filter instead of carbon filters.

7. Chlorination

This is one of the most widely used methods of making dirty water safe for drinking. In fact, it is one of the best emergency dirty water purification methods. What you need is just to chlorine into the water, and it will kill all pathogens in the water. It is very effective in killing microorganisms and will not remove solid particles from the water. If you don’t have chlorine, you can use a little bit of household bleach because it has between 5% and 6% chlorine.

8. Solar Purification

Solar purification or disinfection is another effective dirty water purification method. As the name suggests, the process uses solar energy to purify or disinfect the water to make it safe for drinking. The process works best for that is not dangerous for drinking but could be having pathogens in it. By exposing it to the sun, the UV rays of the sun will kill all pathogens in the water. In addition, solar energy can be used to power a water purifier.

9. Sedimentation

water distillation

Sedimentation is usually used to purify water that is heavily laden with solid particles. It is one of the primary purification processes of sewage water. The technique uses gravity to remove solid particles from the water. After removing solid particles, you can then use UV, iodine, or chlorine other water purification to kill pathogens in the water, making it safe for drinking.

Unless the water has been treated, it is not safe for drinking. Whether it is a natural stream in the bush or tap water, it has solid particles, chemicals, and pathogens that can cause diseases. Try some of these water purification methods if you think you have a dirty water supply.