Recycling Backwash water
-
- I'm new here
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 22:14
- My Pool: 90000 litres, Salt water chlorination, Sand filter
Recycling Backwash water
Hey can any one help. I am looking at recycling the backwash water from my sand filter back into the swimming pool to save water. Does anyone know of a system for doing this or have they seen it done before or done it themselves
David
David
- Larry
- Pool Forums Admin
- Posts: 370
- Joined: Thu 09 Dec, 2004 20:19
- My Pool: Pool Pro
Exclusively tiled concrete pools
Recycling Backwash water
I believe there are some commercial backwash recycling systems available in Australia where the global freshwater shortage has been the worst. The systems vary from simple holding/ sedimentation tanks to multi-filter reverse osmosis systems.
At its most simple, you would need a tank to hold the backwash water and a pipe running from the tank at 10-20cm from the base to enable you to draw the water off. A valve at the very bottom would allow you to empty the sludge that accumulates.
The backwash water is collected in the tank and the solids allowed to settle. Depending on the amount and nature of the dirt, the addition of a flocculant may be necessary. Once the solid wastes have settled, the clear water can be drawn off and reused.
Things to remember if recycling pool water:
At its most simple, you would need a tank to hold the backwash water and a pipe running from the tank at 10-20cm from the base to enable you to draw the water off. A valve at the very bottom would allow you to empty the sludge that accumulates.
The backwash water is collected in the tank and the solids allowed to settle. Depending on the amount and nature of the dirt, the addition of a flocculant may be necessary. Once the solid wastes have settled, the clear water can be drawn off and reused.
Things to remember if recycling pool water:
- the use of stabilized chlorine (dichlor/ trichlor) will result in excessive cyanuric acid (CYA) and related problems;
- the use of calcium hypochlorite (cal-hypo) will cause the hardness level to rise (CH);
- the TDS (total dissolved solids) will rise and may cause problems at high levels.
-
- I'm new here
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 22:14
- My Pool: 90000 litres, Salt water chlorination, Sand filter
Recycling Backwash water
Thanks Larry. Do you know of or does anyone else know of actual examples where recycling of backwash water back into the pool is being done?
David M
David M
- Larry
- Pool Forums Admin
- Posts: 370
- Joined: Thu 09 Dec, 2004 20:19
- My Pool: Pool Pro
Exclusively tiled concrete pools
Recycling Backwash water
Hi David
Try a Google search, something like: swimming pool backwash recycle and go through the results.
The majority of the results are Australian and there aren't may graphically explicit drawings or pictures. I assume the systems are so simple that if they gave too many details, the makers would lose too many sales to DIYers.
Larry
Try a Google search, something like: swimming pool backwash recycle and go through the results.
The majority of the results are Australian and there aren't may graphically explicit drawings or pictures. I assume the systems are so simple that if they gave too many details, the makers would lose too many sales to DIYers.
Larry
Recycling Backwash water
There is a pool backwash system that waste only 1 gallon of water per backwash on residential pools and 5 gallons per backwash on commercial pools. On average a residential pool backwash and rinse cycle wastes 175 gallons of perfectly good balanced pool water. If you backwash once a week you are losing 9100 gallons of water a year not to mention the 9100 gallons of make-up water that must be added back into the pool and also balanced. 18,200 gallons compared to 104 gallons with the ENVIR-O-SMART system do the math on the savings of water, chemicals, and the environment. Commercial pools need this system more than residential pools because commercial pools need to be backwashed everyday. During a 1 year period a commercial pool wastes 109,500 gallons then 109,500 gallons of make-up water is added back to the pool and must be treated. 219,000 gallons compared to 3640 gallons per year with the ENVIR-O-SMART. ENVIR-O-SMART products (912) 294-5178
-
- I'm new here
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 22:14
- My Pool: 90000 litres, Salt water chlorination, Sand filter
Recycling Backwash water
Hey Pool 97,
do you have a web site for this Envir-o- smart product? David
do you have a web site for this Envir-o- smart product? David
-
- I'm new here
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon 20 Jul, 2009 12:06
- My Pool: My pool is about 7.5 mtrs long and 3.5 mtrs wide. mosiac tiles with a seal holding a ball motif. the depth of the pool starts at 1 mtr down to a depth of 1.5mtrs. 7020 imperial gallons of water
- Location: Spain
Recycling Backwash water
I honestly dont think there is a way of doing what you are requesting, The reason I say this is I live most of the time in Spain and when backwasking the pool water the gate valve automatically routes the dirty water to the waste and away. I really think there would be an on cost should there be a way of recycling the backwashed water. I do honestly think if there was someone would have come up with the idea before now.
-
- I'm new here
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 22:14
- My Pool: 90000 litres, Salt water chlorination, Sand filter
Recycling Backwash water
I believe Certikin are marketing a system in the UK to recycle back wash water using a secondary filter.
-
- Pool Care Proficient
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Wed 22 Jul, 2009 15:19
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Recycling Backwash water
In the area where I live one of the counties requires the use of a separation tank to filter out the DE from the backwash water and let the water go back in to the pool. This is the general idea: http://www.tropixpools.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=9155 (this is just from a google search not a recommendation of the site).
Anyhow you'd backwash and the waste water goes into the tank which has a bag filter in it. The de gets caught in the filter and the clean water goes back into the pool. I think this would work with a sand filter as well. Do a google search for "separation tank pool" and you'll find them for about $300.
Hope this helps.
Anyhow you'd backwash and the waste water goes into the tank which has a bag filter in it. The de gets caught in the filter and the clean water goes back into the pool. I think this would work with a sand filter as well. Do a google search for "separation tank pool" and you'll find them for about $300.
Hope this helps.
-
- Swimming Pool Superstar
- Posts: 401
- Joined: Sat 16 May, 2009 09:20
- My Pool: 16 x 32 gunite21000 gal., Diamond Brite Blue, Swimquip XL pump, DE36
- Location: Texas
Recycling Backwash water
I am missing the point of a value of such a system.
Every pool accumulates CYA and calcium hardness.
So every pool benefits from diluting by a backwash once a while.
To me the extra costs, equipment and mess involved, hardly justifies such an application.
Every pool accumulates CYA and calcium hardness.
So every pool benefits from diluting by a backwash once a while.
To me the extra costs, equipment and mess involved, hardly justifies such an application.
-
- Pool Care Proficient
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Wed 22 Jul, 2009 15:19
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Recycling Backwash water
Don't get it either. The municipalities don't want the pool water going out into the environment I guess. They are a pain to work on by adding another tank to open and clean out and put back together. They stopped requiring them years ago but they still exist.
Recycling Backwash water
The envir-o-smart system is available. The website is http://www.envir-o-smart.com and is still under construction. It explains the system and has the ordering info. Residential is one gallon per backwash and commercial is 5 gallons per backwash. This system was designed, developed and built by a professional poolbuilder in south GA.
Recycling Backwash water
David M wrote:Thanks Larry. Do you know of or does anyone else know of actual examples where recycling of backwash water back into the pool is being done?
David M
THERE IS ONE I KNOW OF IT IS IN SOUTH GA. I HAVE SAW IT FIRST HAND. THE PERSON THAT DESIGNED IT HAS ONE ON HIS POOL.IT HAS BEEN IN USE FOR TWO YEARS .HE IS A POOL BUILDER .IT IS CALLED ENVIR-O-SMART. HE SHOWED ME HIS CHEMICAL BILL FOR A SIX MONTH PERIOD.AND YOU WOULDNT BELIVE ME IF I TOLD YOU WHAT IT WAS.IT WAS LESS THAN YOU WOULD SPEND IN ONE MONTH.
Recycling Backwash water
For my residential pool, I use a 55gal plastic drum. I cut the pvc line to the waste pipe and reconnected to the drum. I backwash into the drum. I have a drain about 4 inches above the bottom of the drum with a plastic garden hose connector/valve assembly. After I backwash, I put a little chlorine in there and let it settle for a day. Then I quick connect a garden hose to the tank. The trick is to let it flow for about 5-10sec to be sure it's clean and no sediment comes out. The I put a sock over the end of the hose and secure it with a rubber band and put it in the pool. Then the remaining 54 gal of clean water drains back into the pool for reuse. This is my 2nd year and it works great. I spent about $30 for all the parts. The 55 gal plastic drum was an apple juice barrel for $10. Nice thing is, I can run the pump on low all the time and backwash every other day since the water is not wasted. Now my power bill is lower too. I have an inground pool.
Recycling Backwash water
I forgot to say, after the water drains back into the pool (this takes 45min or so). I disconnect the garden hose and then tilt the plastic barrel back and forth to stir up the sediment in the bottom. I keep tilting while the sediment drains out onto the ground. Occasionally I have to spray some water in the bottom after the sediment builds up, but not very often. Now it's ready for the next backwash.
Return to “Routine Pool Cleaning & Maintenance”
Who is online at the Pool Help Forum
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest