Properly sizing your commercial reverse osmosis water system is a complex process. Make sure you have a knowledgeable, experienced team like Secondwind Water Systems in your corner.
Commercial Reverse Osmosis Water System Sizing Factors:
Most commercial reverse osmosis water systems are sized on the flow you need to treat (e.g. 30 gpm), the volume of water (e.g. 10,000 gallons) you need during the day, or both.
Whether you’re using treated water for a specialized laundry or humidification system, drinking, manufacturing/processing, or in a laboratory, the following questions must be answered when sizing your commercial reverse osmosis water system:
1) How much water do you need in 24 hours?
2) What is the actual number of hours this amount of water will be used?
3) How much space is available (including floor space and ceiling height) to accommodate your treatment system and water storage?
4) What are the consequences (financial or otherwise) of running out of water for your business?
5) What is the likelihood that these parameters will change over the course of running your business?
Understanding water treatment vs. usage rates.
It’s important to understand that, because reverse osmosis systems purify water very slowly, your water isn’t treated at the same rate you use it. To illustrate this point, let’s use an example of a reverse osmosis water system we designed and installed several years ago for a commercial laundry facility.
Assessing treatment flow and water volume.
Our commercial laundry client washes clothing used in cleanrooms. Because all clothing must be contaminant-free, it has to be rinsed in high purity water. When we designed the company’s commercial reverse osmosis water system, we kept these needs, as well as their future business growth in mind.
Their two washers used 500 gallons every hour for the rinse cycle. So the reverse osmosis treatment system needed to provide at least 500 gallons per hour or 8.5 gallons per minute (gpm). Or did it?
Determining the most cost-effective system configuration.
If the washers ran 8 hours per day, they would have used 4,000 (8 x 500) gallons per day. To achieve this they could purify water at a rate of 8.5 gpm, with 500 gallons of storage.
However, if they they had room for a 4,000 gallon storage tank, they could take all day to purify the 4,000 gallons of water and store it until needed. Taking 24 hours to make the 4,000 gallons is only 3 gpm, which is a much smaller and less expensive reverse osmosis water system.
If the washers operated 24 hours per day, storage wouldn’t matter. It simply must make water at a rate of 8.5 gpm.
Planning for future growth.
Because the laundry facility ran for 10 hours a day, we needed 5,000 gallons of reverse osmosis water daily. If the company continued to operate at 10 hours per day, 3.5 gpm of reverse osmosis water with 5,000 gallons of storage would have worked. However, the company wanted to plan for future growth, which would accommodate three operating shifts. So the Secondwind team opted to install a 8.5 gpm reverse osmosis water system with 1500 gallons of storage. This reverse osmosis design configuration gives the company a three-hour cushion to fix any mechanical problems before they run out of water.
Purchasing the Best Commercial Reverse Osmosis Water System
There are several important factors to consider when purchasing a commercial reverse osmosis water system. Otherwise, you may waste money and other valuable resources (including space) on a system that’s too big for your needs; or buy one that doesn’t provide the capacity required for your growing business. To get the best reverse osmosis water treatment system for your needs and budget, contact the professionals at Secondwind Water Systems.
Commercial Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Systems in NH
The Secondwind Water Sytem team knows how important quality water is to your business. We’re here to help you choose the best reverse osmosis water system for your particular application and budget. Contact us to talk to one of our Certified Water Treatment Specialists.
