The importance of water and dust filtration systems
With strict OSHA regulations and the overall philosophy of a green environment, the use of water filtration and dust collection systems has become a necessity for fabricators
Water filtration and clarification systems have become so critically important for fabricators like never before. OSHA regulations and monitoring of sludge has increased exponentially over the last several years to keep the sludge out of the water drains. But what has really brought on a bigger need for closed-loop water recycling systems — additional water is not needed; all of the water is reused without needing fresh water, minus normal evaporation — is the automation that has become so prevalent in almost every fabrication shop now. Specifically, automated inline machines. These machines use a minimum of 15 gpm going all the way up to 45 gpm. Some shops will have multiple of these machines. Bridge saws use about 12 gpm. CNC machines use between 12 to 20 gpm. Each hand polisher will use about 3 gpm. So it’s not very difficult for a small to average shop to consume 60 to 100 gpm. Larger shops will double or triple that. From a cost perspective, if a shop is spending at least $400 or more per month on water, the Return on Investment (ROI) on a closed-loop water filtration system is very short — less than five years. Then, they will have free water for 20+ years. It keeps OSHA away and really does help our environment.
There are two basic types of closed-loop water filtration systems found in the stone industry. Filter press systems and the traditional silo-style gravity decanter systems. Filter press systems use a high-pressure press system created inside the filtering chambers through special pumps that filter the water. The water then goes to a clean water holding tank for use back through the shop.