Environmental Cleaning Information From Sun Brite Supply
New environmental cleaning regulations require a growing selection of quality tools and supplies for recovering used wash water to meet compliance with local regulations stemming from the Clean Water Act. Vacuums, Oil-Water Separators, Berms, Booms and Oil Socks are becoming a necessity for the mobile contract cleaner every day.
The most important part of any environmental cleaning reclaim system is the vacuum. You need a serious vacuum to do the job right. A vacuum's true power rating is based on airflow and suction, not on amperage or horsepower. Don’t be fooled by horsepower ratings, which are often ratings of "effective horsepower" instead of true horsepower anyway.
A vacuum designed for the removal of dry soils has a very high airflow rating and a relatively low suction rating. A vacuum specifically designed to carry away liquids has a relatively lower airflow rating and a much high suction rating for environmental cleaning.
To better understand the difference between airflow and suction, let’s begin by describing airflow. Airflow relates to air volume. The airflow of vacuums is measured in 'cubic feet per minute' or CFM.
A high-efficiency vacuum designed for dry soil removal on carpets for example, might move 156 CFM whereas a high efficiency vacuum designed for the removal of liquids might only have the ability to move half that amount of CFM.
Suction, on the other hand, is often measured in 'inches of waterlift' - how high a vacuum motor can lift a column of water one inch in diameter within a tube. No airflow - just suction. We refer to this measurement simply as “lift”. This is the real measurement of power in any vacuum, because it doesn't take much power to move air but it takes a whole lot of power to lift water for environmental cleaning.
A high efficiency vacuum for dry soil removal on carpet, for example, might have a lift of only 12", whereas a high efficiency vacuum designed for removal of liquids might have a lift rating of 150".
Most wet/dry shop-vacs only have 12" - 18" of lift - just enough to get the water into the canister if it is sitting on the floor.
Since we are lifting water with our environmental cleaning system, the lift rating is the most important information to understand when researching which vacuum to buy. If we are lifting water from the street to the tank in our truck, we probably need at least 4'- 7' of lift to get the water up there without burning out the vacuum motor (the distance from the street to the top of our recovery tank). The more lift we have, the easier it is for the vacuum to do the job - and the longer it will last in heavy use.
We recommend you look for at least 100 CFMs and at least 100” of lift in any good vacuum system you select. If you are using a VacuBerm and two vacuum surface cleaners at the same time, which is a pretty common set-up for environmental cleaning, we recommend buying a 200 CFM vacuum (either gasoline or electric) with 200” of lift. With that kind of brute power, you get the job done in a hurry!
A good-quality vacuum with all the lift that you need and want can be a significant investment. Over a couple of years, however, buying a commercial-grade quality vacuum system will turn out to be cheaper than all of the $100 vacuums you will buy in it's place. Be smart when you shop, and look for the “Snap-On Tool” level of quality.
VacuBerms collect water from dozens of points along their length rather than from a single port in the middle. This means it is virtually impossible to clog these collectors! Just attach any industrial vacuum to any number of these VacuBerm modules and place them in the path of the water run-off. Waste water is quickly siphoned off to your Recovery Tank. Most are also constructed with replaceable oil sock built in.
These Sand Snakes are perfect booms for routing water where you want it and containing waste water from the areas you don't want it!
These sand snakes are made with 30-mil PVC, so they will stand up to rough surfaces and last a long time under normal treatment.
When rounding up wash water is a problem, put these Snakes to work. Just position the Snakes in the path of water and direct the flow to your collection point for easy removal. We suggest that you half-fill the Sand Snakes with sand or a mixture of sand and vermiculite for lighter weight and easier handling
The new Swabby 48 is an efficient drivable brushless surface cleaner with world wide patents that allow a single operator to effectively clean a 48" path, reclaim the water and eliminate the hazardous waste while reducing your water consumption by 80%. Swabby 48's zero turn feature and hose management system can achieve cleaning rates in excess of 10,000 square feet per hour. Drive wheels located inside the width of the deck allows for cleaning on either side to within (1") one inch of curbs, walls or beams. Night cleaning is enhanced by our dual beam adjustable lighting system. Find out more about the Swabby 48 here.
Oil and water seperators are designed to remove free oil molecules from water passing through. An OWS contains media that will attract and attach oil molecules. Water passes through a tortuous path within the separator, forcing it through multiple filters and media before it can leave the tank. Water that passes through an OWS is often clean enough to either re-use for more cleaning work or for immediate disposal to a sanitary sewer. Capable of removing 1.5 gallons of oil per hour from 600-900 gallons of used wash water passing through. For severe cases, multiple OWS may be placed in series or parallel to accomplish even greater cleaning in less time. Many AHJ’s are specifying OWS use for all captured water.
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