Old UV lamps & product stewardship

Rural areas are often sadly under-served when it comes to recovering and recycling used water treatment products like spent UV lamps, ballasts and filters . . .

Fortunately, Gabriola has a great recycling organization in GIRO, and for several years Withey's Water has been bundling all the used, expired UV lamps we replace on service calls and dropping them off at GIRO for safe storage and disposal  -- due to the mercury content of all germicidal UV lamps.

Now GIRO is officially registered with LampRecycle BC to provide this service.  It is likely that soon an eco-fee or other disposal donation amount will be applied, and we will either provide that  service on cost recovery for our customers and/or encourage everyone to bring their old UV lamps to GIRO themselves.

Old carbon and sediment filters have no recovery/reuse program in this part of the world. 
Our only advice here is to buy better quality filters, that work well and last longer (see some of my older posts re: choosing filters), look after your collection and storage systems so you change filters only when necessary, and consider using some reusable filters if you have an efficient way to pressure wash and clean them regularly and don't mind the hassle.

Spring roof cleaning 101

Time for a good cleaning: sweep off, clean the gutters and bypass from your cisterns

After pollen season . . . after a winter of moss and algae growth . . . cedar buds, fir needles and arbutus bark, it is time for a good roof and gutter clean. 

If you are hiring someone to do this, make sure of these 4 important criteria are met:

1. Make sure your collection system is diverted and bypassed so wash-water, debris and any cleaning products used do not go into your cistern! It will foul your water and make it unusable.
2. Ensure your contractor has WCB or other insurance coverage for injury. This is slippery and dangerous work
3. Confirm they use BC WorkSafe practices for fall prevention.
4. Make sure roof is rinsed thoroughly with clean water before putting your rain collection system back online to your cistern.

Take care and happy rain harvesting over the spring and summer. Be sure to divert first 10-20 gallons of rainfall after an extended dry period (week or more).

Be ready for colder temps . . .

If we are going to get sub-zero temperatures during our westcoast winters, January is usually the month. 

Watch the forecasts and be sure your water treatment equipment and pumphouse pipes etc. are protected from freezing.  

• Tube-style pipe insulation, a few old blankets over pumps, filter housings and pressure tanks (remember to keep pump air intakes clear of covering), and ensure pumphouse has an insulated door, ceiling and walls.  This will help greatly reduce the chances of a freeze and crack. 

•  For rainwater collection -- ensure your first rain diverter/bypass/ collection pipes that hold water are emptied and the bypass valves are left open so the pipes don't freeze if full of water.

Smelly, sulfur well water -- what to do

One of the most common well water quality complaints on the West Coast is dealing with smelly, rotten-egg water or sulphur water.

The telltale rotten-egg smell is almost always caused by H2S (hydrogen sulphide) -- a gas produced naturally and as a byproduct of bacteria (that is not a pathogenic strain) that "eats" sulfur.

Sometimes a homeowner may find it is worse in the late spring or late fall as ground water levels are falling/rising through strata that carries more sulphurous bearing rock. In other areas it is overwhelming and terrible year-round.

On Gabriola, there are degrees of intervention we employ based on how bad it is:

A) Intermittent , or with the seasons:

• Use a good quality activated coconut carbon filter -- either carbon block or granular GAC; and plan on changing out every 4-8 weeks (for a normal-sized filter) or every 3 -6 months for a Big Blue 10" filter.
•  If present more on the hot water than cold, the anode in the hot water tank is most likely contributing to the creation of H2S. Either swap out with an aluminum anode or cut off the old anode rod and put plug back in. IMPORTANT NOTE: this is commonly done by many people and plumbers in rural areas with H2S issues, but it voids your h/w tank warranty if it fails prematurely to its rated-life (rare). This is up to you!
• Occasionally (once or twice per year) dose your h/w tank with plain ordinary household bleach (5-6% chlorine) by putting 1-3 cups in your filter housing and turning on a h/w tap for several minutes to draw the bleach into the h/w tank. Let it sit for 12 -24 hours then purge tank via drain valve or use up bleachy water in a load or two of hot-water laundry (e..g. rags and whites). Very effective if done after you have the anode removed.
• Vent or have lots of fresh air in your bathroom when showering/bathing.

B) Chronic and powerful on hot and cold water lines:

• Install an automatic backwashing Manganese Greensand filter -- but only if you have the well capacity (pump rates exceeding 5-7 gallons per minute) and reliable quantity to operate the filter system. A few tests and calculations are needed, as well as qualified installation.
• Install a 1200 to 2400 gallon cistern and pump from well to cistern, so that water sprays in and aerates and offgases, then re-pressurize and pump to house service. The cistern should have a screened, critter and insect proof 4-6" bulkhead opening so that there is plenty of venting and air flow for off-gassing. Sediment and carbon filters should come afterwards.
• Install an automatic backwashing activated carbon filter -- but it will need to be re-bedding with new carbon  every 4-6 years. Results can be mixed.

Pollen 2012 -- BIG YEAR FOR THE TREES!

The telltale warning on your vehicle . . . it's here!

But not so good for your rainwater collection system.  Hopefully, when you noticed the first few green dustings on your car windshield back in March, you remembered the golden rule of rainwater harvesting . . . "bypass or first-flush divert all ye rainwater collection during pollen season or be warned -- thou shalt experience the dire stinky, foul,  horrible mess of cistern water for many weeks afterwards!"

See my posting from March 7, 2011 for tips and advice on rainwater collection.

The pollen is now starting to trail off dramatically, so in about 2 weeks it'll be time to clean out your gutters, downspouts and get ready for capturing the final rains of spring before dry season hits.

If you were one of the unfortunates that ignored or otherwise missed bypassing/diverting your rain harvesting during pollen season and you now have a foul mess in your cisterns, you may be looking at dosing with chlorine or peroxide, recirculating with a hose to oxygenate; or ultimately, draining and cleaning; and having horrible water conditions until the pollen eventually breaks down with biological activity and runs out via usage and dilution with additional rains. Don't make the same mistake next year!

Troubleshooting: UV system is in alarm, beeping

There have been some past instances -- especially after power is restored after an outage or even just randomly -- when Sterilight or Trojan UV systems go into alarm and stay in alarm. 

The beeping is continuous and there are no LED numbers or letters displayed on the power supply readout. It is very rarely a problem with the UV lamp, it is more likely the power supply, but to be sure, try the following to confirm:

1) Unplug from power outlet and wait ten seconds. Plug in again while at the same time, pressing and holding the reset button. Hold button and wait for continuous beep and then let go of reset button. If LED displays "365" and stays lit, all is good. If not, then . . .

2) TURN OFF water supply and run a downstream tap to release all water pressure from UV.   Gently remove clip on lamp-hood connector, and disconnect lamp. Using a clean cloth or cotton gloves to be sure you don't touch UV glass with bare hands, slide out lamp about 1/2 way and confirm it is not blackened, wet or corroded (i.e. you have a leak inside the quartz sleeve), and connector pins are not broken. If all OK, reconnect and try reset again as in #1 above. If no luck and still in alarm . . . last try to rule out UV lamp as issue . . .

3) Slide lamp back in. If you have an expired lamp on hand (and we always advise you keep at least one on-hand for this reason, or a new spare), expose just the pin end of lamp through the folded end of the cardboard container and position so that you can plug it in to lamp connector. DO NOT expose eyes or skin to direct UV light. KEEP LAMP COVERED, wear UV protected sunglasses.  Plug into power and attempt reset on the old lamp (as described in #1 above). If lamp lights up, then your currently installed lamp is faulty, if not, then your power supply has failed.

Contact your local Viqua dealer/service person for help with replacement and warranty service. Depending on the age and serial number of your UV system, there may either be a full two-year warranty on the power supply (since late 2011), or a remaining five year, prorated warranty.

Final tip -- to help protect your UV power supply, do not put it on a circuit with a pump or other heavy-power-draw appliances; and use a good surge protector for the UV. When you get new power supply, you will need to re-sanitize your water lines with chlorine, and obviously until UV is operating again, your water is not potable.

 

Keeping aware of your treatment equipment



Don't be too lackadaisical about monitoring your water treatment equipment . . .

Sometimes we get calls from customers that accidentally notice that their UV system is out of order, in alarm, or the filters haven't been changed for eons, or the softener hasn't had salt added for a year (so that's why there's iron staining on the new sinks!).

While we carefully database and notify all our customers for when their UV lamps are due, or other major service work is or intervals are required (sleeve cleaning, filter changes), it is important for customers to take some ownership over the safety of their own water, and set-up a system of regular periodic checks of their water treatment system.

TIP:  Put it on the calendar every month to check on things. (This is especially important if your treatment equipment is in an outbuilding or tucked into a corner of your crawlspace, garage or basement.)  If a power outtage occurs, write yourself a post-it note to check, when the power comes back on, that the UV and other treatment equipment has restarted and is functioning normally.



Power out -- checking your UV when Hydro is restored . . .

As the winter winds doth blow, so too come inevitable power outtages on the BC coast.

It is always good practice to refrain from using your taps (the residual pressure in your water system pressure tank), when there is no power. This is especially important when you have any history or suspicions that your water is not safe without UV treatment (i.e. all rainwater systems; past positive e-coli tests from your well water).

Three pointers to follow when your power comes back on:

1) Be sure to check to make sure your UV is indeed powered up and not in alarm (beeping or wailing). It may need to be reset (by unplugging for 10 seconds and/or pressing reset button while plugging back in). If this doesn't help, sadly the power cut may have caused your power supply/ballast to fail completely. We strongly advise you put your UV on a dedicated outlet (not sharing an outlet/circuit with a jet pump or centra-vac, etc), and use a good quality surge protector. Much more rarely, a power outtage could cause the lamp too blow, but it will typically show signs of "blackout" at the ends if this is the case.

2) Pour about 1/2 - 1 cup of regular household bleach/chlorine 5.25 - 6 % (unscented, NO fibreguard ) in your filter housing closest to the UV and draw water to all your water lines -- sinks, toilets, showers, etc. -- by running the water for a minute or two at all fixtures and taps. Leave for 20-30 minutes and then flush lines clear of all chlorine odour. Important: if you have an RO system, you will want make sure to shut-off inlet to RO before you use this much chlorine as it will do damage to your system's membrane.

3) If this does not seem practical and you are quite sure you didn't use lots of water at all the taps during the power outtage, at the very, very least, when the power comes back on and you know your UV is working fine, draw water to all your water lines -- sinks, toilets, showers, etc. -- flushing the waterlines fully open for a minute or two at all fixtures and taps.

Good value and competitive pricing . . .

      Here at Withey's Water Treatment, we are constantly checking our prices with other suppliers and retail outlets to ensure we are as competitive as possible -- meeting or beating prices of many hardware stores and suppliers on Vancouver Island.
      We are a long-time established, major dealer of Viqua Inc. (Trojan and Sterilight) and Waterite Inc. (filters) UVs and water treatment equipment on B.C.'s Gulf Islands.
     Our commitment is to excellent customer service, fairness and professional integrity. We maintain detailed customer service records and make sure we have your water treatment supplies in stock when you need it.

Winter on the Wet Coast

Time to make sure all your pipes are protected from freezing. Check rainwater collection pipes, gutters and downspouts for being clear and cleaned regularly to ensure you are getting all that plentiful winter rain, AND if extended sub-zero temperatures are in the forecast, ensure your rainwater cleanout/diverter is opened so that your collection pipe doesn't freeze and crack.

Summer HEAT and water supplies . . .

OK, so it doesn't quite get this hot and dry here on the south coast!                          But water tables will be dropping soon, and so homeowners should be moving into full-on water conservation mode.

Here are a few pointers . . .

• Do only full loads of laundry, and no multiple loads in one day.
• Get a water-saving shower head -- e.g. Water-Pik that allows you to shut-off flow at head for soaping up.
• Tell all your house guests the Gulf Islands toilet mantra: "if it's yellow, let it mellow . . ."
• Let your grass "go native" in our natural dry season; it bounces back in the fall.
• If you have a low-recovery well -- maybe this is the summer to finance and install a well-to-cistern-to-house system so you can slowly trickle fill a cistern to have a reservoir of water.
• Water the tender flowers and veggies in the early morning or late evening.
• Buy a well-watcher to monitor your well level if you've had a past history of it running dry.

How to Change Your Sterilight UV lamp

Here's a YouTube "How-to" video link posted by a colleague.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMJ9RMoBn6Y

Rainwater collectors . . . . Get ready for pollen season!!

Soon tree pollen will be drifting down, covering cars, lawn furniture, roofs and gutters. If you harvest rain for potable use, you need to be a good rainwater farmer and take steps to bypass and divert pollen-laden rainwater from getting into your cistern.

Australia, Texas, Oregon and several Caribbean nations are leaders in rainwater collection. Various sources from these regions as well as field knowledge gathered from hundreds of our customers collecting rainwater here on Gabriola, have given us some essential recommendations on maintaining your rainwater harvesting system. Here are tips to keep in mind:



WITHEY'S WATER TREATMENT
RAINWATER HARVESTING TIPS. . .



Overall:


 Monthly: spend about 10 minutes and do a walkabout of your system. Ensure gutters and downspouts aren’t plugged, screens are in place, pipe is not broken or leaking. Check cistern water level with a pole, gauge or tape and record in a log book. Check whole-house filters, change if needed. See that pump pressure is stable and not cycling (if it is, there may be a leak or faulty check valve). Ensure UV is on and not in alarm.


 Ensure gutters are in good condition and clean; put a screen/strainer over the gutter downspout hole to keep out mosquitoes and other insects from your pipes.


 Ensure collection cistern has leaf & insect screen in place, hatches are closed and overflow pipe, vents are screened to keep out critters.


 Periodically – (e.g.) yearly, biennially or at a time you think is necessary, clean your cistern(s) and flush out your collection pipes.


 Though Century Cisterns are HDPE-UV-stabilized, it’s a good idea to shade your cisterns to help reduce sunlight intensity and moderate the water temperature.


 If you have a first-rain diverter or cleanout – ensure you have it emptied and ready to go for the next rain after an extended dry-period.


 Occasionally, add plain 5.25% household chlorine bleach to your cisterns (dose: approx ¾ cup per every 1,200 gallons of stored water) to help kill organisms that may be present. Hydrogen peroxide -- 35% food grade -- can be used instead (dose: approx. ¼ to ½ litre per every 1,200 gallons of stored water). Use hose or bucket to re-circulate water in cisterns for 10 - 20 mins.


+ Spring/Summer:


 During extended dry periods (e.g. greater than 7-10 days) ensure your system is ready to bypass/divert the first rain so it cleans your roof and the atmosphere of pollutants. The only researched guideline on this is to allow for at least 10 gallons of rain to be diverted for every 1,000 sq ft of collection surface for a “typical roof”. If you have a piped-in first flush diverter, ensure it is empty and ready to accept the first-flush of rain. Otherwise, bypass your cistern and give a solid rainstorm about 2-4 hours of cleaning time before collecting.


 Clean and flush your gutters, collection pipes and roof after pollen season.


+ Fall/Winter


 Continue diverting first rain after any extended dry period.


 Ensure system is ready to go for the big winter rains. Collect rain continuously.


 Ensure “wet collection” & supply pipes are protected from freezing by earth or insulation. If you have a “wet-pipe” collection system and extended sub-zero temperatures are forecasted, open up your clean-out/rain diverter and empty the collection pipe of water so it doesn’t freeze and crack your collection pipes!

Help! Manure Management on the Gulf Islands

Is there proper manure management for horses, hobby animals on Gabriola and other Gulf Islands? The answer: slim to none. Most acreages or hobby farms I visit are blissfully unaware of proper manure management techniques.

Our extremely wet, soggy winters and highly porous soil and subsoil structure combined with an uncovered, unmanaged manure pile is a complete recipe for guaranteed groundwater contamination. Not only e-coli and possible pathogens, but nitrate loading of groundwater -- extreme health hazard. Treatment for Nitrates is complex and expensive. Best practice: manage your manure carefully, and avoid problems.

An excellent B.C. resource is http://www.manuremaiden.com/

Prevent leaching -- cover, contain, compost! (image courtesy: manuremaiden.com)

Become a Rain Gardener . . .

On B.C.'s Gulf Islands and in many other rural areas, increased housing developments are creating additional pressures on well water quantity and quality.

There is a growing consciousness that how we care for the surface areas of our properties has a direct impact on groundwater quality. There are regulations in place for restricting pollutants, septic system issues, and manure management that cause groundwater pollution, but there is a lack of direct guidance on landscape maintenance to provide the best rainwater collection and filtration capabilities.

Rain Gardening is an urban stormwater management technique that can be used to inspire thinking along these lines . . . http://www.raingardennetwork.com/ is one resource.

Essentially gardens and yards should be designed to have a diversity of bio-geographically suited grasses, shrubs and trees that help filter and slowly percolate rainwater into the ground. The less monoculture, pavement, channelling and ditching of runoff, and bare, compacted ground areas the better.  Leave your forested areas with a healthy understory of grasses and shrubs.

Home Design & Build -- Cisterns with Bypass/First Rain Diverters!!

In my business, I spend much of my time chatting with islanders, and reminding them of the basic techniques of being a good "rainwater farmer": watching the skies, using simply devised, easy to operate first rain diverters, maintaining treatment systems, and avoiding the plague of tree pollen season. It doesn't take much -- 10 -20 minutes every month for a homeowner to keep their systems operating effectively.

I hope that many of the home builders/designers will take heed too. I visit many homes that have cistern collection pipes hard-plumbed in, so that diverters and bypasses have to be scabbed on as an afterthought. And once a few heavy pollen seasons and decomposing debris build-up in the cisterns, water quality is very poor. It's a shame for beautiful homes to have what amounts to old pond water for their household supply.

If you are in the process of getting a home designed with a cistern built-in to the foundation, be sure to ask your builder to incorporate: 

1. Roof collection rain diverters/bpyass pipes -- so that 10 gallons of "first rain" per every 1,000 sq ft of rooftop collection surface is able to be diverted from your cistern;
2.  Incorporate chamber design into your concrete cistern -- so that one chamber at a time can be isolated, drawn down and cleaned periodically, while still maintaining a supply of water to the house.
3. If separated chamber design is not practical, construct  a sump area or collection well into the cistern so that the rainwater inlet filling  the cistern is partially dammed, calmed and isolated from the rest of the reservoir. A weighted half-height rain barrel would do. That way, rainwater falls into the barrel first (along with debris) before spilling over the submerged edges to fill the cistern.