December 19, 2022

Don’t Waste, Save: Practical Tips to Cut Back on Water Usage in the Home During the Holidays

Introduction

It’s the holiday season, and that means gatherings with friends and family, plenty of delicious food, and festive cheer. But it also means increased water usage in your home.

Between cooking, washing dishes, and showering, your water bill is likely to be a good bit higher this month. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Below are some practical tips to help you cut back on water usage in your home during the holidays.

Simple Swaps to Reduce Water Usage

Think about it: the holidays are a time when we all tend to use more water than usual. Whether it’s running the dishwasher or washing extra laundry, the surge in water usage can really add up.

But there are simple ways to reduce your water usage without making a big fuss. One easy swap is to think about how you’re using your water. For instance, instead of letting the faucet run while you brush your teeth, turn it off while you’re sudsing up. And instead of taking long showers, try to keep them under 10 minutes.

You can also conserve water by making small changes to your daily routine. For example, try watering your plants and garden in the morning or evening instead of during the heat of the day. And make sure to only run the dishwasher and washing machine when they’re full.

Making a few small changes can add up to big savings on your water bill—and help conserve this valuable resource for years to come.

Install Water-Saving Fixtures

You can also install water-saving fixtures in your home, such as low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. This can help you reduce your water usage by almost 50%.

Reuse Greywater

One thing you can do to reduce your water usage is to reuse greywater. Greywater is the water that comes from your laundry, shower and bathroom sinks. Instead of sending this water down the drain, you can use it to water your plants or flush your toilet.

To do this, you’ll need a greywater system. This system will divert the greywater from your home to a holding tank or treatment system. There are a number of different greywater systems available, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget.

If you’re not sure if a greywater system is right for you, contact us to get to know what water conservation system is best for you.

Recycle Rainwater for Outdoor Watering

One way you can save water is by recycling rainwater for outdoor watering. You can do this by collecting rainwater in a rain water tank placed beneath your home’s gutter downspout. Most rain water tanks have a spigot near the bottom so you can attach a pipe and direct the water to where you want it to go.

Not only does this save water, but it also saves money on your water bill. And it’s good for the environment too because you’re not using treated water from the municipal supply.

Install a Smart Irrigation System

If you have a garden, chances are you water it regularly. And while this is great for your plants, it’s not so great for your water bill. One way to cut back on water usage is to install a smart irrigation system.

Smart irrigation systems are designed to water your garden only when it needs it, which means you’re not wasting water (or money) on watering when it’s not necessary.

There are a few different types of smart irrigation systems, but the most common use sensors to determine when watering is needed. Some newer systems even connect to weather forecasts and will adjust watering accordingly.

Installing a smart irrigation system is a great way to save water and money, and it’s something you can do this holiday season to help make your home more sustainable.

Weekly Maintenance Tips for Water Conservation

Here are some practical tips to help you prevent water waste in your home during the holiday season:

– Check all toilets for leaks and have them repaired promptly. A small leak can waste hundreds of liters of water per day.

– Inspect faucets and pipes regularly for leaks and have them repaired as soon as possible.

– Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. This will help you save water without sacrificing performance.

– Use your dishwasher and clothes washer only when they are full. This will save water and energy.

– Collect rainwater in a rain water tanks to water your plants. This is a great way to recycle water that would otherwise be wasted.

– Educate your family and friends about the importance of water conservation. The more people that are aware of the issue, the more we can all do to help solve it.

Conclusion

You may not be able to control the weather, but with a few simple tips, you can conserve water while still enjoying your holiday season. We hope these tips help you cut down on your water usage and save you some money in the process!

CESP Africa0 commentClimate change, Products, Social Media

August 17, 2022

Our water filtration system vs refillable water bottles.

Water dispensers are a silent but integral part of any home or office. Not glamorous by any stretch but when you’re feeling thirsty, it’s just what you need.

Our water dispensers are slightly different because they connect directly to your water system, filter your council or borehole water to give you clean drinking water.

For those seeking a slightly more inconspicuous solution, we have an under-sink system. Same connection to your water system but the system fits right under your sink, with a tap to get your clean filtered water.

Comparison

Both our under-sink and stand-alone dispensers use the same technology to treat your water. They use reverse osmosis as well as other filters to clean the water. To read more about how exactly the system works, read here.

Under-sink / Stand-alone dispenser.

Our systems use reverse osmosis, as well as other filters to remove any bacteria, viruses, dissolved salts, suspended solids and any other impurities from your tap water. To find out more about how reverse osmosis works read here.
Drinking water is always available provided there is electricity and council/borehole water. The system is self-regulating, meaning you set it and leave it and it will purify water to keep its tank full.
Our water filtration system comes with an initial purchase cost and cost of filters, but in the long run is very economical.
The systems are easy to maintain, requiring very little maintenance and replacing filters every 6-8 months.
The under-sink system is also very discrete, with only a tap to dispense your drinking water visible.

Water bottle dispensers.

Majority of drinking water providers also use reverse osmosis to remove impurities from their water.
The water bottles require constant refilling.
There is the initial purchase cost of the dispenser as well as the cost of constantly refilling, which can accumulate quickly to be expensive.
The dispensers require the water bottles to be constantly monitored and replaced.

CESP Africa0 commentProducts, Water treatment

August 3, 2022

New home owners often forget about wastewater treatment. Here is how you could save yourself if you plan ahead.

Building your own home is a dream for many people. Moving away from paying rent and stresses of having a landlord can be liberating. As you build your own home there are many considerations you have to make.

From the location you intend to build on to your budget (We’ll talk about this a bit more later in this blog) to the size of your home etc. There are so many things to keep in mind it can get overwhelming. For people planning on building in areas that don’t have a sewer system how you plan on dealing with your wastewater is a consideration to add to that long list.

Often people throw it at the bottom of the list of priorities. Saying things like “We’ll install a septic tank later”

The thing about wastewater treatment is that it can be deceptively expensive and cumbersome to deal with if you don’t plan well. As you are building your home when it comes to wastewater treatment you have a few options; physical water treatment, biological water treatment, chemical treatment, and sludge treatment.

A septic tank uses physical means to clean the wastewater. Septic tanks have their own considerations that we cover here.

Construction site view of a new septic tank.

Today we will look at why one of our domestic wastewater treatment systems could be the answer to your wastewater problems. To read about how exactly the system works you can read here.

Larger domestic wastewater treatment system

Advantages of our wastewater treatment system

Efficiency.

Overall, the system is effective in its treatment of wastewater and also produces high quality effluent. The effluent is basically clean water that can be used to water plants or clean driveways.

Because of the reflux step in the treatment process, the system produces a small amount of sludge. Reducing associated maintenance cost and labor.

It’s a simple system to install and maintain.

The system comes as a complete and compact package that is ready to install. The only preparations required are digging a hole to fit the system and installing plumbing to get to the system. Maintenance is also simple as it only requires Biotreat, which is a wastewater treatment system additive, and OSS, which is the activated microbial culture.

Installation of our domestic wastewater treatment system.

It is a cost-effective system.

Installation is cheaper as it does not require any specialized equipment. Some other systems require structures that have to be specially made.

Maintenance is also cost effective.

Additional considerations

The system produces clean effluent, but it is not fit for human consumption unless additional treatment is done to it. Reverse osmosis filtration is suitable to completely clean the effluent, to read about it click here.

CESP Africa0 commentProducts, Social Media, Wastewater treatment

July 15, 2022

ECODEPUR® Depurwash water recycle system.

Drinking water is an increasingly scarce asset, and it should be made every effort to preserve water reserves still available. More than preserve an indispensable resource for future generations, saving water means economic savings for current generations (reducing potable water consumption and costs of waste water rejection).
For washing vehicles it is still used a great quantity of drinking water, and usually the quality of this water is much higher than the necessary for this purpose. The big problem is that in most cases we use drinking water for these purposes only for the reason that it is the only source available.

CESP Africa0 commentAuthorized distributors, Products

March 15, 2022

How our wastewater system gives you clean water.

Wastewater treatment aims to get rid of the contaminants in wastewater to produce clean effluent. There are different treatment technologies to achieve this end, here we will go through the activated sludge treatment process. The process uses bacteria that biologically digests the solid matter in the wastewater to leave clean effluent as a final product.

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Wastewater treatment process.

Flow regulation.

The flow equalization chamber receives the raw wastewater. A screen filters the raw wastewater going into the first chamber, large solid matter as well as material that can not be broken down by the system is filtered out. Undigestable material may include fabric, pads, surgical masks etc. Often issues in the wastewater treatment plant arise because of undigestable solid matter clogging up different stages in the treatment process (e.g. clogging pumps in the system) hence the screening process is very important.

The content and rate of flow into the system varies throughout the day hence this chamber aims to homogenize the wastewater as it goes into the system.

Anaerobic digestion.

The digestion process starts in this chamber. Bacteria breaks down the wastewater without using oxygen hence an anaerobic process. At this stage the bacteria breaks down the nitrogenous components of the wastewater.

Aerobic digestion.

In this stage, the effluent shall be treated in extended aerobic biological reactor. The system is designed for extended aeration mode where excess oxygen is provided for oxidizing the carbonaceous as well as the nitrogenous BOD present in the effluent.

The organic wastewater is introduced into a reactor where an aerobic bacterial culture is maintained in suspension. The reactor contents are referred to as the Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS). In the reactor, the bacterial culture carries out the conversion in general accordance with the stoichiometry as under:

Reaction:

COHNS +O2 + NUTRIENTS –bacteria- CO2+NH3+ C5H7NO2+ other end products (Organic matter)

The aerobic environment in the reactor is achieved by the use of Mechanical Surface Aerators, which also serves to maintain the reactor contents in a completely mixed regime. After a specified period of time the mixture of new cells and old cells is passed into a secondary clarifier, where the cells are separated from the treated wastewater.

A portion of the settled cells is recycled back to the aeration tank to maintain the desired concentration of organisms in the reactor, and a portion is wasted. In this system due to the extended retention period in the reactor the bacteria enters into the endogenous respiration phase resulting in relatively simple end products and energy, stable end products are also formed. The endogenous respiration phase is represented by following equation:

Bacteria

C5H7NO2 + 5 O2 —————-CO2 + 2H2O + NH3 + energy

The effluent will then flow into the sedimentation tank.

Sedimentation

The effluent moves to the next chamber where it settles. Any remaining solid material settles to the bottom of the chamber. Clean water from the top of the chamber is flows into the next chamber.

Any solids that settle in this chamber are refluxed back to the anaerobic chamber where the solid matter is taken through the digestion process again. The material that settles at this stage also contains bacteria which can be reused to avoid need for constant repopulation of the bacterial in the system.

Middle water tank.

For systems that have additional filtration of the effluent, the middle water tank acts as temporary storage before filtration.

Sand filtration.

A sand filter removes any remaining suspended solids from the effluent.

Clean water tank.

The clean water tank stores clean effluent ready for use.

The effluent can be disinfected by adding chlorine.. Depending on local regulation the effluent may be drained away or used for irrigation, gardening etc.

Commercial wastewater treatment plant — A mid-sized activated sludge wastewater treatment system.

The activated sludge treatment process is a relatively simple, it is generally cheaper and easier to maintain. It can also be scaled up, from domestic systems to larger commercial systems.

CESP Africa0 commentProducts, Wastewater treatment

February 16, 2022

Domestic borehole water filtration system case study.

We supplied an 800 GPD (3,600LPD) reverse osmosis filtration system to a home in Nairobi county. The client was struggling with borehole water that discolored and had a large amount of suspended solids.

The control panel and a view of the overall system.

The client took a water sample thereafter had it analyzed and got the following results.

Borehole water analysis

PARAMETER	Values	KS EAS 12:2018*	WHO standards	Remarks
Colour (Pt. Co. APHA Colour)	561	50	15	Fail
Turbidity (NTU TUB)	83.1	25	5.0	Fail
Total Suspended Solids (mg/L TSS)	52	ND	NIL	Fail
Iron (mg/L Fe)	6.45	0.3	0.3	Fail
Manganese (mg/L Mn)	0.317	0.1	–	Fail
Ammonia (mg/L NH3)	1.7	0.5	0.5	Fail
BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Total Coliforms (cfu/100 ml TC)	37	ND	ND	Fail

Results from the water analysis

*The KS EAS 13:2018 specifies requirements for packaged mineral water for human consumption. This standard applies to natural mineral water, mineral water, natural spring water, spring water and carbonated mineral water.

The analysis confirmed our suspicions on what might be the main issues with the water. The dissolved iron and manganese were responsible for the colour of the water.

The findings led the design team to chose a reverse osmosis system, as it would remove all dissolved salts as well as any bacteria present in the water. A plant of 800GPD was chosen to match the needs of the household.

The plant also includes :

Multi-grade sand filter,
Greensand and DMI65
Activated carbon filters.

How the plant works.

Water from the borehole is pumped into a 5,000-liter raw water tank. A pump directs the water through the first vessel with a multi-grade sand filter to remove any suspended solids. The second vessel contains Greensand and DMI65 which remove iron and manganese in the water. The third vessel contains activated carbon to remove chlorine* in the water.

*The chlorine kills any bacteria and viruses present in the water.

The water is then passed through a PP, Granular activated carbon and CTO filter to further filter out any suspended solids, colour, odors and bad taste from the water.

Another pump then passes the water through the reverse osmosis (R.O) filter to remove any dissolved salts from the water. Finally, tan ultraviolet filter kills any remaining pathogens in the water.

A 5,000 liter tank stores the now filtered water, ready for use.

Raw borehole water and clean water after filtration.

Maintenance

The system is set to periodically backwash the 3 larger vessels, this prevents the filters from getting clogged with suspended solids and other contaminants in the water.

The R.O. filter is periodically backwashed to prevent it from clogging. The system is also set to automatically dose anti-scallant to prevent any buildup on the R.O. membrane.

The PP, Granular activated carbon and CTO filters are replaced as needed.

CESP Africa0 commentProducts, Water treatment

February 5, 2022

What you need to know about septic tanks.

What is a septic tank?

A septic tank is a tank typically placed underground, in which Settling and anaerobic processes reduce wastewater (solids and organics). Typically, septic tanks are made of concrete or are ready to install plastic tanks. Though their treatment efficiency is only moderate.

Septic tank systems are a type of simple onsite sewage facility.

Mistakenly, the term may be used to refer to a wastewater storage tank or a biodigester. These two are different and serve different purposes. A wastewater storage tank doesn’t treat the wastewater but only acts as a temporary hold before it is transported away. A bio-digester takes advantage of aerobic processes to more effectively break down the wastewater to give clean effluent.

Septic systems are also called:

onsite wastewater treatment systems,
decentralized wastewater treatment systems,
cluster systems,
on-lot systems,
individual sewage disposal systems, and
private sewage systems.

How it works.

Septic tanks usually comprise of one or two Large chambers depending on the needs of the people it serves.

The first chamber receives the wastewater and regulates its flow. The solid waste, being heavier, sinks to the bottom of the chamber. The liquid portion of the wastewater fills the first chamber until it reaches the inlet into the second chamber. The same happens in the second chamber until it fills the chamber. At the liquid then leaves the septic tank through an out let into a soak pit.

The fats and oils float on top of the liquid portion of the wastewater to form a layer of scum. The solid waste settles at the bottom of the septic tank’s chambers forming a sludge.

There are bacteria in the wastewater that anaerobically digest a portion of the waste. The rate of digestion is slow hence the sludge needs to be periodically emptied.

The soak pit is a covered, porous-walled chamber that allows water to slowly soak into the ground.

Considerations when choosing a septic tank

Size the system will occupy.

The size of the system is dependent on the number of people expected to use the system. Typically, the breakdown of wastewater in the septic tank is slow so it has to be dug deeper, than say a biodigester. Some may even be up to 7 meters deep.

Emptying the system.

The breakdown process is slow because the system only utilizes anaerobic processed, hence sludge usually accumulates in the tank.

Periodically the system will have to be emptied out using an exhauster or vacuum truck.

The soak pit.

The soil has to be able to soak up the liquid portion of the wastewater after the septic tank or stand the chance of saturating the nearby soil. This could form puddles of wastewater on the surface or in extreme cases collapse of the soak pit.

Why use a septic tank?

It might be your only option.

Many areas within Kenya, especially rural areas, do not have access to government provided wastewater treatment facilities. When faced with such a situation getting a septic tank to partially treat and hold waste water might be the only real option you have.

Public and environmental health.

Some more impoverished parts of the country that lack proper wastewater management systems resort to dumping their sewage, which is a huge public health and environmental risk. As a solution, one could use a septic tank to hold their wastewater.

What are my options?

When the local administration hasn’t provided a wastewater disposal solution your main options are a septic tank or an aerobic wastewater treatment system. The latter having its own advantages and considerations over a septic tank.

CESP Africa0 commentProducts, Wastewater treatment

September 30, 2021

The water dispenser to get reverse osmosis in your household.

If you’ve ever had bottled water and read the label, you’re sure to have come across the phrase reverse osmosis. Many of us only know that it means the water is clean. What we want to know is. What is reverse osmosis? How does it ensure our water is fit to drink? How our water dispenser can easily get purified water in our homes?

Good old osmosis

To better understand reverse osmosis let’s begin with regular osmosis. Osmosis refers to the movement of solutes, in our case water, across a membrane in response to a difference in concentration across the two sides of the membranes. In the past fruit and meat were preserved thanks to osmosis. Fruit preservation uses osmosis to draw out water to dehydrate it. Meat, on the other hand, draws salt in. As a result, it stops any bacterial growth hence preserving the meat from going bad.

Reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis still makes use of the membrane but unlike regular osmosis ,the solvent moves from high solute concentration to a low solute concentration. A pressure applied on the side of the membrane with a higher solute (unpurified water) concentration forces the solvent to move through the membrane to where it is less concentrated (purified water). The solvent being water and the solutes dissolved minerals, pathogens, suspended material etc.

By that definition you can see how reverse osmosis can be a great tool to get clean drinkable water. Most interaction with water purified to this standard is mostly with bottled water. That doesn’t have to be the case.

The water dispenser to get you clean drinking water.

Top mounted water dispensers are the most common. The ones with a huge bottle of water on top that you have to get refilled at a shop. The CESP Africa bottle less water dispenser brings the same standard of clean water to the home.

CESP Africa offers home and office-based solutions with integrated reverse osmosis solutions that connects to your existing water system and filters your tap water to give you clean drinkable water. These home and office solutions are;

A standalone water dispenser system.

CESP Africa bottle less water dispenser.

A familiar form factor, similar to a regular dispenser without the large bottle of water on top. The dispenser has a couple of features; Firstly, a LED display denoting the temperature of the hot and cold water for you to get the exact temperature of water you want. Secondly, to protect any children, the dispenser has a safety knob on the hot water tap. Thirdly an energy saving settings to help conserve energy and save on your power bill when not in use.

A table top filtration and water dispenser system.

Portable tabletop filtration and water dispenser system.

A compact and portable filtration system to get you clean drinking water.

An under-sink water purifier system.

A more discrete solution. The under-sink system attaches easily below your sink to give a dedicated faucet for purified drinking water.

To sum it all up

All three filtration systems use reverse osmosis to purify the water. Water is passes through a 0.0001 micron membrane. All of this to completely remove water contaminants such as heavy metals, excess salt, bacteria and viruses.

Other filtration systems commonly used are nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration. As well as reverse osmosis these other filtration methods can be used to provide the purest drinking water . These dispensers ensure water safety in your home or office without the hustle of replacing large cumbersome water bottles.

CESP Africa0 commentProducts, Social Media

July 17, 2018

CESP WATER QUALITY MONITORING

Water quality monitoring is a key indicator of services provided to the consumer and more importantly has impacts on both health and the environment. It is for this reason that CESP ensures efficient management of water quality by providing wastewater testing, data analysis,
record keeping, reporting and suggestion of recommended actions in an effective manner so as to ensure compliance with NEMA.

WHAT DO WE TEST?

Water quality monitoring involves a series of frequent tests on parameters for both waste and treated water. These parameters include:
I. Bacteriological parameters that should be tested before selection and during operation of the supply because of their immediate and significant impacts on human health hence their frequent analysis.

II. Physicochemical parameters; even though they don’t have an immediate impact on human health they are important in giving a guide to the quality of water treated and distributed to the consumers.

III. Wastewater Parameters (Effluent Parameters): To determine the actual organic loading of a waste plant and to monitor the effluent to determine compliance with NEMA.

For both on-going and maintenance CESP projects there is:
I. Mandatory Analysis– this is done before the project moves to the subsequent stage and provides important factors for considerations that will help the engineering team to make informed decisions.

II. Recommended Analysis- this is done on advice or on-demand based on expected conditions of that specific stage and does not interfere with the subsequent stage unless there is need to.

*Taking Precise Measurements is Important for our Testing Process*

WHY IS ALL THIS NECESSARY?

Routine monitoring and evaluation of water quality is very vital:
I. It helps to curb environmental pollution especially in the aquatic ecosystems because of depletion of oxygen that can lead to death of some aquatic organisms.
II. Reduce risks on human health due to toxicity of substances such as heavy metals and residual chlorine from the wastewater plant effluents.

III. To ensure proper performance of your wastewater plant and ensure minimal maintenance expenses are incurred by the client due to sensitivity of some apparatus e.g. Reverse Osmosis Membranes to scaling.

IV. As it helps reduce the adverse effects on the clarity and colour of water without which its popularity for recreational use would decline

*CESP Top of the Range Water Quality Testing Equipment*

WHY CHOOSE CESP AS YOUR WATER QUALITY MAINTENANCE GUY?!

Through our thorough and constant assessment of the water quality of your wastewater plant we provide for proactive troubleshooting of the plant as it’s a whole system that is interdependent on other systems.
CESP also ensures that we keep up with the ever changing technology and with our continuous research in emerging water monitoring techniques and the required water quality regulations we increase the efficiency of our treatment plants so as
to be in the forefront in wastewater management in the region and beyond.