INTERNATIONAL NEWS 7
AC condensate – flushing toilets in the UK
Two directors of a UK building services company have launched the world ’ s first cistern that uses condensate from air-conditioning units to flush the toilets .
Graham Kelly and David Davis of the Leeds-based G & H Group have created Encore ( Environmental Condensate Recovery ), which is described as the most environmentally friendly cistern available , as it uses a free , sustainable water supply that until now has been drained to waste .
G & H Group
Based on data , with 15 119 rooms in 114 hotels currently being built in the UK , the company says that using Encore would save the average hotel 1.92 million litres a year . And the water savings are even higher in hotter climates where more condensate is generated .
The Encore cistern has been designed to use the condensate from air-conditioning units to flush toilets .
In the US , the 1 477 hotels currently in construction would save 4.7 billion litres of water a year and 2.4 billion litres for the 302 hotels in the Middle East , the company maintains .
Davis says , “ For decades we ’ ve designed and installed schemes and watched the stream of water produced by air-conditioning units literally go down the drain , but not via the toilet .” Encore can be used globally and is said to be ideal for those building and refurbishing hotels , villas , apartments , offices , and anywhere with toilets and air conditioning .
The patented technology means the amount of water used in each flush is adjustable from 6 – 1.5l to meet different international requirements . Encore holds 18l of water , which is three times more than a conventional cistern , but its dual-chamber design means it still fits like standard models . The bottom chamber holds 6l , which comes from the mains pipe . The upper 12l chamber is filled with air-conditioning condensate .
When the toilet is flushed , the lower chamber empties and refills with condensate from the upper chamber . If there are multiple flushes close together or when the air conditioning is not in use , the cistern is filled in the conventional way from the mains fed pipe . If the toilet is not used for a while , surplus condensate is fed away . PA
www . plumbingafrica . co . za October 2017 Volume 23 I Number 8