Foodservice Water Use Trends: Culligan’s ‘Three R’s’ of Using Less Water

Many cities and states have begun implementing water-use restrictions to address water conservation and protection goals, based on critical water shortages. Culligan Industrial has outlined how commercial businesses can put into practice the ‘three R’s’ of advanced water treatment and filtration: Reduce, Reclaim and Reuse. With these practices in place, companies can meet water-use restrictions now and improve water quality, while lowering operating costs well into the future, according to Rosemont, Ill.-based Culligan.

1. Reduce Water Needed for Business Operations. A simple step to improve overall water quality is through the adoption of a commercial water softener system. High-quality soft water can reduce the amount of water necessary during daily operations in restaurants and other foodservice operations. It helps ensure a spotless rinse the first time, eliminating the need for multiple rinse cycles for stemware.

Assessing true water demand is also essential. The addition of a progressive flow feature to the commercial water softener or filter system should be considered. This feature monitors water demand and brings tanks online or offline as needed, thus reducing any unnecessary water running through the system and down the drain. Operators should also consider installing multiple, smaller, units that require less water to regenerate or recharge the treatment capability of the softener system

2. Reclaim Water Treatment System Efficiency. Improving system operation can be critical. By implementing brine reclaim technology, businesses can not only “reclaim” system efficiency, but also reduce the amount of water needed for a typical softener regeneration cycle. With brine reclaim, a portion of reusable brine is returned to the brine tank during softener regeneration, reducing the amount of salt needed to remove hardness from the water, and the amount of water used per each regeneration cycle.

3. Reuse Existing Water Sources. Water from unlikely sources can be recycled and reused to reduce the overall water needed. Depth filters, which can retain large mass particles, and chlorine filters can be used to turn soapy water from dishwashers into water suitable for other uses

For more information, visit www.culliganmatrixsolutions.com or call 877-816-5103.