Hydraloop Case Study: Piha

Project Overview: How do you manage your water consumption when you have three teenagers and are living on tank water out at Piha in West Auckland?

Watching the water tanks roll in to the coastal town to top up people’s water supplies, Philip Kingston knew there had to be a better way. Fortunately, as GM of Watersmart, he knew just who to talk to!

Challenges: 

There are of course several sustainable solutions that Philip could draw from in Watersmart’s range to help manage his water use, however there were some specific challenges to consider that ruled some out –

• The section is on a steep slope which was not ideal for retrofitting additional large outdoor water tanks, with tricky access and space meaning that digging out or slimline tanks were not the best option.
• Additional storage solutions are also reliant on there being sufficient rain and if the weather is dry, like it is now, rainwater harvesting modelling will often indicate water reduction solutions are more effective than more storage.

The solution

It soon became clear that the best option for the needs of the household was a Hydraloop water recycling system. 

Hydraloop takes your shower, bath, and even washing machine water and disinfects it for reuse. The treated water can then be used for flushing toilets, doing more washing, and watering the garden. While Hydraloop has been used extensively overseas, Hydraloop was only introduced to New Zealand just over 18 months ago.

After having the system installed and operational for 18 months, the family has saved around 30% in their water usage. This equates to around 37,250 litres of water.

It is worth noting that this amount of savings could be even higher for other households. Modelling shows up to 45% water savings can be achieved. With a busy family, and teenagers coming and going, the Hydraloop discharges itself if the unit is not used for three days. Even in that sense the water is not wasted as Philip stores and uses the treated discharge for the garden.

One of the features Philip likes about Hydraloop is the ability to instantly check on your water usage and savings through the app that connects to the unit. The app can even recommend the best time to use your washing machine based on when the Hydraloop tank is full.

Another great benefit is the piece of mind that Watersmart is receiving notifications if there is a fault or the unit requires servicing. Whilst the CodeMark certified Hydraloop is very low maintenance and self-cleaning, like any piece of technology an annual service is important.

The outcome 

Hydraloop has demonstrated how ideal the solution is for off grid properties whether they are residential or commercial. (Hydraloop is also a potential solution for urban areas with constrained infrastructure hampering development. Watch out for our next case study on how Hydraloop can help achieve development goals).

Whilst best suited to new developments, where the Hydraloop can be incorporated into the design, Hydraloop can generally be retrofitted if a house is on elevated poles. An additional benefit of installing in a new development at the design stage is that resultant wastewater reductions can reduce the size a septic tank field requires.

A 30% saving on water usage has certainly reaped benefits in Piha, especially during a dry summer. Whilst others are having to pay for water to be trucked in, the Kingston household is functioning on what it has.

The best part however is that, along with the tomatoes being in better shape, there is less tension in the house from Philip not having to yell at his teenagers to get out of the shower and stop wasting water!