Water recycling shower

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Water recycling showers (also known as recycle showers, circulation showers or re-circulation showers) are showers that use a basin and a pump to re-use the water during a shower session. The technology is used to reduce the use of drinking water and primary energy consumption for water heating. By lowering the (household) hot water demand, water recycling showers also allow for smaller heating appliances, like boilers, solar water heating systems and other HVAC solutions.

Contents

History

The first recycling shower, operated by a hand pump, was patented in England in 1767 by the stove maker William Feetham. [1] This recycling shower used the pump to push the water into a basin above the user's head. To receive the water, the user pulled a chain to release the water from the basin. Like this, the invention would recycle the same dirty water during the entire session. It also gradually lost temperature.

It was not until 200 years later, in 1979, that Billy G. Bloys invented a motorized version of the same concept, discarding the hand pump. [2] Using no filtration or a means of re-heating the water, the contraption likened the original invention by Feetham but did not improve on it beyond the electronic pump and some fixtures. It was never commercialized. In 1988, Francis R. Keeler patented a similar but smaller and more mobile version of the recycling shower for usage in motor homes, boats and airplanes. [3]

In 2011, Nick Christy of Australia won the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, an annual competition for sustainable ideas [4] for his version of the water recycling shower. The shower aimed to collect, filter, pasteurize and then dilute the water with fresh tap water to cool it again to the set temperature. Citing cultural problems and lack of traction in his native Australia, Christy aimed for the UK market. [5] They are yet to collect certification standards.

In 2013, the Swedish company Orbital Systems introduces their first shower, the launching company being a spinoff from a NASA internship. [6] It comprises a closed-loop system where the water is purified using a replaceable filter. These filter out particulate matter and microbes from drain water before sending the water back through the head. [7] After the capsules have been depleted, they have to be replaced at cost. Orbital Systems has had several high-profile investors, including Skype and Kazaa co-founder Niklas Zennström and Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of the fashion company H&M. [8]

In 2015, the Dutch company Hamwells introduced the e-Shower at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in London. [9] Citing hygiene issues in earlier solutions, Hamwells opted for a solution with a semi-closed loop where the water is used several times instead of the entire session. [10] External hot water is used to maintain temperature, with incoming hot water replacing the used water within the loop. In addition to replacement, water within the loop is filtered and purified with UV light. [11] For users unable or unwilling to use the recycling mode, the e-Shower offers a classic shower where all the water is drained. [12] Being a computer, the e-Shower is able to self-clean, regulate shower times between users and offer the user music streaming and remote control through mobile apps. [13]

Benefits

Water recycling showers have been explored by people who wish to conserve water and the energy needed to heat the water, for both environmental and economic reasons.

Energy savings

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, water heating is typically the second-largest energy expense in homes (after space heating). [14] Mostly destined for the shower, it accounts for roughly 17% of total household energy consumption. [15] Energy efficiency was the main driver behind the federal regulation, mandating the top flow of a shower head to be restricted to 2.5 gallons per minute. [16] Manufacturers of recycling showers typically claim a 70% to 90% reduction in shower energy consumption. [17] [18] [19] [20]

Water savings

Nearly 1.2 trillion gallons of water is used in the United States annually just for showering. [21] This is enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey for a year. [21] Manufacturers of recycling showers typically claim an 80% to 90% reduction in shower water consumption. [17] [18] [19] [20]

Also, before the shower reaches the set temperature, users leave the tap running. Typically 20 percent of every shower session is essentially lost this way. [22]

Comfort increase

A typical shower delivers 9.5 liters per minute (2.5 gallons per minute). Scientific studies that monitored hundreds of homes across the nation have shown that flow rates have little influence on the duration of the shower.

Related Research Articles

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Heat pump Pumps heat backward - a device that transfers thermal energy in the opposite direction of spontaneous heat transfer

A heat pump is a device that transfers heat energy from a source of heat to what is called a thermal reservoir. Heat pumps move thermal energy in the opposite direction of spontaneous heat transfer, by absorbing heat from a cold space and releasing it to a warmer one. A heat pump uses external power to accomplish the work of transferring energy from the heat source to the heat sink. The most common design of a heat pump involves four main components – a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and a compressor. The heat transfer medium circulated through these components is called refrigerant.

Sustainable living describes a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources, and one's personal resources. It is often called as "earth harmony living" or "net zero living". Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their ecological footprint by altering their methods of transportation, energy consumption, and/or diet. Its proponents aim to conduct their lives in ways that are consistent with sustainability, naturally balanced, and respectful of humanity's symbiotic relationship with the Earth's natural ecology. The practice and general philosophy of ecological living closely follows the overall principles of sustainable development.

Clothes dryer Appliance used for drying wet clothes

A clothes dryer, also known as tumble dryer, is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually shortly after they are washed in a washing machine. Otherwise, clothes may also be dried by natural evaporation and, if available, sunlight, on an outdoor or indoor clothes line or clothes horse.

Water conservation Policies for sustainable development of water use

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Shower place in which a person bathes under a spray of water

A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a swivelling nozzle aiming down on the user, while more complex showers have a showerhead connected to a hose that has a mounting bracket. This allows the showerer to hold the showerhead by hand to spray the water at different parts of their body. A shower can be installed in a small shower stall or bathtub with a plastic shower curtain or door. Showering is common in Western culture due to the efficiency of using it compared with a bathtub. Its use in hygiene is, therefore, common practice. A shower uses less water on average than a bath: 80 litres for a shower compared with 150 litres for a bath.

Water heating Thermodynamic process that uses energy sources to heat water

Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated to steam have many uses.

Solar water heating Use of sunlight for water heating with a solar thermal collector

Solar water heating (SWH) is the conversion of sunlight into heat for water heating using a solar thermal collector. A variety of configurations is available at varying cost to provide solutions in different climates and latitudes. SWHs are widely used for residential and some industrial applications.

Cooling tower Device which rejects waste to the atmosphere through the cooling of a water stream

A cooling tower is a heat rejection device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or, in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers, rely solely on air to cool the working fluid to near the dry-bulb air temperature.

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Electric heating Process in which electrical energy is converted to heat

Electric heating is a process in which electrical energy is converted to heat energy. Common applications include space heating, cooking, water heating and industrial processes. An electric heater is an electrical device that converts an electric current into heat. The heating element inside every electric heater is an electrical resistor, and works on the principle of Joule heating: an electric current passing through a resistor will convert that electrical energy into heat energy. Most modern electric heating devices use nichrome wire as the active element; the heating element, depicted on the right, uses nichrome wire supported by ceramic insulators.

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Water heat recycling

Water heat recycling is the use of a heat exchanger to recover energy and reuse heat from drain water from various activities such as dish-washing, clothes washing and especially showers. The technology is used to reduce primary energy consumption for water heating.

Instant hot water dispenser appliance that provides hot water

An instant hot water dispenser or boiling water tap is an appliance that dispenses water at about 94 °C (201 °F) (near-boiling). There are hot-only and hot and cool water models, and the water may be filtered as well as heated. Instant hot water dispensers became popular in the 1970s. Instant hot water dispensers are very similar to portable shower devices; the latter is fitted with a heating element and quickly heats up water, once a switch has been activated.

Waste heat recovery unit

A waste heat recovery unit (WHRU) is an energy recovery heat exchanger that transfers heat from process outputs at high temperature to another part of the process for some purpose, usually increased efficiency. The WHRU is a tool involved in cogeneration. Waste heat may be extracted from sources such as hot flue gases from a diesel generator, steam from cooling towers, or even waste water from cooling processes such as in steel cooling.

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Tankless water heating Water heaters that instantly heat water as it flows through the device

Tankless water heaters—also called instantaneous, continuous flow, inline, flash, on-demand, or instant-on water heaters are water heaters that instantly heat water as it flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally except for what is in the heat exchanger coil. Copper heat exchangers are preferred in these units because of their high thermal conductivity and ease of fabrication.

The Glossary of Geothermal Heating and Cooling provides definitions of many terms used within the Geothermal heat pump industry. The terms in this glossary may be used by industry professionals, for education materials, and by the general public.

References

  1. ↑ "A 19th Century Regency Era Shower". Jane Austen's World. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Bloys, Billy (5 September 1979). "Water conservation shower". Google Patents. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. ↑ Keeler, Francis. "Water-recycling shower". Google Patents. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Green Challenge". Postcode Lottery Green Challenge. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Dow, Catherine (30 May 2014). "Shower that recycles water eyes UK with target saving of a billion litres". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Blendis, Stefanie (11 November 2013). "Futuristic water-recycling shower cuts bills by over $1,000". CNN. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  7. ↑ Kanellos, Michael (12 October 2015). "The Tesla Of Showers". Forbes. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "Swedish water-saving company Orbital Systems gets EU backing". Reuters. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  9. ↑ Biggs, John (7 December 2015). "Hamwells e-Shower Connects Your Shower To The Internet Of Things (And Bathing)". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  10. ↑ Cooper, Daniel (7 December 2015). "The shower of the future will save the planet, but at a high price". Engadget. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  11. ↑ Kraft, Amy (7 December 2017). "Do you need a "smart" shower?". CBS News. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  12. ↑ "20 of the world's hottest start-ups of 2015". CNBC. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  13. ↑ McGrath, Jenny (3 October 2016). "This $3,000 shower recycles water, achieving a 90-percent reduction in amount used". Digital Trends. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home" (PDF). US Department of Energy. September 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "#AskEnergySaver: Home Water Heating". U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "Appliance and Equipment Standards Rulemakings and Notices". U.S. Department of Energy. 1992. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  17. 1 2 "Hamwells". Hamwells e-Shower. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  18. 1 2 "Cintep". Cintep. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Orbital Systems". Orbital Systems. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  20. 1 2 "Shower Loop". Shower Loop. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  21. 1 2 "WaterSense Labeled Showerheads". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  22. ↑ Mooney, Chris (4 March 2017). "Your shower is wasting huge amounts of energy and water. Here's what you can do about it". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
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