The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
New Handy Site On Plumbing
Investment and Operating Costs.
The comparative investments in different water softening systems depend entirely on the composition of the water. Lime soda plants remain fairly constant in cost with varying compositions, whereas exchange-silicate plants increase in size and cost with increase of hardness in the raw water. Cost of treatment depends also on the water composition and the proportion of temporary and permanent hardness. The cost of lime treatment alone is about one-third to one-half the cost of the corresponding salt for regeneration, but, as pointed out in the fore- going, the cost of the soda-ash treatment is about three times the cost of salt for regeneration. In conclusion, a typical case will be analyzed to determine the actual savings that would result from installing a water-softener without reference to the type used. Take a water of the following composition (same as water in the Bridgeport installation mentioned above):
Grains Per Gal.
| Total hardness, as CaCC3 = 130 ppm =7.7 Calcium hardness, as CaCC3 = 80 p p m. = 4.7 Magnesium hardness, as CaCO3 = 50 p p.m. = 3.0 Alkalinity, as CaCO3 = 80 p p.m. = 4.7 Temporary hardness, as CaCC3 = 80 p p m. = 4.7 Permanent hardness, as CaCC3 = 50 p p.m. = 3.0 |
Assuming a boiler plant of 3000 hp., consisting of ten boilers with no returns using 12,000' gal. (45,400 1 ) per hour raw feed water, the first cost including foundations and connections would be about $20,000. The cost of operation for chemicals would be about 3 cents per 1000 gal. (3785 1."). With a coal consumption of 1 pound (0.45 kg) per 8 pounds (3 62 kg) of water evaporated, the average daily consumption of coal would be about 150 tons. Assuming a price for coal at $4 per ton and a saving of 5 per cent for fuel, then the fixed and operating charges of water-softener would be.
Per Year
| 288,000 gal. per day X 3 cents = $8.64 = $3,150 Labor of operation = 500 Interest and depreciation, at 10 per cent... = 2,000 Total $5,650 |
