Water Quality: A Case of Mix and Match?

Water Efficiency | Jan/Feb Issue

No matter what a tank is made from, if it’s large enough and the water isn’t mixed enough, problems of quality, sedimentation, and nitrification can occur. Often, it happens during summer months when water in the upper portion of a tank warms faster than the lower portions, or vice versa in winter, plus the potential for ice damage. But either way, the thermal stratification prevents disinfectant chemicals from cycling throughout the tank, causing the process of nitrification, where naturally occurring microbes convert ammonia to nitrate. As the levels of nitrates increase, treatment chemical levels decrease, and bacterial growth can rise to the point of requiring a complete disposal of a tank’s contents.

Fortunately, there are many companies with a variety of solutions to the problem of tank agitation. PAX Water Technologies, Richmond, CA, offers the PAX Water Mixer, a submerged mechanical mixing system based on PAX’s patented Lily Impeller, mounted to a motor and stand that requires a minimal water depth of 8 feet. The unit needs only a 1/3 horsepower motor to mix tanks up to 7 million gallons, and initial thermal uniformity is usually reestablished within the first 24 hours.

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