Image by : DL Plastics.
Efficient and reliable water storage is part of a vital infrastructure, providing a sustainable resource to fuel the future of farming business.
Evaporation control is essential not only in arid regions, but is an important consideration for any water storage system. With water scarcity becoming an increasing concern in the African nations, and across the world, appropriate water storage is key for all farming businesses.
VapourGuard™ is a floating cover solution for evaporation control and maintaining water clarity. This material, created by Plastipack Ltd in the United Kingdom, has been designed to be a robust adaptable solution to increase the efficiency of water storage and rainwater harvesting systems.
’VapourGuard™ provides a physical barrier to evaporation and debris. The opaque material prevents algae growth while the reflective top layer reflects heat away from the stored water. These features increase the efficiency of the water storage area, reducing maintenance time and costs while minimizing evaporative consumption.
VapourGuard™ comes with a 10-year pro rata manufacturer’s warranty, and offers higher efficiencies then alternatives such as shade cloths. The floating material sits on the water’s surface reducing evaporation by over 98%.
Controlling evaporation maintains a vital resource by reducing losses to the environment. Evaporation is a continuous loss to the overall efficiency of a water storage system. A VapourGuard™ cover in South Africa on a 3m x 15m diameter tank can save enough water to refill the tank 7.2 times within its warrantied lifespan. This efficiency in preserving the water supply alone would provide enough savings to recoup the cost of the cover within less than a year. In more extreme climates such as Namibia (where evaporation rates are as high as 3.7m/yr), water savings equivalent to refilling the tank up to 12 times over can be seen. To put it simply, a VapourGuard™ cover in Namibia would pay for itself in as little as 4 months.
The addition of small drainage holes in the VapourGuard™ material can allow rainwater through the material adding the water resource and removing the need for a sump pump to prevent swamping of the covers.
The opaque material blocks out light preventing algae growth reducing treatment and filtration costs and reducing sediment build up within the storage area. Preventing algae growth improves the clarity of the water supply insuring a consistent and usable supply without additional treatments costs.
To find out more about VapourGuard™ and how it could reduce your water storage costs, please visit www.vapourguard.com or contact the manufacturer on info@plastipack.co.uk
