FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Maintenance-free separation technology
1. Why should you only buy filterless separators?
Only filterless oil separators guarantee the elimination of repeat maintenance costs and offer decades of operational reliability. Despite the higher initial costs, the INOWA filterless oil separators reach the break-even point after only 3 - 5 years thanks to their low life cycle costs.
Choosing an oil separator from INOWA gives you invaluable advantages:
* 100% no filters
* 100% reliability against oil leakage
* 15-year warranty on the PEHD inner lining of the basin
2. What really matters when buying an oil separator?
Purchasing an oil separator is not just about the initial cost. What is more important is how a system installed 5 m deep will perform over the next 30 years. We guarantee that INOWA is the best choice.
In addition to frequent service activities, cleaning and other costly inspections, you need to take into consideration what you may have to contend with as soon as the first, legally required general inspection is performed after 5 years.
High repair and refurbishment costs may be incurred, and if the coating of the basin needs to be refurbished the entire system could be shut down for at least a week, which would mean an enormous loss of earnings and increased safety risks.
3. What is the PEHD inliner needed for?
As the technology leader, INOWA has been using the PEHD inliner for more than 20 years. This PEHD inliner, which is used for lining basins, offers you the following advantages:
* 15 years leak-free warranty.
* Highest resistance against mechanical and chemical stress.
* The PEHD inliner is also available in a double-walled design for leakage monitoring.
4. How is INOWA able to give a 15-year warranty on oil separators?
Because we manufacture the complete system ourselves in our workshops and have more than 20 years of experience, we can guarantee that INOWA oil separators are completely leak-proof.
For our customers, this means that there are guaranteed to be no problems during the general inspections required by law every 5 years. This saves you a great deal in repair and renovation costs and loss of earnings due to possible downtime of your entire business.
5. Which separator do I need for my business?
Every company needs a custom solution that is adapted to the local conditions.
Only filterless oil separators guarantee the elimination of repeat maintenance costs and offer decades of operational reliability. Despite the higher initial costs, the INOWA filterless oil separators reach the break-even point after only 3 - 5 years thanks to their low life cycle costs.
Choosing an oil separator from INOWA gives you invaluable advantages:
* 100% no filters
* 100% reliability against oil leakage
* 15-year warranty on the PEHD inner lining of the basin
2. What really matters when buying an oil separator?
Purchasing an oil separator is not just about the initial cost. What is more important is how a system installed 5 m deep will perform over the next 30 years. We guarantee that INOWA is the best choice.
In addition to frequent service activities, cleaning and other costly inspections, you need to take into consideration what you may have to contend with as soon as the first, legally required general inspection is performed after 5 years.
High repair and refurbishment costs may be incurred, and if the coating of the basin needs to be refurbished the entire system could be shut down for at least a week, which would mean an enormous loss of earnings and increased safety risks.
3. What is the PEHD inliner needed for?
As the technology leader, INOWA has been using the PEHD inliner for more than 20 years. This PEHD inliner, which is used for lining basins, offers you the following advantages:
* 15 years leak-free warranty.
* Highest resistance against mechanical and chemical stress.
* The PEHD inliner is also available in a double-walled design for leakage monitoring.
4. How is INOWA able to give a 15-year warranty on oil separators?
Because we manufacture the complete system ourselves in our workshops and have more than 20 years of experience, we can guarantee that INOWA oil separators are completely leak-proof.
For our customers, this means that there are guaranteed to be no problems during the general inspections required by law every 5 years. This saves you a great deal in repair and renovation costs and loss of earnings due to possible downtime of your entire business.
5. Which separator do I need for my business?
Every company needs a custom solution that is adapted to the local conditions.
Oval basin systems
1. What are the advantages of oval basin systems compared to conventional round basins?
Compared to conventional round basins, oval basins offer more favourable flow conditions and thus a better settling effect. Less material needs to be excavated to install them, which also results in lower construction costs. Oval basins offer a smaller installation depth with the same volume (e.g. for installation in groundwater or rocky subsoil, etc.).
2. For which applications can oval basin systems be used?
There are many situations where oval basins are ideal solution:
3. Are the basins customizable?
Oval basins are the optimal solution for a project-specific adaptation and integration of all necessary components in a single basin. Thanks to the flexible use of partitions, the basins can be customized for each job.
4. What are the advantages of prefabricated monolithic basins in comparison with cast-in-place concrete tanks?
Prefabricated basins offer a higher quality standard because they are inspected during factory production before they are shipped to the job site, which also speeds up the construction schedule.
Compared to conventional round basins, oval basins offer more favourable flow conditions and thus a better settling effect. Less material needs to be excavated to install them, which also results in lower construction costs. Oval basins offer a smaller installation depth with the same volume (e.g. for installation in groundwater or rocky subsoil, etc.).
2. For which applications can oval basin systems be used?
There are many situations where oval basins are ideal solution:
- Where large settling areas are required for sludge settling
- Multiple streams
3. Are the basins customizable?
Oval basins are the optimal solution for a project-specific adaptation and integration of all necessary components in a single basin. Thanks to the flexible use of partitions, the basins can be customized for each job.
4. What are the advantages of prefabricated monolithic basins in comparison with cast-in-place concrete tanks?
Prefabricated basins offer a higher quality standard because they are inspected during factory production before they are shipped to the job site, which also speeds up the construction schedule.
Fully biological water treatment
1. What is the difference between a conventional and a fully biological wash water treatment system?
In a car wash, solids such as dust, sand and organic substances (cleaning agents, humus, pollen, etc.) are carried away by the wash water.
In conventional treatment plants only solids (dust, sand etc.) are separated from the wash water by sedimentation or filtration. Dissolved organic substances remain in the circulating water and build up in concentration there.
In a fully biological treatment system, these dissolved organic substances are also broken down and removed from the circulating water. This ensures crystal clear process water!
2. How does a fully biological treatment system work?
The wash water, which has been pre-cleaned of sediment and floating matter, is fed into a fixed-bed bioreactor. This consists of a maintenance-free substrate material on which adapted micro-organisms are settled (immoblisation), that are supplied with oxygen from an integrated aeration system.
The anaerobic micro-organisms settled there break down the dissolved organic substances.
3. What is the main advantage of a fully biological treatment system?
Much lower levels of growth of biofilms on the walls and components of the washing plant (visible by brownish colouring) reduce the amount of cleaning required throughout the wash system many times over. The breeding ground for germs in the process water pipes and waste water sewers is greatly reduced.
4. Why does INOWA rely on fixed-bed bioreactor technology?
From our decades of experience in waste water treatment technology, we have found that the submerged fixed-bed process has become the most stable and reliable. The immobilisation of the micro-organisms in the fixed-bed bioreactor ensures the system is resilient to peak loads in terms of quality and volume.
5. When do you use biological water treatment?
Because the washing industry has raised its specifications due to the increased use of washing chemicals, you need to purify the process water using more in-depth technology than simply separating out solids. You have to ensure that dissolved organic substances are also broken down in order to guarantee sufficient water quality.
In a car wash, solids such as dust, sand and organic substances (cleaning agents, humus, pollen, etc.) are carried away by the wash water.
In conventional treatment plants only solids (dust, sand etc.) are separated from the wash water by sedimentation or filtration. Dissolved organic substances remain in the circulating water and build up in concentration there.
In a fully biological treatment system, these dissolved organic substances are also broken down and removed from the circulating water. This ensures crystal clear process water!
2. How does a fully biological treatment system work?
The wash water, which has been pre-cleaned of sediment and floating matter, is fed into a fixed-bed bioreactor. This consists of a maintenance-free substrate material on which adapted micro-organisms are settled (immoblisation), that are supplied with oxygen from an integrated aeration system.
The anaerobic micro-organisms settled there break down the dissolved organic substances.
3. What is the main advantage of a fully biological treatment system?
Much lower levels of growth of biofilms on the walls and components of the washing plant (visible by brownish colouring) reduce the amount of cleaning required throughout the wash system many times over. The breeding ground for germs in the process water pipes and waste water sewers is greatly reduced.
4. Why does INOWA rely on fixed-bed bioreactor technology?
From our decades of experience in waste water treatment technology, we have found that the submerged fixed-bed process has become the most stable and reliable. The immobilisation of the micro-organisms in the fixed-bed bioreactor ensures the system is resilient to peak loads in terms of quality and volume.
5. When do you use biological water treatment?
Because the washing industry has raised its specifications due to the increased use of washing chemicals, you need to purify the process water using more in-depth technology than simply separating out solids. You have to ensure that dissolved organic substances are also broken down in order to guarantee sufficient water quality.
Wash water filtration systems
1. Which approvals/tests do your filtration systems have?
Our wash water filtration systems are tested in accordance with the Austrian standard ÖNORM B 5107 and the test principles of the German Institute for Construction Technology. (permit number Z 83.3-23)
2. Which components do you need for a functional wash water treatment system?
For a wash water treatment system, you need to include coarse material separation, activation and fine material separation. These components must be optimally matched with each other. INOWA offers all these components from a single source.
3. How is the filter constructed?
In order to achieve a long service life, the filtration system has been designed as a multi-layer depth filter. The multi-layer design provides a high sludge storage volume and ensures consistent filtration performance during continuous operation.
4. How high are the savings potential and recycling rate?
INOWA wash water filtration systems treat 100% of the wash water produced. The actual recycling rate is determined primarily by the amount of fresh water drawn by the washing system for the final rinse, taking into consideration carry-over and evaporation.
Our wash water filtration systems are tested in accordance with the Austrian standard ÖNORM B 5107 and the test principles of the German Institute for Construction Technology. (permit number Z 83.3-23)
2. Which components do you need for a functional wash water treatment system?
For a wash water treatment system, you need to include coarse material separation, activation and fine material separation. These components must be optimally matched with each other. INOWA offers all these components from a single source.
3. How is the filter constructed?
In order to achieve a long service life, the filtration system has been designed as a multi-layer depth filter. The multi-layer design provides a high sludge storage volume and ensures consistent filtration performance during continuous operation.
4. How high are the savings potential and recycling rate?
INOWA wash water filtration systems treat 100% of the wash water produced. The actual recycling rate is determined primarily by the amount of fresh water drawn by the washing system for the final rinse, taking into consideration carry-over and evaporation.