Meet the Flovac team at OZWATER 2012

ozwater 2012

This years OZWATER conference will be held at Darling Harbour in Sydney on May 8-10. Our stand will be in Hall 5 5K16. We will have a working vacuum system rig to show you exactly how a vacuum sewerage system works. Our operators and engineers will be available to answer any questions. We look forward to seeing you there

Flovac Supports Earth Hour 31 March 2012

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Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for you to become more sustainable and do something positive for the environment. It’s been the source of inspiration for millions of people taking steps towards a cleaner, safer future. It’s not just about saving energy for one hour, it’s about going Beyond the Hour with lasting, behaviour-changing actions for a sustainable planet.   There are lots of ways you can take action for Earth Hour. http://www.earthhour.org/    

IFAT 7 to 11 MAY 2012 MUNICH GERMANY

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Please visit our booth at stand A6 no. 415 at this year’s IFAT. The world’s leading trade fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials Management. A number of Flovac colleagues from around the world will be in attendance to answer any of your questions about vacuum sewerage systems. We look forward to seeing you there and discussing opportunities with you over a friendly beer.

Updated Vacuum Sewage System for the Famous Bateaux Mouche

Bateaux Mouche

Flovac International is pleased to announce its latest project has been the upgrade of the vacuum toilets and sewage collection system on the famous Bateaux Mouche which is the first of many of the boats owned and run by the Compagnie des Bateaux Mouches. This famous company has been running boats along the Seine in Paris for more than 60 years. A vacuum toilet system is used on board the boats as a way of reducing both the water being held on board the boats as well as reducing what is discharged. vacuum toilets use less than 1 litre of water per flush, much less than the traditional 6 litres or even 14 litres used in many standard toilets. Vacuum …
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The Most Popular New Project in the World

The clear waters of Bonaire

Flovac has commenced work on an exciting project in the Caribbean island of Bonaire. All of our engineers and project managers are excited about being part of a project that will have a massive environmental impact in a paradise that is rated as one of the best diving locations in the world. Bonaire is a part of Netherlands although situated in the Caribbean and will soon be the first island in the Caribbean with a 100% sustainable energy supply. The government of Bonaire, who boasts on its island’s beauty and natural preservation, took a project of trashing its fossil fuel energy dependence and developing an energy system comprised of an 11MW wind farm, 14MW biodiesel plant, and a 3.5MW backup …
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Vacuum Systems Inside Buildings – Pushing Shit Uphill

Sustainable Cities

The European Standard EN 12109 “Vacuum Drainage Systems inside Buildings” (also covering the use of vacuum toilets) was presented in 1999.  It has been out for over 10 years now and we thought that it would be a good time to have a look and see how this market was developing. Vacuum Systems are being used in a variety of interesting projects, and for a variety of reasons, not just water and energy saving or even the low costs. Vacuum toilets are also being used in many projects. and over the years they have improved both aesthetically, operationally and are much quieter than their forebears traditionally found on planes and boats. FloVac Vacuum Toilet Vacuum toilets use less than 1 …
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Tonnes of Fat Dug Out of London Sewers

London sewers

Next time you’re tempted to pour leftover cooking oil down the sink, think again. A team of British sewer flushers is up against what they describe as “solid wall of fat” under London’s Leicester square, the result of years of careless flushing by the city’s inhabitants. An article posted on the web this week at http://observers.france24.com/en/content/20100714-major-fat-cleanup-operation-london-sewers-fatbergs shows the difficulties encountered when maintaining gravity sewers. The velocity of 3-5 metres per second in a vacuum system enables grease and fats to enter the sewerage system, mixing with water and breaking down during its transport  to the treatment plant. Thames Water, the company responsible for London sewers, estimates that over 1,000 tonnes of fat and waste are being removed from under Leicester …
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Coping in a world with less water

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The Downside of Saving Water In recent times severe water shortages in many parts of the world have led Water Authorities and consumers to rethink how water is used in households. Water restrictions in many areas have drastically cut the amount of potable water used, with car washing and garden watering severely restricted. Water savings devices have now been installed in many homes and many more products are now being developed. This is having a big impact on the way wastewater is taken from houses to be treated by municipal authorities. Many municipalities will soon adopt policies allowing greywater to be re-used within the house or on the garden. Products such as water efficient showerheads, washing machines, and flow inhibitors …
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Flovac representative in NZ and the Pacific

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We are pleased to announce the appointment of Hynds Environmental Systems Ltd as the representative for Flovac systems in both New Zealand and the PacificIslands. The Hynds Group was first established in 1973 as primarily a supplier of pipes to the rural and water industry in New Zealand. Over the years this business has expanded with the formation of Hynds Environmental in 2001, set up to specifically look at products that would meet the environmental challenges that General Manager, Peter Carroll could foresee. The business historically has focussed on solutions for wastewater and stormwater management and treatment. It was Peter Carroll who first saw the Flovac System and met Flovac’s Chairman, Willem Gooren at IFAT in Munich and realised the potential …
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Common Problems Found in Gravity Sewers

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One of the great myths about vacuum sewers is that they have more operational problems than traditional gravity networks. This is simply not the case. Certainly if something bad occurs in a vacuum system, like a blockage, the operator is notified quickly via alarms; he finds the problem quickly and solves it without the homeowners being adversely affected or overflows occurring. Gravity sewers though are prone to things going wrong for years and years without operators becoming fully aware until sewerage is flowing down the streets or onto the beach. Although the decision makers like to think that gravity sewers are easy to maintain and don’t have problems, we thought it worthwhile to explore some of the main problems that …
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