Bottle Washing in Hard Water

Many bottlers wash their bottles in the?same spring water that goes into the?bottles. I assume that the cost?exercise has been done that shows it?is more cost effective to do this rather?than use mains water.

Using spring water can be a problem?if the water contains a lot of calcium,?magnesium and some iron. The?detergents used in bottle washing?have to be specially formulated to?take account of the high hardness?sometimes encountered, and higher?concentrations of product are often?necessary.

?A saving on detergent can?be made if a water softener is used,?although the running costs of resin?replacement need to be taken into?account.

If your water is very hard, it is essential?to ensure that the dosage of?detergent is adequate and that?compensations are made for drag-out?during the course of the day. The?bottles will “drag out” detergent?product as they move into the rinse?section. Some washers do not have?the luxury of a drain time before?passing into the rinse.

The consequences of under-dosing?can be catastrophic in very hard water?resulting in rapid scale-up of tanks?and heaters. It is essential therefore?to monitor detergent concentration?regularly which may be done easily?with a conductivity meter. A more?sophisticated system involves?automatic top-up using a conductivity?probe linked into the dosing device.