Pros And Cons Of Water Quality Monitoring System

This article will go through the pros and cons of water quality monitoring system, so you can make an informed decision about whether or not you want to use one for your business requirements and also the design to use on how to create your own water monitoring system.

A water quality monitoring system is a technique to help analyze variations in water quality over time and identify problems. The systems are becoming more and more popular, but they also come with some risks.

Water quality monitoring system is a system that measures different water qualities such as pH, alkalinity, nitrate and ammonia. Analysing these levels allows the company to monitor the efficacy of the filtration process. Water quality monitoring systems will also confirm or deny whether correct chemicals are being used for treatment.

What Is a Water Monitoring System?

Water monitoring systems are small, rugged devices that can measure the quality and quantity of water, as well as its condition. Water monitoring systems are normally used in industrial processes (such as treatment of water and wastewater), but there is also an emerging market for them to be used in domestic applications.

A water quality monitoring system works through the use of electrodes. Forming a chemical reaction between the electrodes and different compounds present in water, it is then able to determine the amount of current being produced by the electrode. This shows the amount of compounds present in the water, both pure and mixed with other chemicals or minerals such as iron etc.

The electrodes are usually made up of copper and lead. Copper is used for pH, and lead is used for metallic ions such as nitrate, ammonia and hardness.

A water monitoring system has a number of uses in a workplace. They can be used to monitor water at the source, before it even enters the site. A water quality monitoring system can be installed on the incoming supply of water to the site and will then be able to measure the amount of different compounds present in the water.

If any are too high or low, this will provide an early warning that there may be a problem with either filtration or treatment processes onsite.

Water quality monitoring systems are also useful when dealing with treated waste water as they allow you to monitor how effective your treatment process is. By measuring the amount of different compounds present in the water you can see how effective treatment has been.

Water quality monitoring systems can also be used to check how your plant is performing. By measuring the amount of different compounds present in the water you can see how much energy that has been used in your discharges and how efficient your plant is at removing certain compounds.

Now we have had a well detailed knowledge about the meaning of water monitoring system, let’s also get some knowledge about the pros and cons of water quality monitoring system.

Pros And Cons Of Water Quality Monitoring System

Advantages Of Quality Water Monitoring System:
Some of the advantages of water quality monitoring system includes:

1. Leads to Better Health:
   Water quality monitoring system will help us to know the most healthy water in the plant, and it can lead to better health too. Quality water helps prevent waterborne illness. Although the Environmental Protection Agency regulates water treatment facilities for chemicals, microorganisms, and other contaminants, it doesn’t test for a variety of contaminants.

Many public water supply companies don’t test for the following:

• Synthetic Hormones: birth control pills, hormone therapy treatments
• Pharmaceuticals: antibiotics, aspirin, cancer drugs, antidepressants
• Agricultural Chemicals: weed killers, pesticides
• Household Chemicals: cleaners, deodorants, shampoos

2. Leads to Better Water Treatment:
   In general, water treatment is one of the most important and sometimes the only thing that needs be done in a business because if there is any problem with water, it will affect the productivity of a company. By noticing those problem through water quality monitoring system, then you can change your procedures and answer those problem easily.
3. High Efficiency:
   With water quality monitoring systems you can boost your efficiency of your plant and this will lead to less energy consumption. This is because you can withhold production if there is any problem with water quality testing center. With such systems there are no more surprises when you go for a check up from plant to plant or from production unit to the store room.

Water quality monitoring system is also useful for businesses so as to know the amount of money that is spent on water treatment process.

4. Cost Effective:
   Quality water monitoring system can save a lot of money for you. This is because if you have a big company and it takes more than 5,000 liters of water in your plant per day, then your monthly bill will be more than 1 crore if you are using untreated water. With water quality monitoring system, it will cost less and you can save a lot from your company.
5. Safety:
   Quality water monitoring system can help you to ensure that your water is safe for human consumption. This is because water quality testing methods can show when chemicals have accumulated in your water as it is being produced and not added/used. This can help you to avoid any chemical or bacterial contamination of your drinking water.
6. Performance:
   Quality water monitoring system can help you to check your performance with water quality testing methods. This is because you can use those testing results and compare them with the performance of your plant and adjust that points where you are lacking. This will boost the performance of your entire company, and it will help you to get more profits in comparison to losses.

IEC 61400-10 is a standard from International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that has been developed for users of water quality monitoring devices/systems, including facility managers, operations managers, chief facility operator/engineer, plant managers, process engineers, water treatment specialists, utility managers and other business decision-makers.

Disadvantages Of Water Quality Monitoring System:
Some of the disadvantages of water quality monitoring system includes:

1. Labor Intensive For Installation And Operation:
   Quality water monitoring system requires a lot of man hours for its installation and operation. This is because water quality monitoring system consists of multiple instruments and they all are very time consuming.

In comparison to other systems, quality water monitoring system is the most labor intensive system that can help you to perform your job.

2. High Initial Costs:
   Quality water monitoring system has a high initial cost and it is very difficult for businesses to afford the total expense of quality water monitoring system. Usually a good quality water monitoring system will be for thousands of dollars or lakhs.

But there are some companies who give complete training about the installation and operation of quality water monitoring systems, so that you don’t need any assistance from outside experts in your company.

Read Also: Advantages And Disadvantages Of a Dehumidifier

3. Maintenance Costs:
   Because of high labor intensive and high initial costs, quality water monitoring system has a high maintenance cost which is why after some time you will have to replace your entire system. This is because your system will not be able to provide the same level of performing water quality testing methods after some time.

Usually a good quality water monitoring system should last for 2-3 years.

4. Time Consuming:
   Quality water monitoring system is very time consuming and the whole procedure is not reliable. This is because with water quality monitoring system you will have to change your test report every month, but some companies will ask for test reports every week or even daily.

This will make everything in a mess, eventually cause of time wasting and more problems etc.

5. Handling:
   Quality water monitoring systems are very delicate and they can break easily, this is why you need to handle everything very carefully so that it won’t get damage during installation or operation. Many users of quality water monitoring system are not aware that they have to handle their instruments very carefully so that they can get the best performance of their system.
6. Risk Of Water Contamination:
   Quality water monitoring systems are very sensitive that’s why you have to move them with extreme care and if you will do it then there is a chance that your system will be damaged and it might cause any kind of water contamination in your organization.

Knowing the pros and cons of water quality monitoring system, let’s understand how to design a water monitoring system alongside its main components and applications

How To Design A Water Monitoring System

Water monitoring system includes many instruments and each of them is responsible for different tasks. There are several factors which are to be considered to design a water monitoring system. Some of those factors include:

1. Amount Of Water:
   The first factor that you have to consider is the amount of water in your plant, if you have a big production plant than you have to consider the amount of water that is used in your plant.
2. Purposes:
   The second factor that you have to consider is the purpose of water quality testing methods.
   This will be easier for you if you can clearly understand the purpose of water quality testing methods such as – for drinking water (elemental analysis of free chlorine, corrosion), for municipal or industrial water (iron, copper, manganese, iron and manganese, iron and copper), for waste water (combination of chemical analysis with microbiological examination) etc.
3. Instruments Needed For Water Quality Testing:
   Third factor that you have to consider is the Instruments which you will use in your system. The instruments are classified into two types- basic and advanced instruments.

There are three main components of a water monitoring system:

1. Measurement: This is the most important component of any measurement system, which measures all sources of water pollution in order to get a clear view and determine the effect of the effects on health. Water sampling is generally used to detect substances that have effects on health such as chlorine, lead etc.
2. Process: The purpose and intended use of the water quality monitoring system process.
3. Control: This is the function of the water quality monitoring system, which includes a series of equipment and devices for controlling water quality monitoring systems, including spectrum analyzers, turbidimeters etc.

Water Quality Monitoring System Applications

The application of water monitoring systems can be classified under two types- industrial applications and environmental applications.

1. Industrial Application: The industrial applications are used in industrial plants to monitor pollution levels in their area that ensures complete safety for the workers.
2. Environmental Applications: Environmental applications are used to measure pollution level in drinking areas such as rivers, lakes etc., to make it suitable for drinking purposes such as swimming etc.

Conclusion

What are the pros and cons of water quality monitoring system? Quality water monitoring system can help your business to perform water quality testing and provide you with accurate results. Water is the most important component for the development of any industry and it’s responsible for the growth of your business.

The only way to keep your business safe from water contamination is through proper monitoring and repair of any kind of defects in water treatment. The quality of water should always maintain their normal range and never crossing limit values that will cause any kind of damages in your company.