Two years ago, the residents of a London neighborhood noticed that it had become difficult to flush their toilets. When the cause of the problem was discovered, it turned out that the city had a 15 ton mass of congealed fats and oils known as a “fatberg” on their hands. The plumbing issues and the smells that accompanied this huge problem threatened the London sewer system for weeks.
What caused this fatberg? It was the accumulated fats and oils that had been improperly disposed of down drains across the city. Imagine all of the households that do this without thinking. It costs UK communities about £15m a year (about $30 million!) to remove these fatbergs from their sewers.
James Seers grew up listening to his father telling him to avoid putting fat down the sink drain. After the incident in London and its enormous fatberg, Seers was determined to find a solution to the problem.
What Seers came up with is a reworking of the P-trap found under most household sinks. This new device would filter out the oils, grease and other cooking debris that flow from the sink during kitchen cleanup.
The unit works by collecting the oils and fat into a container by using a series of filters so that they could be disposed of safely by the homeowner. The fats that are collected from the waste water can then potentially be recycled and used as biofuels. Seers estimated that the cost of the unit to the homeowner would be just a few dollars for the unit.
Seers has named his fat filtration system “Berglar.”
Keeping contaminants out of the water supply is important to every community. We have equipment and solutions that can help you maintain high water quality and keep the costs of clean water down. Call Metro Water Filter today to find out more.