International Specialty Supply

Supplying Sprout Companies Throughout the World

ISS

820 East 20th Street

Cookeville, TN 38501 USA

931 526 1106

Bob@sproutnet.com

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Recycle Your Bean Sprout Irrigation Water

Water and energy conservation are major issues for every sprout grower large and small. Water supply, water disposal, and water heating costs are growing every year. Several countries, including parts of the U.S., have passed legislation to limit the use of water.

Savings of thousands of dollars can be realized annually with the Encore System.  The Sungarden Sprout Division of ISS  recycles 90% of its water. This water is applied directly to our growing crops over and over without the need to exchange water. The system  continues to recover water, and at the same time the growing crops raise the temperature of the circulated water, which reduces the amount of energy required to heat the incoming water. So, the Encore saves you in two ways. It drastically reduces your water and sewer bill, and it reduces the amount of energy necessary for heating your incoming water supply.

Tests have shown that the water recovered from the Sentrex Bean Sprouting System is clean and completely free from harmful bacteria and chemicals. What is more important, the bean sprouts produced using the Encore System are healthy and of superior quality to sprouts grown under the same parameters but without Encore's recycled water.

In order for you to see the process and the beans grown using the Encore first hand, we encourage you to come visit us at ISS. While you are hear, you can also take a good look at our Sentrex Infinity, our revolutionary bean sprouting system.

A maintenance person in a company who owns an Encore did not feel we are promoting the Encore properly.  He did some of the math and asked that we replace our Encore web page with what he wrote about it.   Well, this is a compromise.  You read what we wrote above, below is what he felt it should say:

ISS Encore

With today’s economy, the trend towards conserving energy is increasing and has become a main objective of humankind. From cars to washing machines to computers, engineers work continuously to invent new ways to save energy.

Saving energy is saving money. ISS, a leader in the hydroponics industry, worked with engineers, professors, industry, and various experts to reduce the cost of water used in commercial sprout production. With 25+ years in the sprouting business ISS has perfected a system of dealing with large amounts of irrigation water. This system is called the Encore.

Chinese mung beans differ greatly from all other types of sprouting. Bean sprouts require huge amounts of clean fresh tempered water in order to grow world class bean sprouts.

Below are some answers to questions about the ISS Encore Water Reclamation System: 

How thirsty can a bean sprout be?

If thirst were the only factor in growing bean sprouts very little water would be used. Bean sprouts are about 90% water. Water weighs 8.34 lbs.  Therefore 1,000 lbs of sprouts contains about 130 gallons of water. 

Why is all this extra water needed?

Sprouts do not just need water to grow; they need frequent rinsing to regulate the mass temperature and to rinse away harmful byproducts generated from the plant itself.    

Then how much water do they need?

It takes 11.4 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of top quality bean sprouts. 

How much water is required for a commercial growing room?

A typical Sentrex Infinity Bean Sprout Growing Room that produces 60,000 pounds of sprouts, requires about 662,400 gallons from pre-sprout to harvest. 

What is the cost to water a sprouting room?

Water in the US averages $0.006 cents per gallon, including disposing of it. To grow a room from start to finish costs $3,974.00 in water. The cost for growing the same room with an Encore system is $397.

A 12 oz. package of bean sprouts wholesales for around a buck.  If each growing room brings in 80,000, and the water costs $3,974, the water makes up only 5% of the selling price.  Aren’t there bigger fish to fry than saving water?

Although beans sprouts will grow in plain tap water, they do not thrive.   Also, the water temperature needs to be adjusted before irrigation.  The cost of tempering the water in most locations is more expensive than the water itself.   

How much energy expense are we talking about?

It takes 121,881,600 BTU’s to raise the temperature of 662,400 gallons of water 23 degrees.  Gas is generally used to heat these quantities of water and gas water heaters are around 50% efficient. The BTU’s required are about 71,439 KWH. Based on seven cents per KWH, that’s about $5,000.  Once water is tempered, it takes little energy to keep it tempered if the water is reclaimed.   

The Encore savings are tremendous. Without it, the cost of water and gas would be about $8,974 for 60,000 pounds of sprouts, whereas $397 should cover it with the Encore.