Water station payback: three volumes, three answers
The same station pays back in four months at 5,000 litres a day and in seventeen months at 1,500. The machine is identical; the site is not.
The fixed part
A 300 L/h RO station with a 1,000-litre tank, vending cabinet and shelter costs USD 5,500-8,000 installed. Power, filters, an attendant and site rent add roughly USD 6-11 a day depending on the country.
The variable part
At USD 0.25 per 20-litre barrel, 1,500 litres a day yields USD 18.75 of revenue and about USD 12.75 of net. Three thousand litres yields USD 29.50 net; five thousand yields USD 51.50. The payback moves from roughly seventeen months to seven to four.
How to test the volume
- Stand at the site for three days and count households within 500 m.
- Count passing traffic, schools, clinics and markets.
- Ask what households pay for bottled water today.
- Check whether the site has power and a secure lock-up.
- Only then choose the machine size.
The uncomfortable conclusion
Most failed stations were sized from a catalogue rather than a queue. If the footfall is not there, a smaller machine and a cheaper site will beat a larger machine in a quiet compound every time.
Send the site details.
Road width, water source or the package you are bidding. We will reply with the configuration and the arithmetic.