Couple buys new Whanganui franchise

After running a brown bath and having kids fall sick from contaminated rural water tanks, buying Whanganui franchise Safe H2O seemed like an "appealing opportunity" for Richard and Anna Campbell.

Safe H2O was founded last year by a Manawatu couple Chad and Tracey Meads using new technology to keep rural rain and bore tanks clean without having to dispose of the existing water. The Meads are now in the process of selling franchises across the North Island.

Six weeks ago Mr and Mrs Campbell bought the third franchise and plan to kick-start the business mid June.

They have always lived rurally and have had water tanks that have never been properly filtered.

"I've once run a brown bath and last year we had a woman from the Ministry of Health come check our water tank for giardia after our girls kept getting sick - so the health aspect to Safe H2O really appealed," Mrs Campbell said.

Safe H2O uses a bio-fuelled mobile unit with a nano-filteration system processing 20,000 litres of water each hour.

Mr Campbell said the challenge in getting the task done previously was to empty the tank and have someone climb inside to scrub it.

"Quite often the inner walls of the tank get damaged in the process and then owners have to pay to get more water delivered."

Mr Campbell said with Safe H2O all the water was retained and all sediments and pathogens removed.

"A lot of people are aware of the bacteria in their water but put cleaning the tank in the too-hard basket.

"They get used to the water that's in there but it can cause problems when visitors or children come to drink that water and aren't used to the water because they haven't built up that immune system."

The couple have spoken with others who have experienced similar issues with their water tanks, and they believe their new business venture will be a great success.

"We are really excited to get started."