Water-based flushing for paints and other coatings

An apparatus for purging coating equipment, comprising:

• purge concentrate supply means for supplying an aqueous purge concentrate;
• dilution water supply means for supplying dilution water;
• a purge solution tank connected to the purge concentrate and dilution water supply means, for containing a purge solution;
• solution proportioning means connected to the purge solution tank for forming the purge solution contained in the purge solution tank, the purge solution being a solution of purge concentrate and dilution water at a selected concentration range;
• heating means for maintain the purge solution in the purge solution tank, within a selected temperature range;
• purge solution supply mean for supplying the purge solution at the selected concentration range and within the selected temperature range, to the coating equipment for purging the coating equipment and to form spent solution containing purged coating;
• and
• conditioning means connected to the dilution water supply means and connected for receiving the spent solution from the coating equipment, the conditioning means conditioning the spent solution by removing purged coating from the spent solution to form the dilution water for the dilution water supply means.