The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Buildings & planning => Topic started by: Fishyhaddock on November 22, 2014, 09:14:06 pm
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Hi,
We are thinking of replacing our septic tank system as it is long passed it's best.
I was wondering if anybody has got any experience of using one of those newish Sewerage Treatment Tanks for domestic household use, the ones that have the electric air pumps.
Am wondering if they work well etc.......
I have been told that the pumps within are not particularly reliable.
Thanks for any comments in advance.
Fishy
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Watching.... We have a homemade septic tank which works brilliantly but will not pass muster when inspected.... We have been looking at replacement tanks. I wouldn't go for anything moving or requiring energy unless you have a particular reason too (high load, but not enough space for a large enough conventional tank) but interested in experiences. We are looking at over planting our soak away (large area herringbone) with trees this year... Along the tree bog idea.
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We looked at the diamond treatment plant to replace our septic tank. I had a friend of mine who is in the commercial poo trade to give me his opinions. He likes them and like all technology they will improve as more people use them. You do need to be somewhere you can feed the waste water to.
One thing that is certain is anything that has moving parts will at some stage come to the end of its working life. So I liked the diamond as the pump can be kept separate to the poo pot so when it dies it can be replaced/repaired with out getting hands in the sticky stuff.
For us we would have to bury it in concrete in the ground which brought the cost up. I will have another look at them when money allows and I suspect even now technology has moved on a bit since my research.
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We have a BioPlus treatment plant which the previous owners put in in 1995. Works fine, annual maintnance around £100. Hasn't needed emptying. I expect newer ones are even more efficient. Can't use it if you have a dishwasher as the salt mucks up the "bio" bit.
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I have a friend who specialises in this area - check Brian's Facebook page - I'm sure he'll be happy to offer advice
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleartek-Services/736114859807213?fref=ts (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleartek-Services/736114859807213?fref=ts)
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They are becoming the norm for new builds, as you can significantly reduce the cost of your soakaway system so the total project cost may in fact be lower.
Some designs have moving parts within the tank- have fun servicing/replacing that!
The alternative is an above-ground air pump which can be inspected, serviced, or replaced all without getting your hands dirty, which sounds a lot more civilised!
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The alternative is an above-ground air pump which can be inspected, serviced, or replaced all without getting your hands dirty, which sounds a lot more civilised!
A Charles Austen 150 blower with diffuser in a second, wastewater-only chamber does the job nicely. Cheap and at low maintenance cost. The outflow can run to a reed bed or leechfield.
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They are very common over here. Our friend installs new fosse septiques and advised the drawbacks are noisy air pumps, continuous energy consumption and the fact that they need feeding constantly, so no good for a gite/ holiday home. He recommends installing an Ecoflow, which is a basic two tank system with a separate tank containing a coconut fibre filtration system. It claims to take out 96% of the outflow solids and here is acceptable to discharge straight into a watercourse. The coconut fibres should last up to 20 years and can be removed and composted.
My understanding is the essential difference between UK and French standards is that in the UK the outflow must generally stay on the land unless it is totally guaranteed clean, whereas the French outflow must discharge into a water course once it is fairly clean -it must not stay on and contaminate the land. But of course being France it varies depending on who you talk to.
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I bought one for our campsite - cost us £32,000 for the tank alone (6m x 3m x 3.5m high) - cost another £10,000 to dig the hole and cement it in along with 800m of soakaway pipes. Then + labour and purchase of digger to do it.
If it aint broke - dont fix it ;) - and never ask for your current tank to be inspected or signed off as there is no legal obligation to do so.
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Bazzais,
How have you found the treatment plant on a campsite? Most I have come across seem to recommend a cesspit.for chemical disposal.
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We dont allow people with camper vans to put their chemicals in a 'hole' - they can take it home with them or use our toilets - our tank is for our own toilet block only.
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We have had one of the new types put, it sprays the poop over a foam block, and the pump sits outside the tank so its quite easy to change if its broke. The filtered water goes out to a land drain and then into the ditch. So far so good. I put the dishwasher once a day and the washing machine every other day. We had been living with a blocked drainage septic tank emptied every two weeks so I am in heaven