Falcon sewage treatment plant smell

[Stpengineer]

Hi Lmnop,
I don't see an update? We have a Falcon 6 with pumped discharge into a stream which runs by the house... it seems the discharge pump in ours might just have packed up, but I was just wondering if you'd got yours working ok?
Ian

Hi I am your local registered engineer if I can help you or any one else in the south west/ south please ask . I'm based at ilminster and cover a 150mile radius . The systems I cover are falcon , vortex , Biokube , filter pod

 

[Agile]

Well that all very good.

But what are your comments on the original problem, on which she forgot to update us!

Tony

 

[Stpengineer]

Firstly hi!
Treatment plants all have an odour. Not massively in your face and shouldn't be smelly unless you stick your nose over the exit svp or discharge pipe.
The falcon like others will only smell like described when theirs a fault. Without seeing i can't pinpoint.
Possibles are
Inadequate ventilation through svp
Tank installed out of plumb
A rainwater drain connected somewhere to the sewer line
Over producing bacteria to much air
Incorrect cleaning agents etc

Installing a new svp at the closest point on the house to the tank will vent it but I'm not sure that's the problem.

Check tank level side to side back to front

Using water based dye and watering can check all rainwater drains are isolated to stp. One connected drain and it'll overload the tank in a storm and will generate the smell. All ways over looked.

to much air will cause over production of bacteria adjustments take a couple of days . This is obvious by a really thick soup being recirculated also by the colour of the discharge liquid it should be clear

One really good dose of anti bacterial agent or water softener can wipe a tank out.

These tanks take six weeks ish to start working and are nearly all ways de sludged incorrectly

 

[IanCD]

One really good dose of anti bacterial agent or water softener can wipe a tank out.

I've been well aware of the anti-bacterial agents... hadn't thought about water softeners before, probably because we've been living in a caravan + cabin for 2 and a half years so it hasn't come up. We're sorting the heating system in the house now, though, and have specified water softening for the hot water and central heating system, etc. Is that ok, provided we make special arrangements for the softener to discharge (when 'regenerating'?) - I'm not really clear on this?

 

[Stpengineer]

One really good dose of anti bacterial agent or water softener can wipe a tank out.

re generation process at all costs has to be disposed of independently of the stp . It will kill the bacteria and wax the tank up . The sodium will also bond and water proof a soakaway.
So if possible direct to a stream ditch or storm drain. Bear in mind a rainwater soak away will also become water proof eventually .
The softener is actually a benefit to the stp as you use less shampoo etc it's just the back wash
I personally have to replace the immersion element twice a year as our water is so hard. I also have customers with skin allergies that couldn't survive with out a softener.

 

[IanCD]

Great, thanks... that'll be going straight into the stream, then

 

[Stpengineer]

Great, thanks... that'll be going straight into the stream, then

Also in case of reference , anyone with a bore hole do not at any cost allow the filtration system to re generate into a stp septic tank , stream etc the chemical is nasty and needs to have a independant cess pit

 

[muggles]

Great, thanks... that'll be going straight into the stream, then

That's almost certainly illegal and could lead to huge fines

Also., you shouldn't fill central heating systems with softened water

 

[Agile]

I was wondering if the entry to the OP's unit was incorrect?

On my French one the inlet is just a downturned inlet pipe so no air could flow up that. I think that I have seen them with a hole about 50 mm at the top of the bend presumably to allow air to flow.

I also wondered if perhaps the inlet drains to the unit had settled and were if effect flooded preventing any flow of air ?

Tony

 

[IanCD]

Great, thanks... that'll be going straight into the stream, then

That's almost certainly illegal and could lead to huge fines

So, it can't go with surface rainwater... but also can't go into the sewage treatment plant..? That's a problem, then..! Do all water softeners work the same way... and need to 'regenerate' periodically? I was thinking we'd have a unit which uses salt blocks? Admitedly, I'm a bit vague about this... haven't researched it and was happy to leave it to our heating installer/plumber...

Also., you shouldn't fill central heating systems with softened water

I'm thinking of the water in the boiler / heat exchanger and heat store, and domestic hot water... Presumably, it would be possible to fill those with softened water, and not the central / underfloor heating system..? What's the reason for not having softened water in there..?

Apologies to OP for hijacking this thread (although it's not clear whether you're still watching...)

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Discharge from water softening units is brine, which is antiseptic, and so will kill all the bacteria in your septic tank! The bacteria are essential in any sewage treatment process to help purify the effluent. Chucking into a watercourse will kill all the fish, and there is the same risk with putting it into a soakaway if it pollutes groundwater and then a stream.

Either live without it, or if you must have one, then investigate your options.

 

[muggles]

Great, thanks... that'll be going straight into the stream, then

That's almost certainly illegal and could lead to huge fines

So, it can't go with surface rainwater... but also can't go into the sewage treatment plant..? That's a problem, then..! Do all water softeners work the same way... and need to 'regenerate' periodically? I was thinking we'd have a unit which uses salt blocks? Admitedly, I'm a bit vague about this... haven't researched it and was happy to leave it to our heating installer/plumber...

Also., you shouldn't fill central heating systems with softened water

I'm thinking of the water in the boiler / heat exchanger and heat store, and domestic hot water... Presumably, it would be possible to fill those with softened water, and not the central / underfloor heating system..? What's the reason for not having softened water in there..?

Apologies to OP for hijacking this thread (although it's not clear whether you're still watching...)

I think you'd be better off without softened water

If your boiler is full of softened water then presumably your heating system would be also, unless you've got a heat exchanger separating the two. The reason for not having softened water in your heating system/boiler etc is that it is thought to cause corrosion. Whilst this theory has now largely been disproved by scientists, most boiler manufacturers will still invalidate your warranty if you fill the system with artificially softened water

 

[Agile]

I suspect that boiler makers are fearful of residual brine in softened water.

Some indeed do say you can fill the heating system with deionised water.

Tony

 

[Agile]

While talking about filtering borehole water, any links to sites covering this?

Mine in Nig has very high iron content which seems very difficult to remove.

Tony

 

[wastetech]

All sewage treatment plants will smell if they are not used correctly, if they are poisoned by Water Softener Regenerate, Boiler Condensate, the wrong things entering the drains and surface water/roof water entering the system. They will also smell if the Soil Vent Pipe is further than 10 metres away on the drain run.
Has this problem been resolved now? I presume so, as no further comments?