Sewage treatment plant/digester

[Mike53]

I am needing to fit a new treatment plant and wonder whether we have any experts on here.

I am particularly interested in learning about any non electric plants before I make my choice.

I have a 1 acre paddock/wildlife area sloping gently away from the house and am planning to feed the cleaned water into a new pond. The land then slopes steeply (25%) down to a stream.

Any advice much appreciated.

Mike

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Not an expert by any stretch but have experience of plants and sewage treatment in general.

I think it's unlikely you'll find anything on the market as a packaged plant that'll work without a power supply. I attend some sites that use a treatment system working entirely on Gravity, but these are bulky, and likely to be expensive to build. You're looking at a Primary Settlement tank, and biological filter of some type, then a final settlement tank. Biofilters can be powered by the weight of the water, but are bulky to build.

Klargester offer their Biodisc system, tried and tested, simple and effective, or there is the Biotec, which utilises an air blower to assist with the treatment process. Both should produce treated effluent that should be to discharge straight into a watercourse. Other manufacturers offer similar systems using air blowers, all will require a power supply.

 

[lostinthelight]

Dont know if reed beds would be an option for you if you have plenty of room?

 

[Stivino]

What is there at the moment?

 

[fixitflav]

I am needing to fit a new treatment plant and wonder whether we have any experts on here.

I am particularly interested in learning about any non electric plants before I make my choice.

I have a 1 acre paddock/wildlife area sloping gently away from the house and am planning to feed the cleaned water into a new pond. The land then slopes steeply (25%) down to a stream.

Any advice much appreciated.

Mike

I believe you can get simple units with no power requirement, OK for up to maybe 5 people (as a guess). My brother has one, it overflows to a small watercourse. He lives on his own, and AFAIK he's never had it emptied.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

My brother has one, it overflows to a small watercourse. He lives on his own, and AFAIK he's never had it emptied.

A popular misconception. The solid matter in sewage doesn't just simply 'disappear', it breaks down to form sludge, which needs removing periodically. The clarified effluent can then be discharged to a suitable means of disposal. These types of systems are the ones the EA are clamping down down, whilst they may have worked perfectly for many years, the discharge is not going to be anywhere near current standards, so the EA will demand it is replaced or adapted to make the discharge meet current standards. (When they discover it...)

 

[fixitflav]

A popular misconception. The solid matter in sewage doesn't just simply 'disappear', it breaks down to form sludge, which needs removing periodically. The clarified effluent can then be discharged to a suitable means of disposal. These types of systems are the ones the EA are clamping down down, whilst they may have worked perfectly for many years, the discharge is not going to be anywhere near current standards, so the EA will demand it is replaced or adapted to make the discharge meet current standards. (When they discover it...)

I appreciate there is a solids production from breakdown of the BOD, a fair bit of my working life I was involved with sewage treatment, mostly full-scale activated sludge plants. Interesting stuff!
But some of the solids is lost with the treated effluent, I don't know whether the EA would allow the traditional 20mg/l BOD, 30mg/l suspended solids in these circs, but at that rate it would take a long while to need emptying. My bro's outflow goes across a grassy field before the watercourse, don't know if that would soften the EA!
But if it needs emptying every year or two, with no electric and control requirements it could be a good solution for the OP.

 

[Stivino]

What do you mean by "the breakdown of the B.O.D."?

 

[fixitflav]

What do you mean by "the breakdown of the B.O.D."?

BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand, in case you didn't know) of raw sewage is typically 250mg/l. As this is consumed by the bugs, it's converted into biomass (bugs, in other words). The ratio of biomass produced/BOD removed varies depending on how heavily the plant is loaded - kg BOD applied/m3 of tank or /kg biomass.

Found this on the web Clearwater Alpha 2800 Litre Septic Tank - Tanks Direct might interest the OP. I'm sure they'll be happy to give more information.

 

[Stivino]

Thanks, I do have an understanding of it but I wasn't sure what you were trying to say.
I actually have a degree in the subject and, the reason I have not made any comments is because I was waiting for the O.P. to confirm the existing set up.

 

[fixitflav]

Thanks, I do have an understanding of it but I wasn't sure what you were trying to say.
I actually have a degree in the subject and, the reason I have not made any comments is because I was waiting for the O.P. to confirm the existing set up.

Yes, he's gone a bit quiet, hopefully he'll come back!

 

[fixitflav]

I am needing to fit a new treatment plant and wonder whether we have any experts on here.

I am particularly interested in learning about any non electric plants before I make my choice.

I have a 1 acre paddock/wildlife area sloping gently away from the house and am planning to feed the cleaned water into a new pond. The land then slopes steeply (25%) down to a stream.

Any advice much appreciated.

Mike

To come back on this, I was talking to a mate in the pub, whose mother has a septic tank. He said septic tanks are no longer legal, even existing ones. I'm sceptical, and on the link I posted Clearwater are still selling them. But I thought I'd pass it on in case somebody can confirm or deny.

 

[Stivino]

I found this.

 

[fixitflav]

I found this.

Thanks for that, interesting! Not clear why the references to the East of England, whether it's different elsewhere. It looks like my brother, and mate's mother are OK, discharge to a field. Worth the OP having a read, to see if his pond and slope comply.