Help required on small sewage treatment plant

Peter1010 · Post by **Peter1010** » 02 Feb 2016, 21:53

Hi guys,

Is there any one with a small sewage treatment plant, I need to compare notes. My use of google has generated no results.

Six months ago we bought and moved to a small holding in mid-wales, that had own water suppy and a sewage treatment plant. The sewage treatment plant has two pumps to help the bacteria breakdown the sewage. Unfortunately it came with no manual and previous owner said he let it be. The recycling pump failed and after getting someone to "fix it" (from a well known company) they just kept changing parts (the pump, timer and a junction box); I decided to fix it myself. So i think(?) it looks like someone (previous owner?) had inserted an underrated timer into the recycling pump circuit so recycle pump was only on 50% of the time (to save energy?). So should the recycle pump be on 100% of the time? That is was a timer meant to be there. The wiring schematic glued to the door of the control unit suggests no. The other pump SSR has a timer (which is meant to be there) that runs for about 20 secs every hour and just stirs up the bottom of the second chamber of the plant. Does anyone have a similar system and could tell me how thiers operates?

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 03 Feb 2016, 11:17

How small is it as in gallons per day? The smallest one I'm familare with treats 50,000 gallons per day so may not apply to yours.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 03 Feb 2016, 15:41

This might be helpful ?
http://www.septictanksandsewagetreatmen ... nance.html

Or maybe try asking these:
http://www.wplinternational.com/solutio ... treatment/

Peter1010 · Post by **Peter1010** » 03 Feb 2016, 20:29

Thanks for the links.

The sewage treatment plant is a domestic one, designed to treat a small family of 4 or 5 people so not sure how many gallons per day that is but not very much.

It was installed in 1997 and I think the company that makes them no longer exists. So it's been pretty difficult to find any info at all...

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 04 Feb 2016, 00:34

One rule of thumb is 100 gallons per day per person. Your 500 gallons per day would normally be handled by a 1000 gallon septic tank and leach field. Why you have a more elaborate system is the first question. Perhaps poor receiving soils or proximity to a sensitive water source. Where dose your system discharge the waste water after treatment?

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 04 Feb 2016, 08:16

Go composting? As its a smallholding I guess you have a need for plenty of it

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 04 Feb 2016, 10:28

Pepperman wrote:Go composting? As its a smallholding I guess you have a need for plenty of it

Yeah, it sounds awful complex. Even a commercially-produced 'dry' toilet is less bother. And don't forget, everything except the toilet flushings can go straight to soakaway, no need for 'sewage' treatment, especially in a very rural area.

I trust you're using eco-friendly soaps etc.

Search this forum for 'humanure'. Here's a link to one for starters. We'll have been using 'bucket and chuck it' since May 2008. I'd be happy to answer any questions on the 'system', such as it is.

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 04 Feb 2016, 10:31

Also check out this facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/compostingloos/

Loads of useful information there.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 04 Feb 2016, 10:33

Pepperman wrote:Also check out this facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/compostingloos/

Loads of useful information there.

That's fine if you're on Facebook.

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 04 Feb 2016, 11:00

Oh crap I thought anyone would be able to view it. I have an anonymous fb account for a couple of very specific groups so can view it. I'd say there's enough information on that composting loos group to warrant doing something similar.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 06 Feb 2018, 12:09

We had a septic tank system at our previous house but with our new one we've gone down the root of composting loos and a grey water treatment system which basically irrigates our polytunnels and feeds the soil at the same time.

Our loos separate the urine from the faeces and put the urine into the grey water system. The loos just hold the faeces with a small 12V or 2401V fan drawing air over it to aid composting and take any smells away. When full we then replace the bin in the loo and seal it up for six months. After that we empty the bins into a separate compost heap for a while and then use it on fruit trees and bushes, anything where the compost isn't going to come into contact with the produce.

The grey water system is a sump with a pump with a float switch pumping into lengths of 19mm plastic pipe with small 3mm dia holes drilled into the bottom of the pipe and laid 150 to 300 mm below the surface of raised beds in the polytunnels.

It is all simple technology using basic, easily replaceable cutter pumps and low power, computer type fans and is easily owner repairable. We have a petrol driven 2" pump to pump the sump out in case of emergency failure of the submersible cutter pump. The Drive unit for the "2 pump can also take a power washer attachment or a small genny as well so it is a useful bit of k i t to have around our small holding.

We try to get multiple uses out of as much stuff as possible be it waste water or machinery. Did I say waste water? Nothing should be waste; everything should be a resource.