Septic tank always on?

lunacyfoundme

I have a Tricel septic tank power from the mains. Im just wondering do I really need to have it tuned on all the time or could I get away with just a few hours a week. I live on my own so theres not much 'traffic' so to speak.

bbam

lunacyfoundme wrote: »

I have a Tricel septic tank power from the mains. Im just wondering do I really need to have it tuned on all the time or could I get away with just a few hours a week. I live on my own so theres not much 'traffic' so to speak.

Maybe is the answer...
But if you cause a back-up and have to have the system empied it will cost you well over €200 so I don't think its worth the risk...

lunacyfoundme

Ill leave it running for a while and see what impact it has on my bills. Cheers.

aah yes

Check air pump wattage, maybe a 60 watt would be okay, and set timer feed to turn off overnight, and on in 15 min intervals during day, or off during day if house empty.

Avns1s

I have something similar and I run it for 2 hours at night. I leave it off during the day as you can hear it from the house on a calm day.

Anyway, I have been doing it this way for 5 years with no "back-ups" or other problems.

mullr

Hi, I'm in the middle of a house build at the moment and need to put in a treatment system, the perculation reports calls for a Envircoare P12 pumped system to the polishing filter. My builder is recommending different system which is a P10 Tricel also pumped.
Can anyone help me out as I've no idea what the difference are but i know it needs to right due to the amount of problems i've heard over the years about these units.
Thanks

Dante79

@lunacyfoundme

You need to check with the manufacturer before deciding to turn off the treatment system as you are interfering with the treatment process. And as such are fully responsible if your plant is polluting groundwater due to being switched off. For example, some systems are programmed to cycle on at certain times during the day to deal with daily loading so turning it on at night or intermittently will be outside these program times and the plant may be powered on but doing nothing. You are also making your warrantly or maintainance contract (if you have one) null and void by interfering with the process. If your treatment plant is one that runs continuously you should have checked this before you purchased it, some plant consume 4 times the electricity of others and this should be taken into account when purchasing.
If you suspect your plant is running your electricity bill up, i would check the submersible pump first, thats usually the biggest hitter.
I know in one pumped installation, the effluent in the discharge pipe was backflowing to the tank after the pump switched off and this caused the float to activate the pump continuosly which ran his bill up.

Dante79

@mullr

There are approx 20 different treatment systems on the market to choose from in Ireland. There is a list of EN12566-3 certified systems on the site assessor website ww.siteassessor.com/blog/irish-biounit-parameters-1

The reason the Envirocare one is listed on your site assessment report is because the EPA put in a requirement that at least one system is recommended on the site suitability report to help the homeowner select a treatment system, who may not have a clue where to start when choosing a system. The problem with this is that not all Site assessors/Engineers have their clients best interests in mind, as they are being paid off by certain companies to promote their products(im not saying this the case but it does happen). At the end of the day you can choose any system that is certified to EN12566-3 and meets the nation annex, remember your engineer/builder is working for you and if they are recommending a certain system you should get good reasons why.

The other things to keep in mind is the overall cost of the system,this not only includes the purchase price but also the running cost, maintenance costs, installation costs, desludge frequency, once you have all these figures you can make an informed decision on the best system for you.
I would suggest contacting a few suppliers and ask for a copy for their European Certificate EN12566-3, check the power consumption from the cert, this varies between systems and gives you an indication of how much electricity they use.The running costs between systems usually dont amount to much but a higher electrical consumption can indicate extra pumps or mechanical parts and all these will need to be replaced from time to time, at your expense. Enquire if the system is running continuosly or is working intermittently throughout the day, any mechanical system that is running continuously is going to break down quicker than one that is running intermittently.

Also ask the supplier for a copy of their maintenance agreement form ,some companies charge €225 for an emergency callout others are much less, these are costs the suppliers dont tell you about when selling to you. Installation costs are usually higher with non concrete systems as they usually need readymix concrete poured around them when installing. Systems with higher capacity usually can go for longer before being desludged so one that has to be desludge every two years as opposed to every year can save you €100 to €200 a year on desludge costs.

I checked the Enviorcare website and it does not show the updated EN 12566-3 certificate, in order for a system to be sold here they must have EN cert and also meet the followng parameters as part of the national annex so i would check this out before purchasing.

Parameter Final effluent quality

BOD5 mg/l < 20
Suspended solids mg/l < 30
Ammonium nitrogen mg/l NH4-N < 20 (See NOTE)
NOTE In nutrient sensitive areas the Local Authority may require a lower limit.


Sorry about the long reply and i know its alot to take in but its worth educating yourself on this as your treatmet system is one of the few purchases that will be there for your lifetime.

If you have any questions feel free to PM

muffler

Dante79 wrote: »

@lunacyfoundme

You need to check with the manufacturer before deciding to turn off the treatment system as you are interfering with the treatment process. And as such are fully responsible if your plant is polluting groundwater due to being switched off. For example, some systems are programmed to cycle on at certain times during the day to deal with daily loading so turning it on at night or intermittently will be outside these program times and the plant may be powered on but doing nothing. You are also making your warrantly or maintainance contract (if you have one) null and void by interfering with the process. If your treatment plant is one that runs continuously you should have checked this before you purchased it, some plant consume 4 times the electricity of others and this should be taken into account when purchasing.
If you suspect your plant is running your electricity bill up, i would check the submersible pump first, thats usually the biggest hitter.
I know in one pumped installation, the effluent in the discharge pipe was backflowing to the tank after the pump switched off and this caused the float to activate the pump continuosly which ran his bill up.

You do realise that you are replying to a query posted over two and a half years ago? :eek: