Puraflo Sewage Treatment

Poor Uncle Tom · 06-04-2013 08:22AM

James.feenan wrote: »

Can anyone tell me what to do I been reading all your comments and I got the shape of 8 tank empty ,the pump didn't seem to be working so I lifted the lead and that tank is full should I empty this tank and check the pump? Will the pump turn on if this tank is full ?

So your system is:
House to Concrete Septic Tank to Pumping Chamber to Puraflo module.
The system is not working, you have emptied the septic tank but the pumping chamber is full. If this is correct, then it points to the pump not working.

Your first step is to get the pump checked.

northwest8867 · 15-06-2015 02:25PM

Our modules seem to be saturated, ive de sludged the septic tank, will the peat dry out? or will i have to replace it? also ive been told that normal peat moss in bags does the same job??
Can anyone help

BryanF · 15-06-2015 02:57PM

northwest8867 wrote: »

Our modules seem to be saturated, ive de sludged the septic tank, will the peat dry out? or will i have to replace it? also ive been told that normal peat moss in bags does the same job??
Can anyone help

Have you contacted the company?

northwest8867 · 15-06-2015 03:30PM

BryanF wrote: »

Have you contacted the company?

Yes and they ceased trading last Thursday(ANAU) they will still do services for existing contracts. I spoke with BNM rep, and he was saying normal peat moss? but wont stand over it.
Really pissed off, as its only 2 years old, and looks like a good few €€€€s to replace

Villain · 15-06-2015 04:45PM

northwest8867 wrote: »

Yes and they ceased trading last Thursday(ANAU) they will still do services for existing contracts. I spoke with BNM rep, and he was saying normal peat moss? but wont stand over it.
Really pissed off, as its only 2 years old, and looks like a good few €€€€s to replace

You mean Anua? They have ceased trading? Who else supplies modules for Puraflo systems?

northwest8867 · 15-06-2015 09:07PM

Villain wrote: »

You mean Anua? They have ceased trading? Who else supplies modules for Puraflo systems?

I dont know, I phoned them on Friday and they informed me, they have ceased trading.

Im trying to get peat for the modules, and the rep is not one bit bothered.

wardy1 · 22-06-2015 12:37PM

Does anyone know anything further about Anua ceasing trading? Is the business being sold on?

Was due to install a P6+Puraflo in coming weeks and wondering what to do now.

bryanwelden · 22-06-2015 12:51PM

I am having the same issue. It's on my planning for a bord na mona. I rang around and came across -snip- in Kildare who still does them but they are mostly second hand puraflow tanks.

northwest8867 · 23-06-2015 11:37PM

wardy1 wrote: »

Does anyone know anything further about Anua ceasing trading? Is the business being sold on?

Was due to install a P6+Puraflo in coming weeks and wondering what to do now.

Yes they have ceased trading, I would get on the phone asap, hope you've not bought it?

northwest8867 · 23-06-2015 11:40PM

Can any one answer this, the bags the peat comes in, should they be in the modules? as the company who fitted the system have the bags in the modules, and going by ANUA they are not ment to be there?
Thanks

Co.Doire · 27-06-2015 10:01AM

Hi, we too are suffering the same problems as a lot of you.

System is around 6years old.

In a neighbours house their pump crapped out twice. Constantly blowing the circuit breaker. This caused over flowing at the first tank in the system. I was told the original pump used was a 'drab' (I'm not sure how it's spelt, but that's how it's pronounced) 800w pump, which retail around £80 for the plastic one, or £400ish for a stainless steel one. These prices are from a local farm suppliers who are well renowned for low prices, not bord na mona prices.

... At short notice I couldn't get one of this brand from the farm suppliers, but got a 'draper' brand 750w, it's been in a few weeks now and seems to be grand so far. Price was £55+vat, plus a thread adapter for the outlet.
Obviously had to get a contractor to drain the tank before we jumped down to swap the pump. This service was around £100.

Now the issue with our own tank is that we may have missed a year or more of getting the first tank routinely pumped out.
This seems to have sodden the secondary big green filtration tank. Water now flows into the green tank, but only a trickle reaches the outlet to the river behind the house. Most of the water is actually seeping out the lid of the tank and creating a lovely smell.
We initially thought that pumping the first tank as normal would allow the secondary tank a week to dry itself... But it seems to be totally saturated.

Now, my question is similar to 'northwest8867's' question...

If we empty the secondary peat tank, the big green one, can we refill it with ordinary peat moss bales from the farm supply shop, or does it need to be some special material that bord na mona have engineered?

Also, is there any other material in there that needs to be replaced? Stones or gravel etc?

And what do you do with the material you remove?

Co.Doire · 19-07-2015 11:35PM

As and update to this, we decided to empty the peat fibre tank, since it was saturated. And dumped all of that fill.
We ran a hose direct into the stone layer at the bottom, and only a trickle came out the outlet.
It turned out the 4 outlet holes from the peat tank were blocked! Blocked up with silt. We jammed the hose in the outlets and then again from the stone layer, and this freed it up, water now flows freely out from the tank.

But still we needed new fill.
The stuff we removed was not like peat moss, it had larger pieces etc.
I contacted the Bord na mona salesman in the north, and he put me in contact with ANUA, who checked out records of install, and we're able to tell me I needed 1.25 bags of peat FIBRE , each bag is 1m x 1m x 1.5m, and weighs 450kg.

Price for this, plus a new filter mat (goes between the peat and the stone layer) is €160... Which isn't terrible. The issue is that it's in Kildare, and they won't deliver. So I may have to do a 6hr round drive for this :-(

Does anyone else know of a peat FIBRE supplier closer to the northwest???

Ps. If you need to renew the stones, it's 40mm crush, about a 100mm layer, making sure the outlet holes are surrounded in stone

km79 · 02-08-2015 10:32AM

Co.Doire wrote: »

As and update to this, we decided to empty the peat fibre tank, since it was saturated. And dumped all of that fill.
We ran a hose direct into the stone layer at the bottom, and only a trickle came out the outlet.
It turned out the 4 outlet holes from the peat tank were blocked! Blocked up with silt. We jammed the hose in the outlets and then again from the stone layer, and this freed it up, water now flows freely out from the tank.

But still we needed new fill.
The stuff we removed was not like peat moss, it had larger pieces etc.
I contacted the Bord na mona salesman in the north, and he put me in contact with ANUA, who checked out records of install, and we're able to tell me I needed 1.25 bags of peat FIBRE , each bag is 1m x 1m x 1.5m, and weighs 450kg.

Price for this, plus a new filter mat (goes between the peat and the stone layer) is €160... Which isn't terrible. The issue is that it's in Kildare, and they won't deliver. So I may have to do a 6hr round drive for this :-(

Does anyone else know of a peat FIBRE supplier closer to the northwest???

Ps. If you need to renew the stones, it's 40mm crush, about a 100mm layer, making sure the outlet holes are surrounded in stone

Hi I've a feeling I may have to replace the peat in mine soon too
did a little check on it yesterday and there was water pooling on the surface.
now it may have been that I checked just after effluent had been pumped in but that's probably wishful thinking.
anyway I turned all the peat over with a fork and spade and the effluent percolatd down and out as it should . I'll be monitoring for a few days .
so I've a few questions ?
have you 2 chambers in the green tank ? and only needed 1.25 bags ? seems like too little for mine
how did you transport it and what did you do with the old stuff?

Smarttanks · 03-12-2015 11:21AM

Hi, I work with these systems and others like it, It is advisable to change the peat fiber every 7-10 years depending on usage (Amount of people in the house) as for your storage tank (concrete tank without pumps) we would recommend you empty every 18mths to 2years. This also depends on usage. If the water pools in your pods (Tanks with fiber peat) that is a sign that the fibers have soaked up all they can and need replaced.

The workings : Most systems use a form of aeration to treat the water in the tanks. and the out flow of water is then put through a percolation. With the puraflow system the first tank works like on old septic tank witch seperates solids from water. The water is then pumped to the pods. In the pods the peat fiber is what takes out the Bod's, Nitrate's And so on. (All the bad stuff you dont want in the ground) once the peat has soaked up all it can it needs replaced.

This can be seen as i have said by the pooling of water in the pods or the backing up of water due to pure saturation.

Crank Stain · 03-12-2015 02:30PM

Hi all,

A quick query, we had a puraflo system installed in a new build over the summer and its only been in use since September.

The pump is quite noisy at times and the smell can be quite bad too, there is only 4 of us in the house, 2 adults and 2 kids and we are at work/school most of the day so its not like the system is being overworked.

We couldn't have a bbq or sit outside when the pump start up, the smell would force us indoors.

Is it normal for puraflo systems to be noisy and smelly?

Thanks in advance.

Smarttanks · 03-12-2015 03:17PM

Hi

It defiantly not normal to have a lot of noise from a pump. You would usually hear a small humming noise from it or running water from its outlet when on but nothing other than that. Have you checked to see is pump blocked or something hindering its working state. A lot of times on new builds especially, contractors accidentally drop stuff into open drains or toilets and they end up in the tank/pump. As for the smell i would first advise on checking you stacks (vents on the sewage pipes). These should be above the guttering or in an area witch has good air flow so as to take the gasses (smells away)

Gimme Stitches · 19-05-2016 11:08AM

Following EPA test the engineer has recommended the puraflo system. Can anyone recommend them? As most of the comments on here seem to be negative.
What alternatives are available? Or is it just a matter of having a word with the engineer and getting his opinion as to why this is the recommended system.

Metric Tensor · 19-05-2016 11:23AM

There are a lot of systems for sale that "in theory" offer a similar level of treatment - albeit achieved by different means. Quite a few of these systems when tested don't necessarily treat the effluent as well as claimed. Mind you all such systems require maintenance and a lot of homeowners either don't know how or just don't bother. They are all pieces of machinery and need to be serviced regularly.

Our experience of the "Puraflo" system has been the opposite of most of the experiences here. In comparison to other systems they tend to have less moving parts (pretty much just one pump) and hence tend to have less mechanical failures. A lot of people don't know that you are supposed to replace the peat fibre from time to time. I can't recall the exact timescale.

It is worth noting though that Bord na Mona (aka Anua) have gotten out of the market and no longer produce or sell puraflos - a private operator has purchased the licence to continue producing/supplying the equipment. (You'll find them with google!) I have no experience of this operator yet so I cannot say how this will affect things.

On your other point - ask your engineer why he specified this particular system and he should have no problems telling you his reasons. Then you can make an informed choice. Has your planning permission been granted? If it has and specific reference is made to a Puraflo system you will not be in compliance if you put in any other type of system - you will need to contact the council to get a letter saying it is ok to put in a different type of system.

Gimme Stitches · 19-05-2016 12:19PM

No just getting the planning application together. Thanks for the info.

Metric Tensor · 19-05-2016 02:11PM

Also - ask for CE Certification for any system you decide to go with.

If it doesn't have CE Certification it shouldn't be for sale in Ireland.

Gimme Stitches · 19-05-2016 02:54PM

Metric Tensor wrote: »

Also - ask for CE Certification for any system you decide to go with.

If it doesn't have CE Certification it shouldn't be for sale in Ireland.

Just checked the website and indeed they are CE certified. I cant come across pricing info. If you have a rough idea that would be great. (PM if necessary)

Metric Tensor · 19-05-2016 03:21PM

I don't I'm afraid - I haven't seen any prices since it was ANUA and that was a different time in the economy and also for non-domestic projects. So anything I'd have would be so out of date as to be a red herring.

What I do know is that it is was always one of the more expensive systems on the market - I can't see that having changed!

Edit: Ask your engineer for a copy of his report and if you send it to the manufacturers I'm pretty sure they'll have a price back to you fairly quickly because they'll smell a sale!

Gimme Stitches · 19-05-2016 03:23PM

Metric Tensor wrote: »

I don't I'm afraid - I haven't seen any prices since it was ANUA and that was a different time in the economy and also for non-domestic projects. So anything I'd have would be so out of date as to be a red herring.

What I do know is that it is was always one of the more expensive systems on the market - I can't see that having changed!

Edit: Ask your engineer for a copy of his report and if you send it to the manufacturers I'm pretty sure they'll have a price back to you fairly quickly because they'll smell a sale!

What would be deemed expensive?

tonguefish · 13-07-2018 04:30PM

Hi,
I just started digging out the old peat from my puraflo modules as they've started overflowing earlier this summer.
Does anybody know if the old peat can be re-used for horticulture purposes ?
Also, how much peat do I need for per module and does it need to be a special mix/grade or will regular peat suffice ?

BryanF · 13-07-2018 05:29PM

tonguefish wrote: »

Hi,
I just started digging out the old peat from my puraflo modules as they've started overflowing earlier this summer.
1. Does anybody know if the old peat can be re-used for horticulture purposes ?
2. Also, how much peat do I need for per module and does it need to be a special mix/grade or will regular peat suffice ?

1. NO! (Human sh1te on your garden??)
2. Contact the manufacturer.

Is there not a maintenance contract with treatment system? Was this not a requirement of your planning application?

tonguefish · 13-07-2018 10:04PM

BryanF wrote: »

1. NO! (Human sh1te on your garden??)
2. Contact the manufacturer.

Is there not a maintenance contract with treatment system? Was this not a requirement of your planning application?

Ya, was intending to hire a skip for disposal of the peat, funny thing is I got a quote for peat replacement from a waste water company who said they would pile the old peat beside the modules for horticultural use.
Bought the property second hand, so no maintenance contract.

tinofapples · 12-12-2018 03:19PM

tonguefish wrote: »

Ya, was intending to hire a skip for disposal of the peat, funny thing is I got a quote for peat replacement from a waste water company who said they would pile the old peat beside the modules for horticultural use.
Bought the property second hand, so no maintenance contract.

When enquiring with a firm to replace my peat moss I was also told that they would pile the old moss beside the modules for horticultural use :eek:

How did the replacement go for you in the end ?

tonguefish · 15-12-2018 10:16PM

tinofapples wrote: »

When enquiring with a firm to replace my peat moss I was also told that they would pile the old moss beside the modules for horticultural use :eek:

How did the replacement go for you in the end ?

I rang a second maintenance firm and they said it could be put to horticultural use. They also said it could be spread on the lawn or around the Puraflow modules. I piled mine beside the Puraflow modules as I had some hedge planting to do so it came in handy.
I covered the pile with polythene to keep the kids off it but when I went to use it, I found that a couple of different rodent families had moved in.
My advice would be if you don't have a short term horticultural use for it, get rid of it.

septicsac · 21-10-2019 05:08AM

I replaced my fibres last week.Had 2 large modules to do, ordered everything from Anua in Carrick on Shannon. Price for 2 ton bags full to the top with fibres, plus stone and new holding pipes for each module delivered from Carrick to Louth was 550E. Guy was sound, came up and looked at the job, offered advise and outlined what causes faults to these systems, couldnt have been more professional (Think his name was Declan/Dermot) Job took me two half days between the rainfall, to dig out old turf and stone and put in new stuff. Not the worst job in the world and could be done by one person in a day. Old stone will be washed down and used in ladddrain in the garden, not sure what will do with old peat yet.
I got a good ten years out of last turf, running family of 5 and might have got another year, but one module got blocked and flooded the other one, so no point in doing one side and having to do another in 6-12 months.
I will be keeping a good eye on them this time round, try keep soap/toilet cleaners/bleaches/washing poweers to a minimum, they form a soapy gel on top of the fibre, preventing water passing theough. I intend to rake the fibres once a year after about 3/4 years in and check for signs of blockages monthly

Ndiver · 02-09-2020 10:00AM

Hi, Has anyone just used the normal retail/garden center type moss peat bales for this - if so, does it do the job ok?

Puraflo Sewage Treatment

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