System Repair/Drainfield Rejuvenation

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Biofilter replacement for seasonal homes

Problem

Two summer homes on a 100,000-square-foot island in Lake George, N.Y., had defective onsite systems. A barge pump serviced the septic tanks every three to four weeks. With 18 inches of soil over solid rock, the only answer was an alternative pretreatment system.

 

Solution

The designer specified seven 150 gpd Puraflo peat biofilter modules from Anua, one per bedroom. Duplex pumps time-dose the systems, sending effluent to a distribution grid at the top of each unit. Purification occurs as the liquid percolates through the media over 36 to 48 hours. The peat also suppresses odors. Effluent discharges through a gravel pad beneath the modules.

“When the house is vacant during winter, the microorganisms survive on the media,” says Chris Ray, executive account manager for Anua. “Once the homeowners return, the peat system reactivates to optimal performance.” The media has a projected life span of 15 years.

 

Result

The systems produce effluent with BOD and TSS less than 10 mg/l, ammonia nitrogen less than 5 mg/l, and fecal coliform less than 1,000 per 100 ml. 800/787-2356; www.anua-us.com.

 

System handles high-strength wastewater

Problem

Six months after a couple moved into their retirement home on Puget Sound in Washington, effluent surfaced on the drainfield. A laboratory report confirmed BOD5 at 700 mg/l. After they exhausted conventional repair options, the King County Health Department referred them to Aqua Test.

 

Solution

Aqua Test performed a site evaluation, and the homeowner provided information on daily operational practices. The evidence showed the probable cause of surfacing effluent was extremely high BOD5 loading compounded by chemotherapy medicines. Aqua Test recommended installing two Nibbler CBP (Cylinder Back-flush Pod) units to reduce the BOD5 and neutralize the pH while maintaining high dissolved oxygen.

 

Result

Additional samples were taken after the Nibbler units were installed. Analytical data revealed the BOD5 levels were reduced to an average of 16.77 mg/l, pH 7.15, and dissolved oxygen 4.1 mg/l. Today, the system is in compliance with state regulatory requirements. 800/221-3159; www.aquatestinc.com.

 

Aerobic bacterial generator

Problem

A restaurant in Gloversville, N.Y., with a failing onsite system was under corrective orders from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The owner chose to remediate the stone drainfield with three P-80 Aquaworx Remediators from Infiltrator Systems Inc.

 

Solution

The aerobic bacterial generators are 36-inch-high by 15-inch-diameter airlift columns inserted into the septic tank. Cuspated plastic wrapped around the bottom outside of the unit and placed within and above the bubble diffuser provides the surface on which proprietary bacteria colonize.

The unit has a 1/2 hp air pump with built-in alarm that supplies air through a 1/2-inch PVC Schedule 40 line discharging at the bottom of the column. Aeration circulates the water and creates an environment that enables the microbes to digest organic waste and remove nitrates. More than 25,000 gpd pass through the 150 square feet of plastic. As effluent flows to the drainfield, bacteria migrate with it to consume the biomat and improve the nitrification phase.

 

Result

Within weeks, the waste strength was reduced and the drainfield was no longer ponding. 800/221-4436; www.aquaworx.com.

 

Aerobic treatment upgrade

Problem

Wastewater ponding in the yard of a three-bedroom home on a lake near Fortville, Ind., alerted owners to their second onsite system failure in two years. Keith Abernathy of A & M Excavating evaluated the soil as fill removed from the lake bed.

 

Solution

Abernathy installed a RetroFAST 0.375 enhancement unit from Bio-Microbics in the 1,000-gallon septic tank, then added a dosing tank and 50 more feet of laterals to the drainfield. The fixed activated sludge treatment (FAST) system combines attached and suspended growth in an aerobic packed bed bioreactor. Nitrification and denitrification occur in the 41- by 24- by 33.5-inch module. An aerating blower, the only moving part, oxygenates the effluent before delivery to the drainfield, where aerobic bacteria digest the biomat.

 

Result

The property is dry and the system operates as designed. 913/422-0707; www.biomicrobics.com.

 

Aerobic treatment system

Problem

Effluent ponded in the outdated drainfield of a 44-unit mobile home park in Allegan, Mich., and raw sewage flowed into a swamp forest draining into Swan Lake. The owner called maintenance provider Rod Carroll of Wray’s Septic Tank Co. in Allegan to pump the 20,000-gallon septic tank twice a year until health officials gave him the ultimatum to replace the system in three months.

 

Solution

Carroll worked with Randy Rapp, P.E., of Exxel Engineering, to design the system using a Fusion purification tank from Clarus Environmental, a division of Zoeller Co. The 5,000 gpd system used the existing septic tank fitted with a Clarus WW4 effluent filter. Carroll installed two 2,400 gpd ZFL Fusion treatment units in parallel, dividing influent evenly with a Tru-Flo splitter box. Two Zoeller N153 pumps send effluent from the 1,500-gallon dose tank to two 32- by 78-foot low-pressure drainfields in six zones.

 

Result

The system performs as designed and effluent meets secondary treatment standards of 30 mg/l BOD and TSS. Maintenance is twice per year. 877/244-9340; www.clarusenvironmental.com.

 

Mound treatment remedy

Problem

Effluent leaked from the corner of a homeowner’s sand mound. The estimated replacement cost was $10,000. He called Dave Estopare of Drainfield Restoration Services in Bend, Ore.

 

Solution

Estopare first fractured the mound with a Terralift pneumatic hammer. Two months later, the leak returned. He then poured BioSpan and BioCell from DRS Environmental into the septic tank. BioSpan, a blend of 57 microbial strains with 10 billion microbes per gram, degrades waste. BioCell is a natural stimulant.

 

Result

After two applications in one month, the mound returned to normal. The owner uses the microbial solution weekly and both products once a year. 541/388-4546; www.drsenviro.com.

 

Absorption bed flow recovery

Problem

The drainfield for a three-bedroom home was failing. The homeowner called service provider Tom Frank of Tim Frank Septic Tank Cleaning Co.

 

Solution

Frank replaced two distribution boxes, jetted and vacuumed the leachfield trenches, fractured the soil with a Terralift machine, and added a bioremediation kit from Ecological Laboratories. The kit contained two gallons of Pro-Pump/HC (high count), one gallon of Pro-Pump/SA (sludge away), and one pound of Pro-Pump/OX (oxygen). The two-gallon infusion of live facultative bacterial culture increased the breakdown of the biomat. The oxygen-release compound accelerated recovery, and the gallon of biostimulants enhanced both cultures.

 

Result

The drainfield was restored. Frank services the system every two years, adding a quart of Pro-Pump/HC to the tanks. The homeowner adds Pro-Pump/SP (septic packets) monthly. 800/326-7867; www.propump.com.

 

Aerobic treatment with constructed wetlands

Problem

Bolingbrook (Ill.) Park District hired Wight & Co. to design a sustainable 7,000-square-foot education center on 17 wooded acres. One criterion was using a constructed wetland to treat wastewater.

 

Solution

Septic Solutions donated a Set-N-Go aerobic treatment unit from Hydro-Action Industries. The NSF 40 Class 1 system includes a pretreatment tank, an aerobic treatment tank, and a pump tank in one container. A pump in the aeration compartment injects air through six diffuser lines to oxygenate wastewater. The liquid then enters the clarification compartment, a conical area in which remaining solids settle and are returned to the aeration compartment for further treatment. Clear effluent leaves the chamber through the outlet baffle for dispersal in the wetland.

 

Result

Purified wastewater enables the wetland ecosystem at Hidden Oaks Nature Center to thrive. 574/936-2542; www.hydro-action.com.

 

Solution for military recreation area

Problem

The wrong grade of sand in the onsite system at the Pointes West Recreational Area in Appling, Ga., caused the sand filter to fail. Attached to the Fort Gordon military base, the site includes cabins, campsites, boating facilities, and a motel for military personnel. Wastewater flows range from 4,000 gpd in winter to almost 50,000 gpd in summer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needed a replacement technology that handled such variations while treating wastewater to 30 mg/l BOD and TSS.

 

Solution

The officers selected AdvanTex AX100 textile treatment modules from Orenco Systems Inc. Integrated Water Services installed a dozen 5,000 gpd pre-engineered units on top of the sand filter. The textile media provides a surface for microbial attachment, producing immediate filtration of TSS and BOD reduction.

The compact design of the 16- by 8- by 3.5-foot modules expedites installation and minimizes disruption. The system, with peak flows of 60,000 gpd, has telemetry monitoring and draws 3 kWh/1,000 gallons. During winter, half the system is taken offline. The system can be expanded to 100,000 gpd within the original sand filter.

 

Result

The system was designed and installed in 120 days. Effluent BOD and TSS average less than 10 mg/l. 800/348-9843; www.orenco.com.



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