Septic enhancement product saves drainfield from ponding

Problem: An installer received a call from a pastor of a rural congregation in Indiana saying the church’s drainfield was ponding. The installer determined the drainfield piping was clogged from the biomat.

Solution: A RetroFAST Septic System Enhancement system from BioMicrobics was installed in the church’s septic tank. The RetroFAST is an attached-growth biological treatment unit designed to upgrade an underperforming septic system. The biological treatment reduces the biodegradable organic matter in the wastewater and delivers more dissolved oxygen to the drainfield; both improvements help to break up biomat. The compactable unit is inserted in the existing septic tank through a standard 18-inch access. The installation can be completed without heavy machinery, usually in less than half a day.

Result: Within a few months, the drainfield was revitalized, and the ponding disappeared. 800-753-3278; www.biomicrobics.com

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System provides town with flexibility for future capacity needs

Problem: Geraldine, Alabama, with a population of 1,100, needed an easy-to-operate wastewater treatment system that could be expanded to accommodate future growth. Additionally, the system needed to treat the entire town’s domestic waste to regulatory limits to allow for drip dispersal and handle flow fluctuations to ensure the drip headworks wouldn’t clog and to prevent development of excess drainfield biomat.

Solution: An ECOPOD advanced wastewater treatment system with a drip dispersal field was selected for the 60,000 gpd system. The units treat incoming wastewater with an expected strength of approximately 300 mg/L incoming BOD/TSS loading, down to the 30/30 effluent limit requirements. Each home is equipped with a septic tank effluent pump system that moves influent to the ECOPOD treatment system. The system has a flow equalization tank with duplex alternating pumps, four E1600 ECOPOD units installed in parallel, then a dosing chamber with duplex alternating pumps that provide controlled dosing to the dispersal field. Oxygen pumped into the system enables bacteria to thrive in much greater numbers than would occur naturally. This speeds the breakdown of the sewage and making it safe for release into the environment. The entire intra-tank bioreactor treatment system is buried in a cast-in-place concrete tank.

Result: The system was designed with growth capabilities in mind. As the community expands, the cost-effective addition of extra trains will keep the wastewater treatment capacity in line with that growth. 800-219-9183; www.deltatreatment.com

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Treatment unit keeps nitrogen levels down on waterfront property 

Problem: A waterfront property located on the Tred Avon River in Talbot County Maryland, needed an onsite system. Nitrogen removal within the critical area of tidal waters is a high priority.

Solution: Bay Area Environmental consulted with Jones Pump Service for project design, regulatory management, installation oversight and start up certification. A series of sand beds with Perc-Rite drip dispersal components were used for effluent dispersal. For the three-bedroom home, a peak flow of 450 gpd was used to design the treatment needs and to size the dispersal beds. A Fuji Clean USA treatment unit was used. Third-party testing has determined that the CEN 5 nitrogen removal average is 76%. A small excavator was able to set the treatment unit because of its compact size and light weight. An Infiltrator dose tank provides storage for the Perc-Rite dispersal pump system. The complete system was installed by CH Tyler Excavating and a Doosan DX63 mini-excavator was used to set the Infiltrator dose tank and the Fuji Clean CEN5. 

Result: The treatment unit performed as advertised, keeping nitrogen dispersal substantially below allowable limits. 207-406-2927; www.fujicleanusa.com

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Septic pipe cover provides aesthetic solution in garden area

Problem: A Massachusetts homeowner spent thousands of dollars on a new porch and landscaping, only to have a 3-foot-tall vent pipe next to his porch in the middle of his garden. Traditional vent filters only addressed the odor problem, not the aesthetics.

Solution: Kevin Orlando from All Season Septic in Stoughton, Massachusetts, was scheduled to pump the system, and the homeowner informed him of the problem. Orlando suggested The Dirty Bird septic pipe cover. The product addresses odor problems with an included charcoal filter, comes in three colors and fits into the landscape as a common yard ornament, a pedestal/birdbath.

Result: Grateful for a simple solution, the homeowner has a focal point instead of an eyesore. Guests don’t even know he has a vent in his yard, and Orlando can service the charcoal filter when he pumps the system. 866-968-9668; www.thedirtybird.com