Stone-and-pipe has been a tried-and-true effluent dispersal method for decades, but like all things, it isn’t perfect. Requiring the use of heavy machinery makes it a no-go on smaller job sites, and a bottom-area absorption design may shorten the life of the system.
Verti-Grid, from a startup aptly named Better Dispersal Systems, is a new research-backed solution using modular HDPE grid panels to enable sidewall dispersal, translating to a healthy, long-lasting drainfield. Co-owners Larry Stephens and Randy Redmer are the minds behind the technology. Stephens brings nearly 60 years of wastewater design experience, conducting onsite system design engineering, specializing in distribution systems, and being an early adopter of advanced treatment technology. In the 1970s, Stephens learned of research from the prior decade, out of UC Berkeley, that recommended designs that maximize sidewall area, minimize bottom area, and use narrow trenches.
“Unfortunately, there were no products on the market back then except stone as the dispersal media,” Stephens says about the method used to this day. “So the research wasn’t used to influence the development of standards in the industry.”
“In the ’90s, I put together a mock-up, but never really finished it,” Stephens says. “[30 years later], me and Randy put our heads together to patent and push the product to market.”
Verti-Grid’s solution uses a scalable dual-layered HDPE module covered with geotextile fabric as the dispersal media. Effluent is pumped to the Verti-Grid module via a pressurized PVC pipe through a small orifice, flowing downward by gravity horizontally, laterally and vertically. As the sidewall soil gets wet, the moisture is drawn away via capillary action.
“I’m a believer in equal distribution using small-diameter pressure pipe,” Stephens says. “Every module is seeing equal water from day one to the end of the system. Each module serves as a mini-drainfield.”
This helps avoid biomass buildup, clogged soil pores, anaerobic conditions, uneven distribution and contamination from precipitation events during installation.
Verti-Grid can be installed with a trenching machine as opposed to large excavation equipment, and modules can be arranged to overcome site challenges and difficulties.
In Stephens’ home state, Michigan, Verti-Grid is currently being used to fit space constraints of lakeshore lots where installation would be arduous by traditional means. Stephens says his immediate goal is finalizing distribution agreements in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Long-term, he hopes to branch out into the remaining states and Canada.
“The shoreline is valuable, so lots tend to be small. Our product is going to shine on those properties,” Stephens says. “We really see a great future for this product and similar products.”
517-749-1658; www.betterdispersalsystems.com
