Modular system used on limited space parcel
Problem: A customer in St. Joseph’s County, Indiana, had a failed bootleg/illegal system at his home. The homeowner is a veteran on a fixed income and could not afford to replace the system on his own to bring his system into compliance with the county. Dig It Excavating did previous work for the veteran to help keep his system running but ultimately needed to replace the system to get it back in good working order and bring it in good standing with the county. There was limited space between the property and the neighbor’s property, so the design needed to allow for a system that could fit in the space we had and maintain proper setback distances to the neighbor’s property.
Solution: Designers were able to use a 16-by-32-foot bed configuration using Eljen A42 modules with an approved reduction in sizing in the state. The system was gravity flow to a distribution box utilizing a Septisurge inside the distribution box.
Result: Eljen — being a veteran-founded and run company — donated the Eljen A42 modules. Dig It Excavating pitched in and credited their work and labor for the homeowner and Valley Farms Supply helped by donating the other products and supplies needed to make the installation work. 800-444-1359; www.eljen.com
Long-term solution sought for failing drainfield
Problem: In 2020, a single-family home on environmentally sensitive Trout Haven Lake in Richmondville, New York, faced a recurrently failing raised bed sand filter leachfield. Two repairs were attempted within five years. The first was a raised bed replacement. The second was the addition of fabric filter inserts. Both failed, with the homeowner experiencing sluggish drains, odors and surface pooling. Lamont Engineers were called in for a long-term solution. Using a mini-excavator, Jim Gillespie of Lamont witnessed black sludge bleeding from an exposed cross section of the field.
Solution: Challenged by higher-than-normal hydraulic flows, a relatively steep slope, 100-foot set-back requirements on a small lot and constrained homeowner budget, Gillespie feared a repeat scenario with a full field replacement and instead recommended a treatment train bypassing the existing septic tank into a FujiClean model CE5 ATU with treated effluent discharging into an existing distribution box and section of the field. Small and compact, the CE5 was squeezed into place with minimal distribution to existing landscaping.
Result: Jim Brooks of JB’s Line Cleaning and Plumbing has maintained this system for the past five years and reports that the odors and surface pooling disappeared within three months and no signs of breakout or field failure five years later, with sampled effluent always exceeding local health department standards. 207-406-2927; www.fujicleanusa.com
Pretreatment system used for high FOG wastewater
Problem: The Cottage Hotel is a historic tavern and restaurant in Mendon, New York. The one-third acre parcel presents major challenges for a septic system as space at the site is mostly limited to the footprint of the buildings and parking. Wastewater is treated and then discharged into a nearby stream. Pretreatment had historically been accomplished through an aerobic treatment unit with polishing through a single-pass sand filter with SPDES-permitted surface discharge. Although the ATU and sand filter are good treatment technologies, at this particular site, the fats, oils and greases generated from the kitchen waste were too much for the system to handle, causing the sand filter to clog routinely. Regulatory authorities mandated the failing system be upgraded to be better suited for handling the high-strength of commercial wastewater.
Solution: The owner hired Onsite Engineering to design a commercial septic system to handle the high-strength restaurant wastewater and treat it to the high level needed for a permitted surface water discharge. The redesigned system uses the White Knight Microbial Inoculator Generator from Knight Treatment Systems. The system inoculates and pretreats the wastewater with select bacteria that aggressively digest the FOG and other organic constituents prior to passing through the rebuilt single pass sand filter.
Result: The system has been working well since its 2017 installation. 800-560-2454; www.knighttreatment.com
Suspended biofilm generator restores failing drainfield
Problem: A North Florida RV park struggled with an aging septic system serving four RV sites. Frequent pumpouts were needed due to high levels in the single-compartment tank, caused by excessive biomat buildup clogging the drainfield.
Solution: In December 2024, Jonathan Sundin of ALL SEPTIC SOLUTIONS installed a RioVation BioMaze BM2624 after pumping and cleaning the tank. The system intermittently reached high levels and required four additional pumpouts over three months, then stabilized at normal operating level with no further issues. Contractors often see biomat-clogged systems return to normal operating levels within days of BioMaze installation. The Suspended Biofilm Generator produces clear, odorless effluent, high in dissolved oxygen and naturally occurring aerobic microorganisms. This effluent accelerates biomat breakdown in the soil interface, effectively restoring the drainfield without excavation.
Result: The RV Park avoided an expensive drainfield replacement and kept all four RV sites operational. 352-228-4488; www.riovation.com
