Heavy clay soils northeast of Kansas City make onsite system installation a challenge.
When facing those conditions, third-generation business Dykes Construction turns to the Advanced Enviro-Septic treatment system from Infiltrator Water Technologies.
The system consists of pipe sections 12 inches in diameter and 10 feet long, wrapped in a Bio-Accelerator fabric that promotes development of a biomat and enables distribution of wastewater along the entire length of the pipes. The manufacturer says the system is proven to remove up to 99% of wastewater impurities without electricity or replacement media.
Dykes Construction, based in Lawson, Missouri, was among the first installers to use the system when it was introduced to the state on a trial basis nine years ago. “We’ve been putting the systems in for quite a few years,” says Nick Dykes, son of company owner Scott Dykes.
“My dad wasn’t afraid to take a chance on the product. He liked it, and we have a very high success rate with it. We didn’t have any failures.”
The technology is now fully permitted in the state, and is becoming popular with installers. “We put sand underneath the pipe, and that gives us our vertical separation from the 4B clay soils,” Dykes says. “Generally it’s 6 inches of sand, but it is site-dependent.”
The Advanced Enviro-Septic system passively creates a biological ecosystem that continuously digests organic matter in wastewater. Highly purified effluent is released to the soil, helping to recharge the groundwater and prevent soil and water contamination. The system affordably combines treatment and dispersal in the same compact footprint, the manufacturer states.
Snap-lock couplings, offset adapters, PVC piping and end caps are used to assemble the system. Readily available and easily worked System Sand is used to complete the installation. Testing in accordance with NSF/ANSI 40 has determined that the system can treat domestic wastewater to Class I levels.
The technology establishes treatment quickly. A plastic fiber mat protects the Bio-Accelerator material, creates a massive bacterial treatment area, helps filter out suspended solids, and protects the outer wrapping of geotextile bacterial treatment surfaces.
For more about Dykes Construction, check out the full profile in the December issue of Onsite Installer.
