Your sewage treatment system is a big investment so you want to ensure you get the right system and that it will last. Especially when you consider that the following horrors could await…
1. £100,000 fine if your system is not compliant
With new rules on the way – all sewage effluent discharges are subject to Environment Agency (EA) general binding rules. This is for new and existing septic tanks and sewage treatment solutions, regardless of volume or location.
Septic tank effluent can’t be discharged into any watercourse or ditch. If you have a septic tank that does, it needs to be replaced by 1st January 2020, or if you sell your property before this date, under these new rules.
Your system may not comply with the General Binding Rules brought in by the EA if it was built before they were brought in. But now the maximum fine is set at £100,000. So if it does discharge into a ditch – you MUST do something before 1st January 2020.
2. System can become buoyant or collapse
There have been some very real horror stories where tanks have been badly installed.
If a tank is not installed correctly – they can become buoyant once emptied and then in turn they rise up and break through the ground. This will mean that your tank is no longer underground. The cause of this is usually due to the excavation site becoming saturated with water, especially in areas where dense soil has been replaced with less dense material.
To prevent this happening the excavation site should be kept as small as possible and you should also be careful with what you are backfilling your excavation site with when installing the tank. Make sure you consider the conditions of your area and if buoyancy could be a potential problem. Also, to prevent this you can secure the tank by either using concrete deadmen or screw anchors, as well as strapping material to tie down the tank. Although they need to be appropriate for the tank you intend on tying down.
Hopefully this will help you avoid the nightmare of floating tanks!
Wrongly specified tanks have a habit of collapsing – prevent this from happening by making sure you install the correct tank for your needs. For example, if you are surrounded by farmland you need to make sure the tank is in a spot where it won’t be getting driven over by heavy tractors and farm vehicles, which can cause the tank to collapse under the pressure.
3. System could overflow and back up into the house
It’s essential that you keep on top of the maintenance of your sewage treatment or septic tank. For example, problems can often occur if a septic tank is not emptied as much as it should. A domestic septic tank can only hold one year worth of sludge so it needs to be emptied every year. Another issue that can occur is if more people are using the system than initially intended. If it was installed to cope with one or two people living in a house but then a family of four moves into the dwelling, the system will struggle to cope with the extra daily flow.
How to prevent these nightmare scenarios?
1. Select the right system:
It is important to make the right choice when considering which sewage treatment system to install. For example, you need to make the right environmental choice based upon your sewage treatment options. It also needs to be able to deal with your specific needs, such as the number of people the system will be serving.
You also need to ensure you are adhering with the latest regulations by the 1st January 2020 – read all about it, here.
2. Select the right installer:
You also need to make sure you are picking an appropriate installer who you can trust. They should be able to answer all your questions and ensure you have the correct sewage treatment plan for you. Find out more, here.Â
3. Make sure you service your system:
It’s important to make sure your sewage treatment system is regularly serviced. Depending on its size will depend on how regular this needs to be done.
Get expert advice
For more help and information please call and talk to one of our experts on 0121 351 3230.
We supply as well as install sewage treatment solutions. We can offer a sewage treatment servicing package. You can visit our shop here or find out more about our installation service here.