Crunchynut

Yep - that’s the simple view that the manufacturers seem to think is all we are able to understand. The science, and the difference between a plant that works well versus one that doesn’t, is far far more complex. So if your plant suddenly starts generating a lot of floating sludge that’s carrying over into the outlet, or a chocolate mouse looking foam, or suddenly isn’t settling, or the effluent has gone cloudy, what do you do? Increase aeration? Decrease aeration? Increase the rate of settled sludge return? Pump out? Chuck in some muck munchers? Contact a ‘maintenance company’ who come and look busy? All very tricky if understanding is limited to what the glossy brochures say.

Some people will want to install and forget, which is fine. Read no further. Personally I want to understand how these things work, and that way I can fix it when it’s not working right or even prevent it going wrong in the first place. I’m not really talking mechanically - that seems obvious enough on most types - but at a biological level. Finding information in the U.K. is difficult. It’s as if regulations for home sewage treatment plants have been brought in but not really understood, and the real world running of plant to achieve these goals ignored. Some of the literature I have found - largely on manufacturer sites - is laughable. Clearly they don’t really understand, or they thing we are too unintelligent to understand, or both. That’s my opinion anyway. I have gathered a lot of intel now from many websites - mostly in the US and mostly referring to large municipal plant, but the science is roughly the same. I understand much better now and feel able to predict, spot and correct issues. One site that has some good videos (I know, I need to get out more) on You Tube is worth sharing for anybody interested. Fill your boots! https://youtube.com/@TeamAquafix

True, but then pipes get blocked, things get put down the loo that shouldn’t have been etc etc. So whilst the basic mechanics are robust, these things do need a regular check ….. don’t they?

Ah - perhaps I skipped an important detail which is where the general binding rules can not be complied with then annual maintenance is mandated along with record keeping. In my case, because discharge is to a ditch that is sometimes dry then a permit is needed. I agree - maintenance should be minimal, but I just wondered what people did, hence the question. Thanks for the replies so far.

I wondered what different people do regarding the maintenance of their sewage treatment plants. Do they use a contractor, do it themselves, don’t do anything? The regs seems to call for ‘maintenance by a competent person’ and for records to be kept for 7 years. I couldn’t find a definition for ‘competent person’. Certainly, if you look at what some maintenance providers say they will do, then there’s little there that I can’t do myself. And I can do those checks every month, not every 12 months. So - what do you do? What do you think of your maintenance provider (no need to name names). Any hints and tips?

I’m laying a new slab in a house. Slab is straight onto sub-base and will have DPM and insulation on top. When casting the slab can I run the concrete right up to the perimeter brickwork or is a filler required to provide isolation between slab and wall? If so, what is the best product?

I use one of these timers for controlling my pumping station (so the pump runs for 5 seconds every 40 minutes in my case). It probably does the same as your circuit board but the packaging might be more convenient for you. http://DEWIN Asymmetric Cycle Timer, Cycle Timer Relay GRT8-S1 Mini Asymmetric Cycle Timer ON/OFF Repeat Cycle Time Relay AC 230V https://amzn.eu/d/iT7dyjR

Pipework and levels are perfect and everything is working as it should (in theory). I increased the rate from 5 minutes per hour to 5 minutes per 45 minutes. The problem is that if the layer is too thick - and we are talking perhaps 15-20mm - then its resistance to move across the surface towards the pipe is so much greater than clear water that flows from beneath the layer. So, if you get a stick and direct the layer towards the pipe then sure enough it gets sucked away, but left under its own devices it is hardly affected. I don’t understand why the layer has formed. Clearly the floc is too buoyant and floating (I think it is called ‘bulking’), but trying to understand the causes behind this from internet search is hard. Anything I find relates to industrial scale plant, not domestic plant, though the theory is nominally the same. It seems the world of domestic activated sludge plant is a bit of a black art. The 6 person tank in a house of 4 people has only been installed 7months, so it shouldn’t need emptying yet. I do periodic settlement tests and the 30minute %settled is 80%, and the spec says to de-sludge if this goes above 90%. I have tried increasing aeration so will give it a bit more time to see if that changes the equilibrium. @joe90said his just cleared up of its own accord. On a positive note, I chose Vortex over other plant so I can see what is going on and intervene if things aren’t quite right, so that’s good. On the whole I am happy with it. I imagine there are plant in use all over the country that are not quite operating as they should, but owners might be oblivious. Please let me know if you have any other thoughts. I’m eager to learn from experience or theory.

Yes - I’m starting to have this problem. The floating sludge is so thick that the floating sludge return barely touches it. Did you find a solution?

For those wishing they took a closer look at the internals of their vortex before putting it into use. https://youtu.be/WlHp0BCdD6E

I think WTE are charging quite a bit more for a pressure gauge now. Seems strange - if it’s so important then why not ship the plant with the gauge. I didn’t want to pay WTE prices on principle, so got one branded by Secoh (the manufacturer of the supplied blower) from MPC (airblow.co.Uk)for £60 delivered.

I would imagine that rubber hardens with time anyway! All of this theory makes me laugh. Expansion, slip, movement etc etc. All nice on paper but what of the real world? In my experience, any pipe / join that has been in the ground a few years is rock solid and the only way to get it to move is with great force (eg I have used a hydraulic jack to separate a fitting from a pipe before now).

Hi, How did this turn out?