scottishjohn Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 why would you pick one over the other as I understand it both need emptying or regular basis and if you have space for a leech field why spend more on a treatment plant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Legally you cannot install septic tanks any more. They have to be treatment plants as the sewage treatment is done in the tank rather than the leach field. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) 28 minutes ago, PeterW said: Legally you cannot install septic tanks any more. They have to be treatment plants as the sewage treatment is done in the tank rather than the leach field. Septic tanks are still legal as long as you're not discharging directly into a watercourse, however I installed a sewage treatment plant as I wanted to future-proof. 52 minutes ago, scottishjohn said: why would you pick one over the other as I understand it both need emptying or regular basis and if you have space for a leech field why spend more on a treatment plant The output from a sewage treatment plant is much higher quality so your drainage/leach field will last much longer before it clogs up. the downside of most sewage treatment plants is that they are noisy. Septic tanks are silent. The air blower on our sewage treatment plant costs about £25/year to run. Septic tanks have no running cost. Edited July 7, 2020 by Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 A treatment plant does not cost much more than a septic tank, so why would you want to save that small amount? Anyone still using a septic tank and discharging to a watercourse should have upgraded it to a septic tank by the start of the year. I know at least 2 around here that have not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Going for a treatment tank with an air blower seems to be more one area where pretty much all members agree on here. If you are installing a soakaway yourself and have access to a digger and the correct stone prehaps it would be cheaper. Our tricel tank is operational and although we had some problems with damage on transit (three tanks have come on site!) pleased with how it is now functioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) +1 all the above, yes they make a little noise but if you have room (and you do) you can place it away from the house, I installed a Vortex myself and very pleased with it . It is generally agreed (on this forum) to avoid plants that have moving parts down in the smelly stuff ?. Rules for Scotland In Scotland, you must REGISTER a sewage discharge, both new and existing, with SEPA. If it is an existing discharge that has been in use since 1st. April 2006, then you can register it if it is for 15 persons or less. If was in use BEFORE this date, then you can register it if it is for 50 persons or less. For populations higher than these, on the dates above, the you need to apply for a LICENCE from SEPA. For the full list of rules, see https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/small-scale-sewage-discharges/ Edited July 7, 2020 by joe90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishjohn Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 33 minutes ago, joe90 said: 1 all the above, yes they make a little noise but if you have room (and you do) you can place it away from the house, I installed a Vortex myself and very pleased with it . It is generally agreed (on this forum) to avoid plants that have moving parts down in the smelly stuff which is why Iwould why ,if you have space ,you would complicate things with gadgets the last septic tank is still here ,but i know they will want it replacing ,as for leech field blocking I think that is usually a sign that the tank has not been empited often enough or bad dewign of the leech field Ihave no water course to discharge to --or none iwould want to .as they all end up in the quarry lake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishjohn Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 1 hour ago, ProDave said: A treatment plant does not cost much more than a septic tank, so why would you want to save that small amount? from a quick check they are twice the price + a bit £!000 is not a small amount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 1 hour ago, scottishjohn said: ,but i know they will want it replacing why, some old tanks seem to go on forever, worth an inspection. When I lived in Shropshire a neighbour who had an old property had to re render the inside to please the BI when he did the place up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishjohn Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 27 minutes ago, joe90 said: why, some old tanks seem to go on forever, worth an inspection. When I lived in Shropshire a neighbour who had an old property had to re render the inside to please the BI when he did the place up. it is more like a cess pit -two chambers but its made like a dry stone dyke -no mortar between stones --so it must just leak out everywhere and there is no sign of a discharge pipe --so that must be the way it was designed in1800,s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxbow16 Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 On 07/07/2020 at 13:31, Thedreamer said: Our tricel tank is operational and although we had some problems with damage on transit (three tanks have come on site!) pleased with how it is now functioning. Hi Would be interesting to hear a bit more about the damage it got in transit. I appreciate being in transit is a whole different thing than being in the ground, but I did note the Tricel is GRP; albeit their "extra strong" variant. Sorry if that's a bit off topic. On 07/07/2020 at 14:47, scottishjohn said: which is why Iwould why ,if you have space ,you would complicate things with gadgets the last septic tank is still here ,but i know they will want it replacing ,as for leech field blocking I think that is usually a sign that the tank has not been empited often enough or bad dewign of the leech field Ihave no water course to discharge to --or none iwould want to .as they all end up in the quarry lake We're in the process of choosing a sewage treatment plant. We're on very heavy clay. We did our own percolation test a month or so ago and the first lot of water is still in there. It's barely gone down an inch! Plus we've got a stream, so everything for us points towards a STP going to the stream. With decent draining soil though, I'd definitely still be considering a septic tank with drainage field. Especially a new one which I could look after properly from the start, having now learnt the do's and don'ts. It's the running costs of the sewage treatment plants that puts me off. An average air blower seems to come in at around £80 per year electricity. More if you need a pumped outlet. £100+ for annual servicing. Regular desludging - possibly more so that a STP. And I think it's probably fair to add a replacement air blower price in there too as from what I've been reading there's no accounting for how often they give up and need replacing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 If you have the option of discharge to a stream, definitely do that with a treatment plant. Way better and easier than any drainage field especially if it won't drain anyway. If you are worried about material, our Conder treatment plant is made out of hdpe, not fibreglass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 @Oxbow16 You can read about it here. For the record that photo for some reason is not the Tricel one but the one @ProDave suggests. Our tank is now installed is working well and quiet. It cost £1847+VAT. I did not have to pay haulage but they had to send three tanks to the Hebrides before it met the standard I expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 I found the cheapest place to get one from was Travis Perkins. I think what swayed it was they could use their own transport to deliver it which they did FOC which made it cheaper than anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxbow16 Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 @Thedreamer Please don't take this the wrong way, but I've seen enough now to strike the Tricel off my shortlist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 1 hour ago, Oxbow16 said: @Thedreamer Please don't take this the wrong way, but I've seen enough now to strike the Tricel off my shortlist! That's fine by me. ? I can't remember if I mentioned in that thread, but the only reason I choose that one was that all three of the building merchants here stocked it as their treatment tank of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxbow16 Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 I've certainly heard very good things about it, including from experienced installers. And the rep I've been talking to (the customer service all round for that matter) has been exceptional. It's just all those bolts that put me off. I keep thinking IKEA! To be fair to them though, they offer better warranty than most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC5 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 On 16/08/2020 at 14:54, Thedreamer said: @Oxbow16 You can read about it here. For the record that photo for some reason is not the Tricel one but the one @ProDave suggests. Our tank is now installed is working well and quiet. It cost £1847+VAT. I did not have to pay haulage but they had to send three tanks to the Hebrides before it met the standard I expected. What was wrong with them, that seems really bad, would be worried that someone without knowledge or a builder would install one not up to scratch! also do you have a rough idea what you were inc install? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 10 hours ago, DC5 said: What was wrong with them, that seems really bad, would be worried that someone without knowledge or a builder would install one not up to scratch! also do you have a rough idea what you were inc install? thanks Not sure on the install cost, the groundworkers invoice was £1,340 but this also included a couple of days for landscaping and digging a french drain. I would say the tank (net of VAT) and installation cost (zero rated) around £2,600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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