Questions on sewage treatment plant size are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive here at Proseptic. And it’s no wonder as choosing the right size of drainage system for your property is vital to ensuring the safe and effective running of your septic tank, soakaway or sewage treatment plant.
Calculating Sewage Treatment Plant Size
To put it simply, your sewage treatment plant size depends on the number of bedrooms at your property. The more bedrooms, the larger your septic system needs to be.
As a general rule a sewage treatment plant for a single house with up to and including 3 bedrooms should be designed for a minimum population (P) of 5 people. For each extra bedroom above 3, you add 1P to the minimum single house value of 5P. So, for example:
- 3 bedroom house = 5P system minimum
- 4 bedroom house = 6P system minimum
- 6 bedroom house = 8P system minimum
If your sewage treatment plant is shared between a number of households then things can get a little trickier. Although the rules above generally apply, if the number of occupants exceeds 12 further calculations need to be done which should always be conducted by an expert.
If you’re unsure of the size of sewage treatment plant you need for your property it’s always best to contact the experts at Proseptic; as you’re about the find out the results of an incorrect drainage system can be pretty unpleasant…
What Happens If Your Sewage Treatment Plant is Too Small?
If your sewage treatment plant is too small it won’t be able to cope with the amount of waste generated by your property and will not be able to process your waste effectively. As you can imagine, this can result in some pretty unpleasant problems such as foul smells, blockages and overflowing.
What Happens If Your Sewage Treatment Plant is Too Big?
Many people assume that a larger septic system is better as it will avoid the problems we see with small sewage treatment plants: wrong.
If your drainage system is too big then the correct amount of wastewater won’t be flowing through, therefore causing the system to malfunction. This can result in blockages and other nasty drainage problems.
As you can see, choosing the wrong size of drainage system for your home can have some pretty nasty consequences. Therefore, it’s always best to contact an expert drainage engineer on these matters. The team at Proseptic can weigh up the size of your property, number of appliances and number of occupants quickly and effectively to ensure you install the correct size of sewage treatment plant for your property. For more information, give our team a call on 01794 517 770 or fill in the form below.