Keeping your sewage treatment systems in good working order can be a messy affair – from rising costs to freak weather and increased flooding causing disruption, your septic or sewage treatment plant must be able to overcome many different problems.
We’ve made a list of some of the issues your sewage treatment system constantly fights against, and what you can do to turn the tide of battle in your favour.
All sewage treatment plants are designed to process wastewater effectively to ensure compliance with regulations and protect the environment.
However, this technology has its limits, and too much waste water can quickly overwhelm your system, leading to all kinds of nasty problems.
For single households, this is not usually a problem, as the increase in waste production is not usually enough to overcome the capacity of a domestic septic tank or a small sewage treatment plant.
Where excess sewage can become a real issue is for properties with a shared septic tank (which can be common in new-build developments), in larger residential buildings like apartments and flats, or in highly-trafficked commercial and retail areas, such as offices, restaurants, gymnasiums, and shopping centres.
More people means more waste water to process, and as the population increases, if your sewage treatment systems don’t scale proportionally, many properties will run the risk of backlogs, blockages or overflows.
Even for buildings connected to mains drainage, an increase in residents can cause changes to the behaviour and effectiveness of your drains over longer periods of time.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can combat these problems – Proseptic is here to guide you through them all.
The first thing you can do is to get your septic tank or sewage treatment system inspected and evaluated by a professional to ensure everything is compliant, and so you know exactly what, if anything, needs replacing.
Your sewage treatment plant has to deal with a lot of waste, which is why it’s also vital that what does get flushed is the right kind of waste.
Moist tissues, wipes and other household items should all go in the bin where possible – the only thing that should be going down your drains is toilet paper, or you could risk accidentally clogging up your drains.
Taking good care of your existing systems and knowing what to spot in case of any issues is another important factor to keeping your sewage treatment system flowing smoothly – bad smells, puddles around your soakaway and particularly slow drains are all signs of a potential problem.
In cases where you are interested in a new property and are unaware of the status of their drainage and wastewater disposal systems, our specialist home-buyer’s surveys are the best option for finding any faults before you purchase your dream home.
As the cost of living crisis continues to put pressure on households, many people neglect to properly look after their septic tank.
Many people are worried about the prospect of being hit with excessive maintenance bills for their sewage treatment plant or septic tank, and with money tight, sewage treatment can be the least of their priorities.
On top of this, one of the most costly aspects of owning a septic tank, desludging, can be an expensive process as a result of strict regulations and the necessity for a licensed contractor to carry out the work.
Meanwhile, the cost of operating certain sewage treatment plants and septic systems continues to rise thanks to increasing energy prices – some septic tanks and sewage treatment plants rely on mechanical components to treat effluent rather than biological and chemical processes, which requires a constant supply of electricity to function.
Although the price of running a mechanical wastewater system is low, it can soon add up over time, and whilst more effective, cost-saving technologies do exist, it can be difficult to commit to investing in a new septic tank or an alternative sewage solution.
At Proseptic, we offer a range of solutions to suit every location, size and budget – our team of expert engineers will get your wastewater disposal systems sorted no matter the issue.
Some people think maintaining a septic tank or sewage treatment system takes lots of time and money, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!
We’ve already busted three septic tank myths, so here’s one more you don’t have to worry about – taking care of your sewage treatment system is simple, easy, and can save you money in the long run.
Keeping an eye out for potential problems requires vigilance, so you should check your septic tank or sewage treatment system often to ensure there are no issues developing, and utilise regular servicing to make sure no part of your system becomes worn or damaged.
Of course, if your septic tank or sewage treatment plant does develop a problem, getting it sorted should be the number 1 priority – the cost of a callout is small compared to the expensive repairs you will need in the case of a burst pipe or system failure, and you could even face charges for breaching compliance regulations.
Even with the improvements of modern septic systems and sewage treatment plants, the impact of climate change is causing serious alterations to our weather patterns – increased rainfall and freak weather events have resulted in disruption and damage to drainage systems.
Aside from increased weather disruption, the process of installing a sewage treatment plant or septic tank also has an impact on the environment at a smaller scale.
In order to install a sewage treatment system, a lot of land needs to be excavated, which can impact wildlife significantly, and once it is installed, the discharging of treated effluent back into the environment can change the flow of water in and around the local area.
In combination with the issues above, an overflow of your septic system or sewage treatment plant can not only cause damage to your property but also to the environment – this can land you in serious trouble with the environment agency and may result in prosecution.
Thankfully, Proseptic can help mitigate the impact of climate change, both during the installation process and once your sewage treatment system is up and running.
Implementing biomats and other new technologies to increase the biomass concentration of sewage treatment systems helps to process more effluent more efficiently.
Using a smaller sewage treatment plant or septic tank helps to reduce the amount of land required for installation, as well as reducing the amount of materials needed for construction.
Once your sewage treatment system has been installed, regular inspections and surveys ensure the effluent released is compliant with local rules and regulations, as there are hefty penalties for the release of untreated sewage.
Although it seems difficult to overcome many of the challenges facing the present and future of sewage treatment, with a professional drainage company like Proseptic at your side, we can tackle these issues together.
Our experts have years of experience in sewage treatment and drainage solutions – there is no one better qualified to take on your sewage treatment problem.
We use a range of specialist tools and strategies, such as state-of-the-art CCTV equipment, to investigate all kinds of drainage issues whilst causing minimal disruption to your property.
For more information about our drainage services, or to book an inspection of your sewage treatment system, contact our experts today!