Septic tanks...

If you are near Peterborough go to the Homebuilding and Renovation show next weekend (one after ?) and you'll be able to have a look at all the major products as they all usually come to these shows.

Before you do anything else you need to apply for consent to the Environment Agency. Assuming they agree, and they may insist on an alternative such as an underground treatment plant, you will also need Building Control approval as well.

Peter Crosland

We have that already - We have to move or septic tank from a neighbour's property to our own (letting the easement go), so we have obtained approval (took weeks) for both the tank and a soakaway. It' snow down to which tank to use...

Mike

Klargester Biodisc. Settle for nothing less.

Christian.

Why is that ? What's the big advantage of these things?

AFAIK, they have moving parts and require electrickery. Neither of these are attractive features. Is it worth it?

It's the difference in the output. A Klargester output is pretty close to pure water whilst a septic tank usually outputs only partially treated sewage. The Environment Agency often insists on proper treatment, rather than a septic tank.

Septic tanks aren't as effective as they used to be due to increased detergent use making the anaerobic bacteria they use less viable. A biodisc constant aerates the water, allowing much more robust aerobic bacteria to do the work. A septic tank will usually require more maintenance and pumping due to the lower reliability.

Yes. However, if you really worry about the electricity/moving parts, they do another model called the Airflow which has neither, but I suspect isn't quite as effective, and might be considerably larger, although I'm not sure about this.

Christian.

No way. The motor sits right next to the crap. There are units on the market operating in the same manner which put all the electrics where they should be - outside on the top.

I think they are moreorless compulsory for new installations. But as yours is a move it may be okay to have a normal septic tank but I would check with the EA.

Klargester biodisc is deep and not wide, and provided that its not ABOVE your shiot level and thereforre needing a s*it pump to raise the stiff, very reliable.

Expect to spend 5-7k plues any extra piping, installed.

Hear hear!

Not a whiff from mine after three years. The pulley fell off the motor (not tightened down maybe) after three years. So I had to empty it. Didn't really need it tho..

Yes. There are only two moving parts - the motor and the disk assembly.

They produce whiffless bog treament and clean water out. No nasty sniffs down the garden.

Laying an underground cable is no extra hassle if you are relaying the drains anyway. Shove some armourded cable under the drain in the shingle.

They have redesigned it so all the motor parts are in a little compartment that doesn't get the crap in.

I talked to the service engineer - he says reliablility is hugely improvced with motor and gearbox life typically being 20 years plus, and syticking te motor out in te rain won't improve te odds on that... besides, it keeps it all low profile.

After three yeasr my motor, pulley and belt were all clean and dry.

Except in your sample of one, where sloppy production control caused it to fail in 3 years.

Nor from ours after at least nine years.

It has been serviced and emptied every year (I'm not convinced about the need for emptying, but SWMBO says ...).

Martin

Why don't youy read what I said? Motor and gearbox life. The pulley is not the gearbox and it probably was my fault for not double checking it was tight when I installed it.

The point being the gearbox with the gears - as opposed to the final belt drive - now runs perfectly dry as does the motor.

we had to have a 6-7 person one although we were only two...and it was less than half full after three years, which suggest that probably yearly emptying even at rated full capacity has a considerable margin.

And we live and work at home too..its not like we are dumping at the office on a regular basis.And quite a lot of cat s*it goes down as well..

So,

Any others apart from the Klargester Biodisc worth considering?

Mike

Does your EA discharge approval say you must have an aerobic system or can you use a plain tank (anerobic)?

I think they have a de facto monopoly on aerobic ones.