Keeping your Septic Tank fit during the drought

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Everyone has been talking about the drought conditions here in the UK recently, and although back in March we seemed to be having unseasonably hot weather, the rain in April has done nothing to change the situation.

The drought is another reason in a long list to ensure your septic tank is inspected and maintained on a regular basis, not least because leaks and other issues don’t just waste water, they can also cause damage to the surrounding ground above and below.

Leaks and damage to septic tank systems can be caused in a number of ways, but more often than not their location and original installation needs to be taken into account as well as the age of the system, which can degrade over time.

Inspecting your tank might seem like a diffucult task, but modern technologies and equipment available can make inspecting the oldest of tanks much easier.

Using specialist camera equipment engineers are able to remotely inspect the interior of the tank and ascertain what damage has been caused over the years and what can be done to fix it. Of course, in some cases a fix isn’t always possible, so a replacement system might be required – all the more reason to have your inspection and maintenance programme completed on a regular basis.

For more information on having a septic tank inspection, contact MTM Drains to discuss your needs further.

Soakaway system installation for MTM Drains

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If you need a water or sewage treatment system on your premisis, but don’t think you have a water course available to complete the treatment works then a soakaway system might solve your challenge.

In order to distribube treated effluent where a water course is not present MTM Drains will install a suitable soakaway system. In order for the system to be installed, a suitably porous sub soil in needed and would be laid with a very slight fall.

MTM Drains Soakaway System

MTM Drains Soakaway System

The slight fall is specifically to slow down the flow allowing the treated effluent to gradually be dispersed into the sub soils and providing a similar service as a water course.

To give you an idea, this photo shows a new soakaway under construction. The zig zag created by MTM engineers is there to reduce the speed of the flow as suggested.

The base of the ‘zig zag’ is then filled with a clean stone followed by a distribution pipe, which is laid to the upper stone section.

Once the stone and pipe are in place, a membrane is placed above the clean stone before the final back filling of the void and surface reinstatement. Upon completion, the system is covered again (in this case with earth) and cannot be seen.

For more information on creating a soakaway system for your home, please contact MTM and we would be happy to discuss your needs further.

Unusual Septic Tank rescue in America

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Reports in North Carolina based newspapers are today detailing an unusual rescue from a septic tank in Virginia Beach.

It seems a horse had the misfortune to fall into the tank and needed assistance getting back out. Over the weekend fire crews received calls at around 3pm local time from locals saying a horse had partly fallen into the well.

Using specialist resue equipment, fire crews were able to hoist the animal out of the tank and back to safety, before it was put through any further stresses,

Although it is impossible to understand the reasons for this incident, many issues with these tanks can be avoided by undertaking regular maintenance and inspections. Septic tank inspections and consideration of their location should be completed at regular intervals in order to check for any potential safety issues that might arise.

MTM Drains use specialist equipment to complete the inspection of a tank or sewage treatment works and provide a full report covering maintenance requirements that need to be addressed.

If you have a septic tank on your land and it has not been inspected recently then you might find a new report highly beneficial. Because of their hard to reach location, finding leaks and other potential hazards in their structure can be difficult, but our specialist camera equipment allows our engineers to see areas that are difficult to reach.

For more information on Septic Tank inspections, contact MTM Drains.

Twitchers septic tank gets upgraded!

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Systems like ours are most often found in remote areas of towns and villages where mains connections are not available. But I read an interesting report recently about an existing Septic Tank system in a very remote area that is being upgraded.

According to an online news publication the scottish island of Handa is having a new toilet system installed at a cost of £50,000 despite having no inhabitants since the 19th century!

The installation is specifically for the use of bird watchers that visit every summer to see the 100,000 birds that live there during the warmer season. There are said to be 6,000 people that visit annually to see the wildlife with up to 150 people arriving per day at peak times and the current septic tank system is no longer suitable.

Strong winds and other environmental considerations have made the project difficult for designers, but a system that blends with this area of natural beauty is said to be the chosen style.

The installation of a standalone system like this (but on a smaller scale) is often the only choice available for home owners as well, so making sure the tank is maintained and inspected on a regular basis is an important task. The designers working on this project have said that this specialised system will only require cleaning every 2 years, a welcome relief for many of the visitors and volunteers that work there!

Click here for more information and the full article on the Twitchers Island Toilet from Deadline.

Sewage Treatment Plant declared outdated

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Officials in Jersey have declared the islands sewage treatment plant in Bellozanne as outdated. The treatment works needs to be replaced in the future in order to meet the requirements for notrogen levels set out by the EU.

A recent BBC report shows the treatment works still functional but in need of an overhaul – the plant itself is said to have been in place for more than 50 years, but currently doesn’t meet the EU nitrogen level requirements.

Of course, this mass sewage treatment works is large scale and for the use of the whole island, but if you are looking for a private treatment system then MTM can assist with this.

Maintenance of your sewage treatment equipment is an important part of ensuring it is in working condition and many systems need (and benefit from) an annual treatment plant service.

Whether your system was installed by us or is an existing system we have not seen before we are able to assist. Our engineers will provide a report of any repairs needed as well as providing a price and interval requirements for future services.

Arranging regular services and completing necessary maintenance and repairs will help your treatment to work well and last longer.

For more information on Treatment Plant maintenance and servicing, call MTM Drains today.

Treatment Plant Installation – MTM always do that bit extra

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With the constant lowering and tightening of prices in business it is very easy for installers to start to cut corners on the quality of installations. A big element of any treatment plant installation is the use of concrete to backfill around the plant.

Although many treatment plants can be backfilled with shingle is it vital that the sub spoil is porous and will NEVER surcharge with ground water. Although this is a very rare sight, MTM have always taken the view that if it CAN happen it WILL happen. As a result, the plants installed by MTM will always have a concrete surround to them as well as a concrete base.

Treatment Plant Installation

Treatment Plant Installation

The photo to the right shows a concrete surround being placed over the upper section of a plant on a previous job completed by MTM. This prevents any risk of floatation in wet weather periods and reduces the risk of damage during the life of the tank.

The semi dry concrete mix is compacted in stages giving a uni form strength to the whole installation.

Although times are becoming increasingly difficult some things are simply not worth reducing the quality on and a good firm concrete surround to any plant installation will guarantee that system for its life span as well as protecting it from external forces causing any damage to its structure.

For more information on MTM Treatment Plant Installations, please call us or email us.

MTM undertake sewage treatment over an old mine!

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An interesting site was encountered towards the end of 2011 for the MTM team, a homeowner in Haytors vale, Dartmoor, Devon had beneath his property an old mine working. This mine was annually inspected with a geologist walking the mine to monitor the water flow within the old workings.

The client had a standard septic system with an ineffective soakaway, the tank and soakaway being located in a low point of the garden and with a heavy sub soil at that part of the garden a soakaway system was always destined to fail.

The location of the mine not far below the surface prevented any normal excavation to take place to install a sewage treatment system, the client having consulted various treatment plant installer’s placed an instruction with MTM using a UNI Saf above ground system.

Sewage Treatment System Installation

Sewage Treatment System Installation

The foul drainage was already being pumped to the existing septic tank via a single crude pump well and MTM (as always) were able to offer the most cost effective solution to the site, reusing the pump well and installing the UNI Saf plant at the highest point of the garden. This then allowed for a soakaway system to be laid at a higher level in more pourous sub strata.

No deep excavation works were needed and the main house structure was safe from any movement within the old mine workings. As the garden was well established then the MTM team used a Hyab Crane system to deliver the UNI Saf plant directly onto a preformed concrete base preventing any passage over the garden surfaces with conventional machinery.

The system was then fitted with a simple de acceleration system to take the energy out of the inflow from the pumping main.

A sample point was then installed near to the plant outlet before being discharged to a conventional soakaway system. Finally all the site surfaces were reinstated to the Hugh Standard that MTM maintain for all there installations.

The UNI Saf unit can be seen at the far end of the clients garden, a screen of small confers is planed and the site works were all completed within a three day time frame.

For more information or assistance on specialist sewage treatment systems like these, contact MTM drains.

Septic Tank registration rules vary the world over

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For anyone who has a domestic sewage treatment works we would always recommended that the equipment is inspected and maintained on a regular basis.

In some countries all sewage treatment works and septic tanks have to be registered however, if you look at the Environment Agency website you will see that small domestic sewage charges from septic tanks and small sewage treatment plants in England are not currently required to be registered, although these rules are under review and you can opt to register if you choose.

A recent news publication highlighted that in some areas of the world, residents are blissfully unaware of the old septic tanks that are located in and around their homes and the health risk they might pose.

The Athens news reported at the end of last year that:

Athens residents may be unaware of a potential environmental threat buried in their own backyards. An unknown number of aging septic systems are buried near Athens homes, creating the risk for long-term environmental damage.

Research shows that underground septic systems can cause damage to the local ecosystem, particularly to nearby water sources. A properly placed and prepared modern septic system has little chance of doing harm to the environment. However, the majority of septic systems in Athens were installed before the 1950s during a time when little was known about ecological conservation.

Reports like these are not uncommon and show how important it is to ensure your own septic tank is maintained and good working order.

MTM drains provide a Septic Tank inspection service using specialist equipment and can provide a maintenance report of any current or arising issues with your system.

Septic Tank Surveys – when is the right time?

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Like many things in our homes, if you have a septic tank then getting it surveyed might be something you have put off in the past. But septic tank surveys could save you time and money and will help you to understand what (if any) repairs or alterations are needed to get your system working as effectively as possible.

Typical Septic Tank

Typical Septic Tank

Unfortunately for some, the bad weather can cause unpredicted problems with various styles of septic tank, and completing an inspection might assist with preventing costly repair work afterwards.

I read a report recently that was written by an American resident whose home was situated in the path of Hurricane Irene. Unfortunately for some of these homeowners, the high winds and destruction of the storm left their septic tanks in a poor state of repair and many were unaware that the aftermath of problems might have been prevented had they fully researched and inspected the system prior to the event. The article reads:

“Irene tore the above-ground cover off our pump, destroying the pump and filling the tank with sand and rocks. Not all systems have pumps, and most with pumps do not have above-ground covers, but only after the storm did our septic engineer reveal that he had gone with this particular system—one every installer I talked to considers peculiar in the extreme—in order to save money. (Because of the nature of our agreement with the homeowner regarding the cost of installing the system, it had been their money, not ours, that was saved.) Clueless about septic systems at the time, I was in no position to evaluate or argue about the plan, and no one put any choices in front of me.“

Although these are extreme circumstances and outside of the UK, it does show that maintaining both the system and your understanding of how the system works is a fundamental part of owning and running a septic tank.

MTM Environmental and Civils provide a comprehensive inspection service, using our quality drain survey epuipment and a clear understanding of drainage and building construction we can locate problems, investigate your septic tank, check your pipework and advise accordingly. We have specialist equipment available (such as CCTV drain survey kits) to look at those hard to reach areas and provide our recommendations for your system.

Septic tank solves ski-goers desperation!

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Local newspapers have been reporting recently that skiers in the lake district will no longer be caught short during their ascent thanks to the installation of a new septic tank for one of britains highest toilets.

The Lake District Ski Club built the facility for members earlier this year to celebrate their 75th anniversary so skiers will now be able to visit a toilet whilst at 2,897 feet before beginning their descent.

Reports suggest it took 7 members of the club more than 2 hours to roll the tank up the hill and although the task was said to be “epic”, i’m sure many visitors will be grateful for the efforts of the team when they reach the top of the hill.

Maintenance of Septic Tank Systems

Although this is not one of our own installations, like many other septic tank systems it will require regular maintenance and inspection and the regularity might be impacted by cold and windy weather amongst other considerations.

Septic Tank Emptying

Septic Tank Emptying

Besides this, the tank will need to be emptied on a regular basis (this is usually completed annually) to ensure there are not an abnormal amount of solids leaving the tank and entering the soakaway system. This is a service normally completed by a local waste disposal company.

These considerations are even more important on a project like this, and using a team of septic tank maintenance experts is vital where the completion of work is in a difficult place and external factors such as high public use and weathering need to be taken in to account.