Septic tank options

Cesspool under the toilet a simple sewerage system on high groundwater

Budgetary local treatment facilities for summer cottages are represented by cesspools. During the construction of the structure, the rules of SanPiN and SNiP must be observed:

1. The storage pit is designed to collect domestic wastewater. It is located on a plot next to a country house;
2. This treatment plant should be 10 m away from the water supply and 20 m away from the well with drinking water;
3. The cesspool is located at a distance of 10 - 12 m from the structures in neighboring areas. Violation of this rule will lead to the destruction of the foundation of houses or other buildings in case of emergency;
4. A drain hole is allowed to be made at a distance of 1 m from the fence;
5. The depth of the structure does not exceed 3 m.

This is a cheap sewer for a summer residence. The design does not provide for the use of the bottom. You can use such a facility when the daily volume of wastewater does not exceed 1 m3. When performing earthworks, it is necessary to ensure that the depth of the pit is no more than 2.5 m. If the groundwater layer is disturbed, then sewage will begin to pollute the environment. When there is a lot of drains, it is better to use a septic tank.

The temporary construction of the cesspool is constructed from cheap improvised materials. It will last at least 10 years. Such a do-it-yourself sewer in the country can be made from tires, boards or bars. A sewage tank is installed in the pits.

Where does the choice of autonomous sewerage begin?

In order to choose a local treatment plant, the consumer first of all needs to answer a few simple questions:

• How many people will live in the house permanently;
• What type of residence will be in your house - seasonal or permanent;
• How many plumbing fixtures form drains;
• Land area;
• Features of the soil in which the treatment plant will be installed.

Vladimir Pivovarov:

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Knowing that the city water consumption rate is 200 liters per person per day, each consumer can choose the required volume of a local treatment plant for his home.

An important influence is exerted by the location of the septic tank on the site, the soil characteristics and the factor where the treated effluents will be discharged. Depending on this, the installation scheme of the septic tank and the corresponding additional equipment are selected.

So for a classic installation scheme with a low groundwater level, infiltrators, drainage pipes or a well will be required, in accordance with how your filtration fields will be organized.

Vladimir Pivovarov:

- Gardeners need to remember that planting trees closer than 3 meters from the location of the septic tank is not allowed, especially those trees that have a very powerful root system. And if there are already wells or wells with water on the site, then the installation of a septic tank filtering platform should be carried out at a distance of more than 15 meters from them.

Sanitary protection of populated areas is of great importance today. In the private sector, the problem of wastewater disposal is very common. Household drains are often very polluted. Such water should not be discharged into the sewer network without prior treatment. Biological treatment involves reducing the concentration of organic matter. Often it is combined with mechanical, chemical cleaning and disinfection. Not everyone knows how to make biological treatment stations with their own hands, installation features.

Criterias of choice

When choosing a ready-made septic tank or calculating the performance of a home-made system, you should determine the intensity of use of the sewer.The total volume of tanks depends on the number of people and the seasonality of living in the house.

The characteristics of the soil on the site should also be inquired in advance, since installations with seepage wells will only work on light sandy and sandy loamy soils. The presence of a retaining clay layer or a high occurrence of water is already a reason to abandon septic tanks with the withdrawal of wastewater for post-treatment. In this case, it is easier to purchase a more efficient VOC, from which water can be pumped into the nearest reservoir or used for technical needs.

When choosing the size of a septic tank or a local treatment station, the depth of soil freezing in a particular region is also taken into account - working tanks are installed below this mark. In the southern regions, it is better to take horizontally oriented tanks, vertical ones are used in areas where the soil freezes by 1.5–2 m.

For a private house with permanent residence

In a house with permanent residence, the sewage system is used constantly, so it fills up quickly. In order not to sponsor vacuum trucks once again, choose an installation with a minimum percentage of non-degradable residue. High-performance plants with bio-treatment and internal aeration are best suited for this. These are the "twins" Topas and Poplar, expensive systems such as FAST or budget Diamond.

Topas septic tank device

It is allowed to use septic tanks with the output of pre-clarified drains into the filtration field. But only if the site is large, and it is possible to locate the drainage away from buildings, wells and plantings. The height of groundwater and the composition of the soil, as mentioned above, are also taken into account. If the aquifers are closer than 2-2.5 m, you will have to return to the more expensive VOC option.

For giving

When a country house is used only for seasonal living, there is no need for a complex cleaning system. In addition, without constant replenishment, microorganisms in the tanks of active septic tanks will die, and it will take two weeks and at least 1-1.5 thousand rubles to restore their colony. If the family lives in the country for one or two seasons, it makes sense to install a septic tank with additional treatment in the soil such as Terra-Praktik, Termite or the same Tank.

With rare and irregular arrivals, the choice is simplified - it is enough to connect the storage tank to the sewer and, as it fills up, release it from the contents. Just think about the installation location of the barrel so that the sewer truck can drive up to it.

Any developer, when landscaping a country house, sooner or later is puzzled by the question of how to arrange a local sewer system. Modern technologies will solve this issue in several ways, including a cleaning station, a septic tank made of concrete rings, and so on. But to choose the best option, a comprehensive solution is needed.

Principles of operation of aeration VOCs

There are a great many individual sewer installations on the Russian market. Some of them, called differently, are actually almost "twins". And therefore it makes no sense to describe each model separately and compare them. It is much more important for the future user to understand the fundamental constructive difference between systems from each other.

Conventionally, all installations can be divided into two types: aeration and complex. In the first, wastewater treatment occurs due to the work of aerobic bacteria, which use the oxygen contained in the air for their life activity. How does it enter the VOC tank? Aeration (saturation of water with air oxygen) is forced: for this, compressors (pneumatic aeration) or pumps (ejector aeration) connected to the installation are used.

The wastewater treatment method used in such equipment is biological, therefore this type of VOC is also called biological treatment systems (less commonly, bioseptics).Structurally, the device is a container (usually made of polypropylene) with technological hatches, divided by partitions into several sections: septic tank, anaerobic bioreactor, stage I aeration tank - biofilter, sedimentation tank, stage II aeration tank, secondary sedimentation tank - contact tank, pump compartment. The number of camera compartments for different models may be different.

Their common purpose is to sequentially purify domestic wastewater to the parameters specified in the technical data sheet. This is done in the following way. Wastewater is sent to a septic tank, where it is fermented, suspended solids are separated, sand and other insoluble impurities are settled. After that, partially clarified wastewater enters the anaerobic bioreactor, where it is treated with anaerobic sludge (community of microorganisms). The process takes place without access to oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria convert organic compounds that are difficult to oxidize into easily oxidizable ones. Then comes the turn of cleaning in the aerotank of the 1st stage with the effect of oxygen (using forced aeration). Here, wastewater is mixed with activated sludge, which absorbs and oxidizes pollution. After that, the wastewater enters the aerotank of the second stage, where it is further purified (by oxidation and adsorption) with a biofilm of microorganisms formed on a load of artificial "algae" with continuous fine-bubble aeration. Further, in the secondary clarifier, the activated sludge is deposited and returned to the septic tank using an airlift, and the wastewater purified up to 98% is discharged to a lower relief place. This is how VOCs of the first type work - aeration ones.

Septic tank from improvised materials

It is possible to build a septic tank for a cottage from other materials. For this use:

• old car tires;
• concrete rings;
• brickwork, for example, from old bricks;
• concrete structures, etc.

All of these methods are inexpensive. Also, the low cost of all work is facilitated by the small amount of effluents in the summer cottage. People don’t come here so often, only on weekends, so it makes no sense to make large containers.

Whatever material is used, the main thing is to follow some principles. Namely:

1. The septic tank must consist of at least two chambers, the first of which must be airtight.
2. It is necessary to periodically pump out the accumulated sewage from the first tank.
3. It is advisable to use post-treatment fields.

The best wastewater treatment occurs when using biological products with live microorganisms.

At home

The first step is to use the so-called self-purification attempt. It is ideal if you have a sewer blockage due to greasy substances drained into the pipes. They can settle on the walls, thereby blocking normal drainage.

What is the best way to clean sewer pipes?

In this case, boil a bucket of water and simply pour it through the hole in the sink. For most reasons this will be sufficient.

If this method does not work for you, try using the safest and easiest to use cleaner - a plunger.

The technology is very simple:

1. Completely cover the hole for draining the water with the plunger bowl so that air does not enter it, and if it does, then as little as possible.
2. Fill your tub or sink with enough water to completely cover the bowl.
3. Check if water is leaking under the plunger. If not, you can start cleaning.
4. To do this, make 10-20 sharp vertical movements (shocks) using the handle at a slight inclination, then quickly remove the plunger from the water.

If the water quietly seeped inside, then the cleaning was successful.

If the blockage is still not gone, it is worth trying again a few more times. If they turned out to be unsuccessful, alas, self-cleaning will not help here and you will have to resort to more radical solutions for cleaning sewer pipes using chemicals.

How to clean the sewer pipe in a private house?

Cleaning the sewer in a private house is no different from regular cleaning in an apartment, the only difference being the ability to clean pipes outside the house if you have a sewer plan. When analyzing several possibly clogged places, there is a chance to more accurately find out the area where the debris has stagnated.

Further, all the same methods and cleaning options are used as in the apartment.

The principle of operation of biological treatment plants

Stations where sewage biotreatment is carried out are called SBR reactors. Intermittent aeration of activated sludge colonies takes place in them. As a result of such actions, ammonium is converted to nitrogen, while phosphate-accumulating bacteria contribute to the removal of phosphorus from wastewater.

Inside the case, made of foamed polypropylene, the stations are located:

• automatic control unit;
• compressor;
• 4 chambers, namely the receiving chamber, the tank-aerotank, the chamber for the stabilization of activated sludge and the secondary clarifier.

Wastewater treatment steps at aeration stations:

• There is a separation of wastewater into fractions in the receiving chamber.
• The wastewater is then saturated with oxygen. Effluent is pumped through the operation of airlift pumps, in other words, air bubbles act on the water, while the biomass is not damaged.
• When biomass enters the aeration tank, they turn into suspended activated sludge, on the flakes of which the main purification is carried out.
• After that, the spent sludge enters the chamber, where the activated sludge is stabilized.
• In the secondary clarifier, the treated effluents are released from particles that are in suspension.
• When the wastewater treatment process is completed, the wastewater is discharged into a reservoir or simply onto the terrain of the site.
• After going through all the processes, the sludge becomes safe and can be used as a biofuel or a good fertilizer for plants in the country.

Installation process of biological treatment plants

The advantages of installing equipment include the absence of the need to use special equipment. So, you should follow a certain sequence:

• first a pit is made;
• if there is a high level of groundwater, then it will be necessary to form a loading plate. In the case of non-watered soils, the station will have to be installed on a compacted site;
• the station is immersed in the pit;
• the pit is covered in layers with sand and compacted;
• inlet and outlet sewer pipes are mounted;
• bring the electric cable;
• the site is being planned, while only the hatch will be visible on the surface.

Mounting Features

During the installation of a biological station, it is required to take into account the following features:

• the bioreactor should be mounted at a short distance from the house, while the station is completely or partially submerged underground;
• concrete rings are not used for installation, therefore, construction costs are significantly reduced;
• the station is usually installed on a concrete slab;
• the edge of the bioreactor is sprinkled with sand and then earth;
• if the equipment is of low power, then the timer and compressor will be located near the reactor in the technological well. If necessary, the control unit can be installed on the outside of the bioreactor;
• with the help of special casings protect air ducts and cables;
• if it is not possible to organize the flow of water into the equipment by gravity, then it is necessary to install a pumping station.

Only specialists should pump out excess sludge, check airlifts, compressor and aerator membranes, as well as change faulty parts and clean the walls of the bioreactor. Such processes are required to be carried out at least 1-2 times a year.

Biological sewerage for a country house is a modern environmentally friendly option for wastewater treatment.

Country houses located in country associations, rural areas and even in a number of cottage villages do not always have the ability to connect to a centralized sewer network. The optimal solution to the problem is the use of a local treatment plant - VOC

Varieties

The range of Dochista products includes three modifications of units:

1. The Cleaning H5 installation is a product capable of serving a house with 3-5 living people, provided that there is space on your site for organizing an additional drainage system. This station is suitable for year-round use. The sewage treatment plant is able to serve one toilet bowl, one sink, a shower room, a bathtub and two household appliances (a washing machine and a dishwasher). The design uses a gravity discharge of wastewater. The capacity of the unit is 1000 l/day. The maximum salvo discharge is 260 liters. The supply pipe can be deepened by 51 cm. Product dimensions 1.6 x 1.15 x 1.9 m (height). Weight 105 kg. Cost - 180 USD
2. The H7 product can process effluents from a house in which 5-7 people permanently live. The volume of this septic tank is 2500 liters. It has a capacity of 1400 l / day. The price of such equipment with a minimum set of functions is 250 USD, and products with improved characteristics are sold for 550 USD.
3. The H9 modification septic tank is able to purify wastewater from a house in which a family of 8-10 people lives.

In addition to models marked H, which means that drains are removed by gravity, there are the same modifications marked P. These are models with forced ejection. According to their characteristics, they do not differ from the models of the H series, but their principle of operation is different. The treated wastewater is pumped out by means of a drainage pump in automatic mode. The most inexpensive installation of the P series costs 490 USD. The main disadvantage of these designs is that they are volatile installations.

In addition to various modifications, any septic tank can be equipped with a secondary treatment module, which consists of a drainage tunnel for quick installation of a filtration field.

Installation of the filtration field is quite easy. To do this, it is necessary to dig a pit, make a layer of gravel 50 cm high at its bottom, lay a drainage module and fill the field with soil.

Do-it-yourself septic tank device we do on a turnkey basis for ourselves

Wastewater treatment is a problem known to summer residents. The best alternative to cesspools are septic tanks. Local sewage treatment in the country can be made by hand. On the market you will find a selection of finished products.

A good solution for a summer residence: a do-it-yourself septic tank

This country sewerage is divided into the following types:

1. Multichamber septic tank. In it, sewage flows are at least 10 days. Wastewater enters chambers connected in series, where it is decomposed by bacteria. At the outlet, purified water is used for household needs. It is safe to release such effluents into open water bodies. Multi-chamber septic tanks are expensive, but if you build a joint sewer, it serves at least 200 houses;
2. Single cell septic tank. This design is called a small septic tank. This option is suitable for summer cottages, where water consumption per day is 1 m3. Wastewater treatment is not required if the host only arrives on Saturday or Sunday;
3. Two-chamber / Three-chamber small septic tank. This device works as follows. Effluent flows into a large container. Here they stand. Solids with large sizes are processed by bacteria. The resulting sludge is pumped out twice a year. At the bottom of the tank, when pumping out, leave 1/6 of the sludge. The small container is separated by a partition. Small solids settle in it. It also needs to be sludge removed twice a year.In the third chamber, the water settles, from where it goes into the ground. The last stage of cleaning is carried out using a drainage system. When it is not there, a single-chamber or two-chamber septic tank has to be cleaned. The owners of the site have to call the sewers. For a summer resident, cleaning a septic tank means additional costs. This is a necessary condition for getting rid of unpleasant odors near a residential building.

From cesspool to VOC

Modern technologies in the field of engineering equipment are advancing by leaps and bounds, and today many types of domestic wastewater treatment plants have been developed. Recall how the history of private sewerage developed.

First - a cesspool, then its modernized version - a septic tank, and finally installations in which a full cycle of wastewater treatment is carried out. The latter are called differently: stations (systems) for deep biological treatment, wastewater treatment plants (STPs), local treatment facilities (VOCs), etc.

In order not to get confused in these names, which essentially mean the same thing, we will use the abbreviation VOC.

But we will talk about VOCs a little later, and now we will discuss the question: are septic tanks already in the past or not yet?

Since a consumer who is inexperienced in the problems of private sewerage sometimes misinterprets the meaning of this term, it would not be out of place to recall that an industrial septic tank is a large container (most often made of plastic) located in the ground and connected by a supply pipe to the sewer outlet from the house.

The simplest septic tank is essentially a large barrel, more complex models are divided into two or three sections or consist of two or three separate containers. In a septic tank, wastewater does not just accumulate, it is where they first decompose into heavy ones, gradually settling down, and light ones, floating to the surface. Thanks to this treatment method, which is called mechanical, the wastewater is cleaned by 60%, which is a very low degree of purification, and therefore it is forbidden to dump it on the terrain.

Ten-year-old technologies suggested the installation of filtration fields in the area adjacent to the house - drain systems, through which soil additional treatment of wastewater from the septic tank took place. Today, this is an outdated method. However, the septic tank itself cannot be discounted. Sometimes it helps to solve certain problems. For example, if we are not talking about a year-round country house, but about a summer house where the family visits seasonally or periodically. Since the septic tank is suitable for processing a relatively small volume (1 -3 m 3 / s.) of domestic wastewater and fecal matter, you will have to call in a sewage truck from time to time. To reduce the rate of filling the tank, drains can be divided into "gray" (water after washing dishes, bathing, washing) and "black" (receipts from the toilet) and send only "black" to the septic tank.

In any case, for a house of periodic stay, a septic tank will be the most economical solution. Sometimes it has to be set for other reasons. For example, in water protection zones, where it is forbidden to use even VOCs that clean wastewater by 94-98%. Actually, this is all the information that a private developer needs to know about a septic tank in order to make a choice in favor of a septic tank or VOC.

Wastewater disposal options

a) Discharge of purified water by gravity into the existing drainage network
b) Discharge of wastewater to an intermediate well in which a drainage pump is installed
c) Pressure discharge of wastewater into a road ditch
d) Gravity discharge of sewage into a filtering (drainage) well

What the consumer needs to know

Aeration VOCs do not allow volley discharge of wastewater (more than 100 l / h). For example, if there are frequent guests in the house, the consumption of wastewater (taking a bath, shower, etc.) increases dramatically, due to which the colony of bacteria that is used for cleaning is partially (or completely) washed out.And consequently, for some time after a volley discharge, the installation will not be able to treat wastewater to the indicators indicated in the passport. A prolonged power outage also negatively affects the operation of systems of the first type, namely, it leads to the partial or complete death of a colony of bacteria. True, some manufacturers "forget" to notify the buyer about this. Others convince that this is not a significant drawback of the devices, because you just need to put the bacteria bought in the store for septic tanks into the container, and the installation will begin to function as before. This is true, but reaching the degree of wastewater treatment declared by the manufacturer will occur in this case no earlier than in two to three weeks.

But for complex VOCs, neither a salvo dump nor a power outage threatens negative consequences. The reason for this is in the design differences between the installations of the first and second types. The fact is that in aeration VOCs, aerobic and anaerobic processes occur in one volume, where, due to aeration, there is a constant mixing of activated sludge. In complex VOCs, sludge is deposited in a separate chamber, where it is in a state of relative rest, and since bacteria in such systems live not only in water, but also in a bioreactor, they are not threatened by leaching with abnormal effluents, as well as death due to shutdown electricity. Even with a long interruption in the power supply, the bacteria on the biofilter are alive for three months. The output to the operating mode declared by the manufacturer occurs 4-10 days after the start of the installation.

Household waste (toilet paper, hygiene items) should not enter the aeration installations, as this can lead to blockage of the pumps that ensure the operation of the station. In addition, it is not desirable to drain chemical household detergents there, which worsen the conditions necessary for the vital activity of bacteria. But complex installations are more “loyal” to these factors, mainly due to their design features. Household debris (toilet paper, napkins, food debris, pet hair, polymer films) that has fallen into them remains in the settling chamber and cannot enter the section where the pumps are located. A small amount of chlorine-containing preparations (washing powder, bleaches), which, together with water, entered the VOC of the second type, will also not lead to a loss of system performance.

Both types of devices are volatile - the compressor (pump) must operate in continuous mode. However, complex VOCs have somewhat lower electricity consumption due to the fact that they do not use a compressor, but a timer pump (15 min./on - 15 min./off).

On the Russian market there are systems of varying complexity from both domestic and foreign manufacturers. In some of them, the cleaning process is controlled by a programmable controller that changes the operating mode of the installation based on the amount of incoming wastewater. If there are few of them, the controller switches the system to an economical mode, with volley discharges - to a forced one. Although automation simplifies the operation of the system, it significantly increases the cost of VOC and its further maintenance.

Septic tank made of concrete rings

This type of local treatment plant, operating on an anaerobic principle, despite its simplicity and low cost from the inside, requires a thoughtful approach. Here are some features that this type of septic tank can have.

Company Chief Engineer "Artesium"
Dmitry Zadrutsky:

- Although a similar type of treatment plant on the site is often built independently, a number of features of this type of septic tank should be taken into account:

Purification in this type of septic tank occurs by overflowing effluents from chamber to chamber

And so they install 3-chamber septic tanks made of concrete rings.
It is necessary to pay attention to the diameter of the rings. This depends on the size of the septic tank.

The larger the number of people living, the more the volume of the septic tank and the number of cameras are needed.
If the site has a high groundwater level, then in order to avoid seepage of contaminated water into the soil, better sealing of the septic tank is required.
For better purification of wastewater, special bacteria can be used, and for post-treatment of wastewater, it is recommended to arrange a filtration field.

The disadvantages of this type of septic tank include:

• The complexity of installation and a large amount of earthwork;
• Unlike plastic septic tanks, complete tightness of the joints of the rings is not ensured;
• The need to use special equipment and a crane to install a septic tank.

Preparatory measures before choosing a structure

The sewerage device on the site will require the creation of a project. To draw a plan, you need to decide which country sewerage system with your own hands will suit you. This project needs to show the following:

• effluent sources;
• the method of laying pipes and connecting sewer pipelines inside the house - under the casing, inside the walls, outside;
• the place where the sewer is removed from the residential building;
• type and location of the sewage collector - cesspool, septic tank, treatment plant.

The finished scheme will clarify many questions. The amount of work will be outlined. The owner will decide on the choice of building materials. He will decide who will implement the planned project. The summer resident will cope on his own or seek the help of professionals

In the project, it is important to take into account the location of water pipes and other utilities.