Common problems with sewage treatment systems
Odours
A well-maintained, fully working sewage treatment system should not produce any odour. If you are noticing odour from the system, this could be due to:
Poor ventilation: check that the system is ventilated correctly through the stench pipe on the property/remote vent.
Lack of aeration: check that the aeration system is running correctly
Tank requires emptying: if the primary tank is not emptied as recommended, this can cause odours
Poor performance/effluent quality
Lack of aeration: check that the aeration system is running correctly
Faults with specific parts: if one or more of your parts are not working correctly, this can easily have a knock-on effect and stop the system running as it should. For example, if your motor is faulty it can trip the electrics and lead to the system flooding.
System is either overloaded or, on occasion, underloaded: if too many people are using the system for the size of the tank then it can become overloaded. Underloading problems are rare as most systems are robust and operate on small flows.
Tank requires emptying: if the primary tank is not emptied as recommended, this can reduce performance and effluent quality
Chemicals and other biological inhibitors: high concentrations of detergents and cleaners will cause poor performance. The O&M manual for each system gives an overview of limitations, appropriate concentrations etc.
If you have concerns about your sewage treatment system, give us a call on 01388 537050 and we can arrange an engineer call-out, if appropriate, to diagnose the fault and organise repair/replacement of parts if necessary.