Septic Tank Treatment Options – RID-X Versus NORWECO Bio-Gem Review

January 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

As a homeowner, I always had trouble with my septic tank system.  Due to various issues, I had to pump my septic tank every one to two years.  Around the year 2000, this was not a big issue in that pumping costs were about $100.  Septic tank pumping costs are now about $350 for a 1200 gallon septic.  This high-cost and the inconvenience of having to pump forced me to look at septic tank additives.  From the year 2002 about 2005, I tried many septic tank additives.  Septic tank treatment additives that I tried included RID-X and numerous other liquid additives.

All the standard commercial additives available, most notably RID-X, barely extended the time between pump intervals.  In addition, noticeable odor from my septic tank and floor drains were prevalent when I used RID-X in these other products.  As a licensed wastewater engineer, I felt that I could do better.  My research led me to start using NORWECO Bio-Gem organic digester.  I started using Bio-Gem in the summer of 2006.  Since using Bio-Gem organic digester, I have not had to pump my septic tank for over six years now.  One side benefit that I see in using the NORWECO Bio-Gem organic digester is the elimination of the rotten egg smell, which I had up to this point.

In addition, I had clogging line problems from the house to the septic tank.  My wife routinely poured bacon grease another oils down my sink drains.  These greases clogged my line from my house my septic tank.  I troubleshot this problem with a sewer camera prior to and after using Bio-Gem.  Over a couple months, the Bio-Gem product digested all the grease buildup in the line.  I have had no further problem with this line clogging.

I became a NORWECO distributor, since I like the product so much.  Please visit our online store for pricing on this fine product.  I discount the prices of all NORWECO products since I have low overhead and that I do volume online selling.

Please visit our site for pricing and other good information on wastewater treatment systems and NORWECO products.  If you have any questions, or comments, please feel free to contact me at bosshardeng@aol.com.  We welcome your input.

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Septic Tank Treatment for Odors and Conditioning RID-X Review

November 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Bruce Hardboss, PE

Have you ever had your septic tanks Sinks, showers, etc. produce a foul smell like rotten eggs? The rotten egg smell is due to the production of Hydrogen Sulfide.  I used to constantly deal with a rotten egg smell from my house’s showers and bathtubs. I tried to use various septic tank treatments such as RID-X®. The RID-X® septic tank conditioner did nothing for the rotten egg smell and did not help the performance of my septic tank which required pumping every two to three years or so.

As a professional wastewater engineer, I took it on myself to solve this problem. Hydrogen Sulfide is produced by bacteria in my septic tank and supply lines in anaerobic conditions. Basically, in the absence of Oxygen,  the anaerobic bacteria use mineral compounds present in their environment to basically breath. As the more efficient compounds are used up (ones that have a higher energy yield) you are eventually only left with Hydrogen sulfide producing compounds.

The use of RID-X® or similar compounds are limited to enzymes and do little for supplementing the minerals and compounds which the anaerobic bacteria need to metabolize. So RID-X® or similar dry compounds do little to treat the “smell.”

I have discovered NORWECO Bio-Gem® organic digester about eight years ago. Bio-Gem® is a liquid product, which is loaded with beneficial bacteria (which are engineered to digest solids and grease) and a high concentration of the top tier nutrients and compounds. These nutrients and compounds promote good septic tank health and prevent the production of

Scheme of septic tank

Image via Wikipedia

Hydrogen Sulfide.

Bio-Gem® has solved my septic tank pumping problems (I have not had to pump my septic tank in over 6 years, vice every two years without), and moreover, there is absolutely no odor being produced from anywhere in my septic system.

As a professional engineer, I strongly recommend the use of Bio-Gem® on a regular basis. Bio-Gem® minimizes septic tank pumping and eliminates septic system odors. Also, Bio-Gem® can be used in homes and businesses on city sewers to unclog supply lines and also it prevents odors. Try it you won’t be disappointed.

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Commercial Wastewater Pumping Stations Review of Bio-microbics’ BioSTEP® and NORWECO

October 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

Article By Bruce Hardboss, PE

 

 

BioSTEP® screened pumping schemes are versatile ticker packet designed to transferral screened liquid in numerous size-diam, decentralized accumulation applications. BioSTEP® is a registered trademark of Bio-MICROBICS.  Bio-MICROBICS claims the following; “BioSTEP® screened pumping systems are designed so that once installed, all normal operation and maintenance can occur without the messy removal of system components. BioSTEP screened pump vaults utilize the patented SaniTEE® screening technology to screen and deflect solids rather than collect and hold them like other filtering technologies. ” (see http://www.biomicrobics.com/?p=67&s=10) This article is the sole property of BnB Alternative Septic Solutions, LLC and does not necessarily reflect NORWECO’s position. We feel that our evaluation is technically correct and we welcome constructive comments.

At BnB Alternative Septic Solutions, LLC our registered professional CIVIL Engineers prefer simple NORWECO grinder pump configuration(s) or the robust BK-2000 filtration system followed by a standard NORWECO pump unit. Bio-MICROBICS advocates their BioSTEP® product as superior to filtration systems. We strongly feel that for flows up to 2000 GPD, a BK-2000 system provides robust filtration and is a simpler approach when compared to the BioSTEP® system. We also feel that adding grinder pump units to a standard septic tank outlet is also a “more simple design.”

Either a NORWECO pump vault or a simple grinder pump installation in the septic tank fluids compartment or a BK-2000 filtration unit paired with a standard lift pump unit will give comparable performance and possibly increased reliability. We have seen very few problems with particle clogging.

We recommend adding NORWECO Bio-Gem organic digester or Bio-PERC to the wastewater up-stream to promote solids breakdown to any configuration, including the BioSTEP®. A typical NORWECO pump package would be as noted below:

Typical NORWECO Pump Package

(There are multiple configurations available)

Also, a good option which is robust and similar to the Biomicrobic’s approach is to add a BK 2000 filtration unit to the septic tank outlet, then feed the filtered outlet to the above pump unit. In this case a single liquid pump is adequate since solids are removed and TSS is lowered to under 10 mg/L.

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Essential Residential Leach Field or Drain Field Construction And Operation

September 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Bruce Bosshard, PE

When designing a properly functioning residential wastewater treatment system, most wastewater disposal schemes include some sort of leach field. The wastewater leaving a standard septic tank is considered primary treatment. Many people can find information on residential wastewater treatment with septic tanks and leach fields. The primary wastewater treatment includes the separation of solids (see our previous articles), and some sort of minimum water treatment. The “standard United States septic tank” treats to approximately 50 biological oxygen demand (BOD) and a total suspended solids (TSS) of about 100 (50/100) with a total nitrogen loading of about 45 mg/L.Water from the septic system flows right onto the field. The waste water is absorbed through the soils surrounding the field. The leach field acts as a living biological processing machine, as well as a liquid receptor. These biological processes treat the waste water further; so then it is at an acceptable concentration before it reaches either the groundwater, or potable drinking water sources.

The general structure of the fields are usually a layer of 4 feet to 2-4 inches of leach rock. Then there is a leach line that is put over the top of the rock, and then buried with 3″ of the same rock. A geo-textile type barrier is then put on the leach rock to prohibit dirt and debris from clogging the rock underneath. Usually leach rock is covered with a minimum amount of 12 inches of native soil.

There are generally two types of leach fields; a leach trench or a leach bed. A leach trench ranges from 1-ft in diameter to 3-ft in diameter and has a maximum length of about 100-ft. a leach bed can be up to 20-ft wide and up to 100-ft long. Leach beds are generally used for larger commercial wastewater treatment disposal systems which need higher daily flow rates.

Many fields are supposed to be designed to function for a thirty year life span; which is in the worst of conditions. Leach fields are a biological processing plant that will break down into wastewater over time. When wastewater enters a field, the water has a high BOD, which is considered anoxic. Anoxic means that there is no oxygen present. While the waste water is flowing through the fields and in the soil, the biological oxygen demand dwindles down to the point that there is enough oxygen to move into an aerobic condition. Under this condition is when the bacteria levels are in a safe range.

Another item to mention is the biological activity at the rock and soil boundary continues through the life of the field. When the bacteria life cycle continues, the foreign material from processing lays on the rock and soil boundary. The material combines with clothing fibers that cannot be broken down, such as polyester, and it forms a low permeable layer. People call this layer “matting”. The mat grows as it ages, which is the reason why fields have a 30 year life expectancy.

At the end of the fields life, it is usually expanded by adding more leach area, or it is replaced. This process is costly and very disruptive. There are several products out today that are added to promote the health of the field, as well as rejuvenating the field. A major problem is the septic tank health which has grease and oils to pass through to the field. Greases and oils increases the speed of the mat growth. This results in causing earlier line replacements. There are two types of conditioners for septic tanks: liquid biologically active products, and a dry enzyme product, which is like RIDEX. Wastewater engineers like to use liquid digesters as they work better. One brand that engineers use is NORWECO Bio-germ Organic Digester. When the health of the tank is good, it minimizes the forming of matting, and prolongs the life span of the field.

When dealing with a leach line which has reached or is approaching its end-of-life (excessive matting build up) there are numerous products out there which make a lot of performance claims. Some products claim that they can fracture the soil-matting with high pressure or harsh chemicals. These products attempt to raise the permeability of the soil-rock boundary. These processes are usually temporary and fail when the matting grows back together. I prefer adding enzymes to the waste stream before the water enters the leach field. The best way to do this is to add a tablet feeder to the leach line, between the septic tank and the leach field. In this case the wastewater is directly dosed with an active enzyme just before entering the leach field. The enzyme is engineered to effectively break down the matting and to restore the leach field to its near original condition. Obviously, if there are excessive synthetic fibers in the matting, then break down of the fibers is very hard to accomplish. In most cases, the direct dosing of the water stream is quite effective. In my experience, I have not seen a case where the direct dosing using a NORWECO Bio-Perc or similar product did not work.

In summary, you should try to take care of your complete septic system. Use good septic system conditioners and if you are in a failed leach line scenario, then I would recommend using both a conditioner and a continuous direct dosing approach. The combinations of both approaches should be quite effective and extend your complete septic system life. Also, the cost associated with septic tank pumping has escalated over the last five years or so, so a good septic tank conditioner can greatly reduce septic pumping frequency. I used to have to pump my septic tank every 2 to 3 years. Since I’ve been regularly using a conditioner, I have not pumped my septic tank for over 5 years. It saves you money.

Our seasoned engineers give straight answers on residential leach field repairs. See us at our site for free advice on leach field repair.

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

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Residential Septic Tanks – Leach Fields – Drain Fields – Why and Alternatives

August 12, 2011 By 3 Comments

 

 

 

By B. Bosshard, PE  _  www.wastertreatmentplant.org


As a professional engineer, I generally receive questions on the why’s and how’s of wastewater treatment. First we need to ask why we need treatment. Then discuss the minimum requirements which are generally accepted to minimize polluting our environment. Our next discussion explores the Environmental disadvantages of using septic tanks, and finally what are some of the alternative septic tank solutions in use today.

Why Treatment?

First we need to ask, “Why do we need to treat our wastewater?” In the old days we merely dug a hole and place an “outhouse” on top of the hole. We would then deposit our biological waste directly into the hole.  When the hole became full we would just move the “outhouse” and cover up the waste, dig a new hole and place the “outhouse” over the new hole. In this scenario, the waste does not readily break down, and can remain toxic for 100’s of years. The waste can readily be exposed by digging animals, or leach down to the surrounding groundwater. Both paths promote pathogen pathways directly to us, which can readily spread disease.

To minimize our wastewater effects on the human and other animal populations we can take a few steps to allow the wastewater to naturally break down, reducing health risks. The most common and least expensive method is the use of Septic Tanks. The septic tanks are configured to take all our wastes, biological and wash waters (Black and white waters) combine them into a tank (of adequate size) and then discharge the treated wastewater to the surrounding soil.

 

 

 

 

Minimum Requirements:

Tank Sizing

Generally, minimum septic tank sizing is specified as 2.1 times the maximum expected daily flow. This size promotes the wastewater to slowly flow through the tanks, requiring about 2 plus days to exit the tank. This process is commonly referred to as “residence time.” Furthermore, the tanks are constructed to allow the solid wastes to be removed first and then further treatment of the off-liquid is treated in a separate chamber. The first tank compartment is generally referred to as a solids tank, or “chunk tank.” Here the lighter solids like toilet paper floats to the top and heavier particles and solids settle to the bottom of the tank.

A pass-though line, about 4-inches in diameter, allows solid-free water to flow to the second tank compartment for further treatment. Generally the first tank compartment is 60 to 70 percent of the total tank volume.

Build up of anaerobic bacteria (bugs that live without oxygen) in the two tanks treat the wastewater continuously. I usually put up a fuss when my wife pours chlorine into the toilets to clean them, since the chlorine has a tendency to kill the beneficial bacteria in the septic tank.

The treated wastewater that exits the tank flows to a leach bed. A leach bed is designed with a 30-year life consideration. The size of the leach area is generally driven by the soil conditions. Obviously, a sandy, more permeable soil will require less leach area to serve the system. Generally the leach line, or bed is constructed with a 2 to 4-ft layer of 1 to3 inch rock. A perforated leach line is place on top of the leach rock, covered with leach rock and then a geotextile layer to keep dirt from clogging the leach rock below. Then the leach field is covered with about 12 inches of native soil.

In considering a 30-yr. life span of the leach area we must consider that the leach field will clog up over time. As the wastewater is deposited into the leach field, further biological activity occurs and a matting-like layer forms at the bottom and sides of the leach field. This layer generally expands with time, so at the end of a 30-yr life, the leach field cannot take all the wastewater volume produced by the residence. There are treatments available which will dissolve this layer. I prefer the NORWECO Bio-gem and Bio-perc products to restore leach field health. We will discuss leach field and septic tank treatment and conditioning in subsequent articles.

 

 

Soil Conditions

Soil conditions are crucial to ensure that the wastewater has enough time in the soil to remove the majority of pathogens and other toxic components. Generally, a minimum vertical separation from a limiting area is drawn at 10-ft. A limiting area is where no further treatment of the wastewater will occur, once the wastewater reaches the limiting layer. A limiting layer can be groundwater, or bedrock, etc.

Environmental Disadvantages of Septic Tanks

Nitrogen Loading

One of the largest concerns with using septic tanks is that we load excessive nitrogen into the ground. The nitrogen loading is promoted because we do not treat the nitrogen in the process. Generally, in the United States, regulatory bodies set a minimum size developed lot for a 3-bedroom home at one-acre. This minimum size promotes an acceptable nitrogen load on the groundwater below.

Groundwater Contamination

Other groundwater contaminations are in the form of pathogens. Pathogens are usually tracked as colony forming units (CFUs) per ml. As we increase the number of homes to less than one home per acre, we also start to stress the underlying aquifers with pathogens. The soils can only take so much of a loading rate before the pathogens start increasing in surrounding groundwater wells.

Water Resources

Therefore, a down-side to septic tanks as the primary residential wastewater treatment method is the effect that it has on our water resources. The primary contamination of our groundwater comes from total nitrogen loading and pathogens. As we increase the density (the number of homes per acre) we need to consider other wastewater treatment methods to minimize the impact on our water resources and the resultant health risks to our population.

Alternatives to Septic Tanks

New technologies over the last 100 years, has significantly reduced nitrogen and pathogen loading to our environment. Wastewater treatment methods included extended aeration, De-nitrifying systems, Geotextile filters, and hybrids.

Extended Aeration

In extended aeration we can take a standard septic tank as noted above, and blow air into the tanks which will promote aerobic bacteria to form. The aerobic bacteria (bacterial that breathe oxygen) are much more aggressive than the anaerobic bacteria in standard septic tanks. The aerobic bacteria grow quickly and break down the waste much faster. The resulting wastewater stream has much lower concentrations of pathogens and other wasteproducts. Leach field degradation is greatly reduced, and can be much smaller in size and still maintain that 30-yr. plus life span.

De-nitrifying systems

Once we treat the wastewater in an extended aeration plant, we still have a lower amount of total nitrogen than a septic tank, but the total nitrogen is still high. Generally, in areas that have total nitrogen problems in groundwater, de-nitrifying systems are required to be installed on backend of extended aeration plants to further reduce nitrogen loading of underlying groundwater.  De-nitrifying systems require anaerobic conditions (absence of oxygen). Some hybrid systems like the NORWECO SINGULAIR system, utilizes a Bio-kinetic modules to promote anaerobic conditions and the further breakdown of total nitrogen before the water leaves the unit. With recirculation, the SINGULAIR system yields total nitrogen levels less than drinking water standards in the United States. BnB Alternative Septic Solutions recommends this product as the proven leader in de-nitrifying residential systems.

Geotextile filters

Geotextile filters consists of plates or filters that the wastewater flows through the filters or plates allow bacterial to form on the substrate and promotes breakdown and some dentrification of the wastewater stream. One large downside to filters or plates is that they generally require replacement in 10 years or so, due to clogging. This can be a large expense to the homeowner. We therefore, do not recommend using these products.

Hybrids

Crafty engineers are always coming up with hybrids of extended aeration, flow equalization, and geotextile filters. We are generally skeptic on claims, and look for demonstrated performance over many years, prior to endorsing many of these products. The one product we like today is the NORWECO SINGULAIR which is a hybrid system, which has evolved over the last 100 years to its current configuration. Extended aeration, combined with geo-textile technology is patented and well proven, with low costs and the best proven treatment performance on the market.

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How Waste Water Treatment Happens

July 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Waste water treatment is is essential removing household as well as institutional wastes from the particular water supply. In most of the developed world, the process continues to be refined and is quite efficient at saving this kind of life-sustaining element generally known as H2O.

Household wastes, also referred to as sewage, is made up of debris that comes from bathrooms, kitchen sinks, kitchen garbage disposals, baths, as well as showers. Industrial wastes can be some of the same, though will usually also include contaminants like production by-products which are usually flushed through the factory’s or even other commercial facility’s sewage system.

The treatment process involves four or five primary phases. Those are preliminary, principal, supplementary, as well as tertiary treatment options.

Throughout the preliminary stage, the weightier bits of trash are usually strained out of the stream from the particular principal sewer as soon as it reaches the treatment plant.

Usually the bar screen holds the article away or over onto some sort of conveyor belt, that carries the stuff and loads the stuff into a dumpster. The dumpster will get transported to and its contents purged into a garbage dump.

The stream, now free of the most heavy objects, continues on to the primary phase. Here, the liquid moves into a grit holding chamber in which the movement will be slowed down to permit for sedimentation from the remaining solids. As the sludge sinks, wood slats called flights drag alongside the bottom of the container, pushing the crud toward a pump which purges it by way of a water pipe system. Some of it goes directly into the trucks headed for the landfills. While the heavier products sink, the non-solid contaminants such as grease and oil rise towards the top where they are skimmed and siphoned off to end up being incinerated. Some of the solid waste will be pumped to an incinerator, too.

The ensuing ash will probably be used to produce concrete, brick, and other products.

No matter what materials are left after its primary stage move on to the secondary cycle. Here is where biological processes take control. Fresh air is injected into the filled possessing tanks to create a bacteria-rich natural environment. There are other techniques aside from the holding reservoir approach, where the water is treated as an alternative in an oxygenated lagoon or in some sort of established wetland. The technologies by which the oxygen in introduced may vary as well. The outcome with this process, whichever approach it is done, is the bacteria feast on the leftover contaminants, and then float to the bottom where they become sludge that gets pulled by flights as well as pumped out to the incinerator.

The particular tertiary, or last phase, phase is usually any number of further cleansing processes that don’t occur throughout the main or even 2nd stages. Sometimes chlorine is added to the flow to destroy just about any remaining microorganisms. Non-chemical processes can be used to further cleanse and clear up, too, making it safe to re-introduce directly into the natural environments like estuaries and rivers, water ways, and the ocean. For the water not necessarily quite contaminant-free enough, there are uses. Some is suitable for hydrating plants and golf courses for example.

Waste water treatment facilities throughout the world are crucial to protecting the planet’s sacred water supply. It might end up being interesting to observe the process up close.

Environmentally friendly leading-edge septic tanks supplier provides residential, industrial as well as portable interceptors for oil as well as septic systems. While performing research for wastewater treatment method, consider BnB Alternative Septic Solutions, LLC.

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