Whenever an intrinsic part of your wastewater system fails, the process for replacing this unit should be relatively straight forward providing the correct path is followed. Having a reputable and experienced wastewater specialist looking at the project is essential and could avoid needing to replace the unit again sooner than anticipated.

We were contacted by a customer in North Yorkshire who was concerned that something didn’t seem right with their septic tank, after an initial inspection it was determined that the baffle had been completed dislodged and the structural integrity of the septic tank had been compromised.

Our initial proposal was to replace the failed septic tank with a suitable package sewage treatment plant, this new system would be located alongside the old unit, we were hoping to utilise the existing inlet drainage as much as possible.

At the initial point of our quotation in 2022 we proposed to install a Klargester BioTec 1 IPS package sewage treatment plant which was soon superseded by the Klargester BTA1 IPS treatment system. The proposed outfall for this system was to a new drainage field, this was however subject to appropriate percolation tests.

It was important that percolation tests were carried out to identify the ground porosity and subsequently the size and suitability of the drainage field. In the months prior to the installation being undertaken our contracts manager met with the customer on site to carry these out and provide a report.

Whilst undertaking these tests, it was discussed with the customer what would be the proposed location for outfall should the percolation tests fail. It was at this point we were then provided with a map of the existing land drainage located around the property. Here we identified that the septic tank had been discharging to this land drainage previously, the pipework was checked to be flowing freely and without issues.

As soon as excavations started it was immediately clear that a drainage field to suit the wastewater would not be feasible due to clay material in the ground, therefore our proposal adjusted and we were able to utilize this field drainage network as a proposed outfall point.

As with all of our installation works, we follow a set procedure to ensure all rules, regulations and guidelines are adhered to. One of these is to ensure that the old unit is appropriately decommissioned once it is no longer in use.

Under certain circumstances we may leave the existing unit in situ to be utilised for rainwater etc. However as this system was structurally unstable we would need to have the system fully decommissioned to be compliant.

When permanently decommissioning an old tank we also have the tank emptied in full before being infilled with a suitable granular material, this is to avoid any potential future ground settlement in the area and also to comply with Building Control Part H document.

As the new system we installed had a pumped outfall it was essential that the system was set up and commissioned quickly and efficiently.

As the outfall cannot flow away naturally and under gravity having the electrical supply available and connected at the earliest availability is vital, the unit will only have the storage capacity up to the bottom of the inlet pipe before the drains will start to experience issues and back up.

Having a knowledgeable and experienced team on your side can help your installation progress as smoothly as possible and as a Klargester accredited installer this is what we do best!