Maintenance
Maintaining Your H-TWO-O Treatment Plant
A H-TWO-O wastewater treatment plant has no moving parts in the tank that will need service. If you must make repairs to any internal parts, please be careful. The wastewater in the tank and the surfaces therein, contain hazardous pathogens, bacteria, etc. Your best option is to call a qualified service company. As a homeowner, the best way to check your treatment plant is with a pressure gauge. If it is found to be out of specification, call a service provider or Desoto Concrete Products for guidance.
Service for a Gravity Flow System
- Your system should be serviced at least every 6 months
- Check aerator air output pressure – between 2.0 and 2.5 pounds of air pressure for most aerators. 100 litre and 120 litre aerators will operate at a higher pressure – up to .9 pounds of pressure.
- Check scum layer on clarifier – greater than 6 inches may indicate that the treatment system needs pumping. At this time make sure that you can hear water bubbling in the aerator tank.
- Check chlorinator – remove the tube that holds the chlorine tablets and check for obstructions.
- Check the discharge pipe at the exit point. Make sure that it is free of obstructions and that the effluent being discharged is clear and odorless.
Service for a Pump System
- This system should be serviced at least every 6 months.
- Service the treatment plant as in the gravity flow treatment plant section.
- Turn the power off to the treatment system. Then, remove the filter unit and the pump. Clean both and then reinstall. Also, check the effluent in the tank for sludge and scum.
- On a pumped to overland system, check the discharge pipe for obstructions and the effluent for clarity and odor.
- On a spray system, service the treatment system as in the two previous steps. Then, you will need to service the spray field. Make sure that the treatment system is turned off. The spray field consists of P.V.C. pipe running from the pump in the pump tank to the spray heads. You may need to blow out the P.V.C. pipe from time to time. A service provider will need to be contacted to perform this segment of the maintenance process. The spray heads have a filter and check valve in each one. They will need to be checked and cleaned. If the spray head filter has an excessive amount of debris in it, the P.V.C. pipe will need to be blown out. The ground around the spray heads should look natural. If the ground is excessively wet or if it has a scum layer, your treatment plant is not working properly and/or your spray field is too small. You will need to contact someone who knows how to design a wastewater spray field or Desoto Concrete Products, Inc. for guidance.
Having Your System Pumped
In general, a treatment plant should need to be pumped out every 3 to 5 years. A treatment plant that is sized too small or is not working properly will need to be pumped out more often. Using a garbage disposal, causes what is call “high strength wastewater”. Most homer wastewater systems are not designed for this. Therefore, do not use a garbage disposal or be prepared for higher than average maintenance costs.
As a homeowner, you will need to call a licensed and trained pumper. Do not call just any pumper. If they are not trained on our treatment plant, improper pumping and damage to internal parts could occur. Check behind the pumper to make sure that the tank was completely pumped out. An entrance into each compartment should be seen (refer to the drawings section). When you look into the tank you should be able to see the concrete bottom.
After the tank has been pumped, you will need to fill it with clean water to at least halfway. This will keep the tank from floating out of the ground. Make sure that all riser tops are resealed and secured properly. If groundwater enters your system, it will adversely affect the performance of your system.