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Wastewater septic tanks have improved greatly since their fairly humble beginnings.
Those often-ignored septic tanks have gotten tougher, stronger, and easier to install. They come in larger sizes now and are composed of a variety of materials, some notable for their strength, others for their flexibility and lower cost.
At the same time, many tank manufacturers work with outside agencies to distribute septic tanks that come pre-equipped with advanced wastewater pretreatment systems, says Chris Reinardy.
Reinardy knows all this because he’s a pro, working with Hopkins, MN–based Pipeline Supply Inc., a wholesale distributor of water and well supplies. But he gained even further evidence that septic tanks are evolving, thanks to an unlikely source: pigs, whole herds of them.
Last year, Pipeline Supply provided the materials for an innovative wastewater treatment application at a private swine-research facility in New Richmond, WI. The scientists there are performing complex gene research on the pigs that graze at the facility. Problem is, swine generate a lot of waste. And a lot of swine? You don’t want to know.
All that waste, though, must be treated before it’s released into a drainfield, and it’s far stronger than what most wastewater treatment systems can handle.
Enter Wieser Concrete Products, a manufacturer of precast concrete septic tanks based in Maiden Rock, WI, and NCS Wastewater Solutions, developer of the aerobic wastewater pretreatment system known as the Nibbler system.
Wieser shipped precast concrete tanks to the hog-research site already equipped with all the connections, openings, and holes to allow for the quick installation of the Nibbler system. The results so far have been great, with the pretreatment system effectively digesting the harmful organic material left behind by so many hogs and preserving the life of the facility’s drainfield.
“This is a system we use for high-strength waste,” Reinardy says. “Restaurants, cooking facilities, meat lockers, truck stops—they all use this system. If you have high-organic waste, it’s tough to treat. This system has done the job, even here.”
This is just one example of how septic tanks—whether they be concrete, polyethylene, fiberglass, or injection-molded—have evolved. Often overlooked, today’s septic tanks offer wastewater contractors options for dealing with all manner of project. Contractors that require durability can choose from concrete tanks that can handle nearly any amount of pressure. Those seeking tanks that are lightweight, easy to transport, and easy to install in tight or complicated spaces can go the polyethylene or fiberglass route.
And those looking for innovation, for treatment systems such as the Nibbler, have more choices, too.
It’s a good time, then, to be looking for the right septic tank.
Hog Waste in Wisconsin
The Nibbler system’s goal is to treat high-strength waste until it reaches levels equal to that of residential septic tank effluent. The system does this through a system of pods inserted into a septic tank. The pods push air into the wastewater, creating a turbulent aerobic environment that digests organic material naturally. The system is used primarily at sites that feature high levels of five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) [SUBSCRIPT THE 5 IN BOD5] and high fats, oils, and grease.
This made the swine-research facility the perfect site for the system.
Reinardy was on hand to help size and install the system.
“Those hogs are producing a high-strength waste,” Reinardy says. “That kind of waste will shorten the life of a drainfield. We needed to pretreat that waste to prolong its life. They didn’t want to plug up that drainfield and make it useless in a short period of time.”
For Andy Winkler, project manager for commercial sales at Wieser, the swine example is just one that proves that the manufacturers of septic tanks aren’t content with merely rolling out the same products year after year. To thrive, the companies that build septic tanks have to be constantly innovating, he says.
For instance, Winkler’s company recently developed its largest precast tank, a 40,000-gallon model. The company did this to meet a specific need: Larger housing subdivisions are popping up across the country, with the pace of development showing no signs of slowing. The developers of these subdivisions need larger tank sizes to serve their sprawling residential communities.
“By having these large tanks, we cut down on the number of tanks developers have to install,” Winkler says. “Instead of having to put in four 10,000-gallon tanks, developers can go with just the one 40,000-gallon version. They have fewer connections to worry about, fewer footprint issues to deal with.”
The larger tanks also provide benefits to commercial developers who need to retain a certain amount of water at their commercial buildings. Instead of having to install a large retaining pond, a commercial development can rely on an underground, 40,000-gallon tank. This allows the developers to avoid the liability and maintenance issues that come with managing an onsite pond. It also preserves valuable land that can now be used for another building or resale.
Working with companies like NCS Wastewater Solutions to provide tanks pre-fitted with advanced wastewater treatment systems is just another innovation that Wieser has taken on, Winkler says.
By installing systems like the Nibbler onsite, Wieser makes the installation of their tanks an easier process, he says.
“This saves the installer the time of having to put the unit in the tank,” Winkler says. “The installation is done in our facility under controlled conditions. This ensures that every connection is properly bolted, that everything is in its proper placement ahead of time. The installers are not running into problems onsite.”
Winkler says that he expects more customers to call for pretreatment systems.
“There is an increasing market for us with these pretreatment systems,” Winkler says. “Developers can often get credit for using aerobic treatments. Other times they turn to it when they are working in really poor conditions that require a holding tank. They can eliminate that holding tank and use one of these aerobic treatments instead.”
A Stronger Poly Tank
There was a time when installers and contractors viewed polyethylene septic tanks as a product of last resort.
Contractors considered the tanks only when they couldn’t get a concrete tank in position because of its size and weight. Poly tanks, the industry wisdom went, weren’t strong enough. Heavy soils would put too much pressure on the tank, causing leaks, the industry pros said.
That, though, has changed, and polyethylene tanks have become a better choice in the minds of many contractors. The new poly tanks are stronger, and still offer their old benefits of being easy to transport and fit into tight spaces.
Joe Brown, vice president of sales and marketing with Fralo Plastech, a Syracuse, NY–based manufacturer of blow-molded polyethylene septic tanks, has seen this change. The tanks his company manufactures are known for their strength and for being smaller and lighter than are precast tanks.
“Before we entered the market in 2004, the basic concept of a poly tank was that it was a niche product,” Brown says. “Contractors had to be careful of how they applied it. You had to watch out for heavy soils. You had to be careful you weren’t putting too much pressure on the tanks. When we approached the market, we were automatically lumped into that whole mindset: ‘Oh, great. Just what we need: another poly tank.’”
Today, Brown and his fellow Fralo officials are trying to spread the word about the durability and strength of their tanks. They’re doing this by advertising in trade magazines, by attending and showing off their products at national and state trade shows, and by marketing to land developers, homebuilders, and homeowners.
The company even offers a 50-year warranty on its tanks, a surefire way to gain the industry’s attention.
“We are trying to get the ultimate end user to understand that there is an option out there that does exist,” Brown says. “This is an outstanding product for a home or residence for the long haul.”
Brown says he expects more contractors and developers to call on polyethylene tanks in the future. One reason, of course, is the improvements that poly manufacturers have made to their tanks, boosting their durability.
But there are other factors, too. For one thing, the construction industry has seen a boom in mini-excavator technology. Now contractors can get into tight spaces with less fuss. They can then carry polyethylene septic tanks on small trailers directly to the construction site without having to wait for a larger, heavier septic tank to be delivered from an outside source.
“You have two choices with the larger tanks: You can take the larger tank to the site yourself and have to deal with the expense and work of that, or you can be completely reliant on having someone else deliver it to you,” Brown says. “Or you can go with a lighter tank and do it all yourself.”
Marvin Moler, with Colorado Springs, CO–based Front Range Winwater Works, says that he’s seen more contractors requesting poly tanks as long as those tanks have already earned a reputation for being strong enough to handle whatever a particular project throws at them.
Most of the contractors with whom Moler works are building housing subdivisions, he says.
“The demand here is really high for strong polyethylene tanks,” Moler says. “They want something sturdy, and they don’t want anything that comes in two pieces. They don’t want to worry about the possible groundwater problems you get when you’re dealing with tanks that do come in two pieces that have to be joined together.”
Ease of installation is also a factor, according to Moler.
He can deliver the tanks on, say, a Friday night. Contractors can then install them with their own equipment the next day.
“It’s a fairly simple process to work with these,” he says. “There isn’t much hassle at all.”
The Injection-Molded Solution
Orenco Systems, based in Sutherlin, OR, is one of the biggest players in the onsite industry. It’s little surprise, then, that the company would also be a strong force in the septic-tank business.
Orenco manufactures an injection-molded, fiberglass-reinforced polyester tank in 1,000- and 1,500-gallon sizes. The tanks are used for residential, commercial, and community systems.
Eric Ball, vice president of product development at Orenco, says the company is always fine-tuning its products, including its tanks. The company’s most recent improvements center on production methods, not visual factors, he says.
Ball says that people today are paying more attention to septic tanks than they have in the past. To Ball, this is good news for the onsite industry.
“You have to pay attention to what you are putting in the ground,” he says. “We require that our dealers train the installers on how to install our products. Our treatment systems are expected to work properly in perpetuity. But they have to be installed properly, by certified pros, for that to happen.”
More Innovations
Rick Wagner, vice president of field services with White Bear Lake, MN–based North American Wetland Engineering, is no stranger to the innovations in septic-tank technology.
Wagner has been installing the DYNO2 system at new housing subdivisions in the communities surrounding White Bear Lake. The system, which comes completely encased in a precast concrete septic tank, uses natural means to treat wastewater.
Manufactured by Forest Lake, MN–based Reactor Dynamics, DYNO2 takes bacteria-filled effluent from a septic tank and feeds it to wetland plant systems that eat the pollutants. This removes the contaminants from the wastewater and releases clear, odorless water into a dispersal area.
The system arrives onsite completely assembled as a 7-inch-by-12-inch concrete unit that drops into place. It works best for housing or building sites located on or near lakes. It also works well with small lot sizes, in areas where drainfield replacement can prove challenging, on land with poor soil conditions, and in areas that have high water fields.
Wagner says the demand for this system has not yet boomed. One reason is the price. It’s more expensive than is a traditional onsite septic system.
However, the DYNO2 system will provide outstanding wastewater treatment, Wagner says, helping property owners avoid costly repair and drainfield failure fees.
The DYNO2 system is also easy to install, Wagner says. It takes contractors generally about two hours to install the entire system, whereas many other septic systems take two or more days to install. The reason for this quick installation? The DYNO2 system comes premanufactured in its own concrete tank. Contractors just have to flip on the power and the product is ready to work.
Wagner says he hopes that more property owners will latch on to the system. In 2003, North American Wetland Engineering provided the DYNO2 system for an alternative school in Tiffin, IA. More recently, the company provided another unit to a public school in Albuquerque, NM.
In both cases, students studying environmental sciences chose the DYNO2 system because of its treatment quality.
Wagner says he expects more homeowners to follow their lead.
“A lot of homeowners who go with this system do so because they are having difficulty getting a standard system permitted,” Wagner says. “Their lots are usually high water lots. To put in a standard system is not permitted. They don’t want to put in mounds. This is a better option.”
The manufacturers who specialize in septic tanks say they expect more improvements to their products in the future. After all, the end users are demanding it, and no company can ignore customers’ demands and expect to thrive.
“We’ve been manufacturing tanks since 1965,” Winkler notes. “We are always looking at new technology, at possible improvements. It works the same way it does with the new wastewater pretreatment systems: A need develops, and we have to find a way to meet it.”
Dan Rafter is a technical writer based in Chesterton, IN.
OW - March/April 2007 |
