Sizing your sewage treatment system

There are many different sewage treatment systems available, depending on the site, population of users and your budget.

Sewage treatment systems effectively treat waste and empty the treated effluent into a ditch/stream – these systems need maintaining and emptying to keep them in full working order. They are designed to accelerate the natural treatment processes to produce a much higher standard of effluent. In order to work out which system is most appropriate for your needs, you should determine:

Population – the number of bedrooms +2 for each property served (a four-bedroom house would need a 6-population system, whereas two 5-bedroom houses would need a 14-population system). For populations greater than 18, contact us on 01388 537030 to discuss commercial-sized plant.

Gravity or IPS? – does the ground slope down to the discharge point into the stream/ditch from where the system will be sited? If so, a gravity system should be sufficient. However, if the ground rises from where the system will be sited to the discharge point, you will require an Integrated Pump System (IPS) which will pump the effluent out so there is no backflow into the system.

Measuring your invert height – different systems have different invert heights available, which matches the suitable height of your inlet drainage pipe. To identify the correct invert height, measure from the bottom of the inlet pipe to ground level. The different invert heights match the site topography and can minimise the excavation depth. If your property has not yet been built, your architect or building engineer should have a drainage layout which indicates the invert levels. If in doubt, give us a call on 01388 537050 and we can help.