We are not currently doing the domestic system as we have to have the system approved by NSW Health to the standards mentioned above. We have not been in a hurry to enter into this market due to the number of companies involved and the constant changes within the market, however in designing a domestic system we did want to address the following issues.

• The quality of the effluent after treatment.
• The disinfection system.
• Ease of maintenance and the running costs.
• The cost to manufacture.
• The weight of the unit for ease of handling.
• Transport from the factory to the final destination.
• The size of the hole to be dug.

Having the ability to work with two systems meant we were able to compare them in their overall performance and then select the one that we felt suited the market based on the above criteria. The following features were addressed successfully and there was no difference between them:

• Weight
• Length 2400 x width 2400 x depth 1700
• Noise <35 dba
• Odours none detected when operating properly
• Maintenance is minimal in both systems
• Both systems chemical free

The performance of the two systems became the deciding factor so we had to wait for the test results for the two systems to come back so that we could select the best performance. The result of this is contained in the following:

As you can see from the test results there is not a lot between the performance of these two plants. there are two factors that influenced our decision for this size plant and these are:

1. Running cost of the two plants is around 2 Kw hours per day. We must stress this is for this size plant only. 
2. Nitrogen reduction is the main factor in out decision for looking seriously at the A.S. plant as lighter loads could produce an even better result.

The system is designed as a 10Ep plant and will be tested accordingly. Preventative maintenance plays an important roll in the operation of any plant and the system must be serviced in accordance with our "Installation and Operations Manual".

The process that takes place is as per the following:

1. Primary Settlement
2. Aeration
3. Clarification/Sludge Transfer
4. Disinfection
5. Transfer/Irrigation

Contrary to what people say about what is not required by their system or by the authorities regarding their system the following is some of the requirements by the authorities in NSW:

• The system is to be serviced  every three months (minimum) by an approved service contractor or by the owner if they have completed a course to service the system.
• The primary settlement zone or tank is to be pumped out every three years.
• Irrigation area is to be a minimum 700 square meters.
• The irrigation area is to be a dedicated area and you must not spray on to vegetable gardens or fruit.

It should be noted that these conditions can be varied from one council to another so it always pays to check with the council in your area to see what the local conditions are if any.

We should also point out that a lot of councils will accept Sand Filters, Transportation Beds and sub-surface disposal for another name. The areas are dedicated

• They do not require servicing
• There is no irrigation
• They are suited to sites with a small disposal area

So if you should be considering this type of system as stated we are happy to give you a price providing they are accepted by council.

We will keep you informed about our progress with the approval once we start and remember if you require a small commercial plant that will do up to 3,000 litres a day this plant will do the job and is acceptable.

COMMERCIAL

We offer two types of commercial sewage treatment plants, these are activated sludge plants and Bio-Reactors. These plants offer a variety of benefits Flow balancing through their unique design and modular concept.


The sketch on the right shows a flow diagram for an activated sludge
plant comprising of one flow balancing tank, two primary settlement tanks, two aeration tanks and one clarification/transfer tank.

• The two photo's show a plant that was re-built using the same concept as that shown in the above sketch. The original plant consisted of 13 tanks made up as a single plant and the order of process was totally incorrect. The system was totally re-built and we now have a twin plant designed as follows:

1 x Flow Balancing Tank c/w duty and stand-by pumps.
2 x 2 Primary Settlement Tanks (33% increase in capacity)
2 x 2 Aeration Tanks c/w sludge return pumps (Fully automated)
2 x Clarification Tanks c/w sludge return pumps (Fully automated)
1 x Emergency Storage Tank & 1 spare tank soon to be used.

The UV system was replaced by a Zapper, a new control panel was installed to meet the new requirements and the chemicals were removed from site as they were no longer necessary. Even though this plant is working far better than the original plant we have a few design changes to make that will improve it even further. This plant is handling 60,000 to 80,000 litres per day and it was re-designed for 62,000 litres per day.

When we design a system we look for the following:

• Energy saving on all equipment where possible.
• Alarm system to advise the fault so that you do not have to guess the problem. 
• Number of units to make the system more reliable.
• Method of disinfection so that we have no chemicals on site. 
• Method of disposal.
• The system can be designed to suit individual requirements on plant layout and growth.

We have a range of sewage treatment plants from 10Ep to 2,000Ep that are suitable for:

• Hotels
• Motels
• Caravan Parks
• Camping Grounds
• Rest Stops
• Factories
• Mine Sites
• Small Communities
• Resorts
• Schools etc.

Although we have a range of standard sizes for costing purposes each application is designed to suit the overall parameters relating to the individual requirements.

FEATURES

The systems offered are an Activated Sludge or the Bio Reactor and we do offer it as a modular type system with multiple units being used for larger applications. We prefer multiple units for the following reasons:

• When multiple units are used, as shown above, there is one major benefit that occurs if the system should malfunction. When one of the plants fail the remaining unit(s) will continue to treat the effluent. The more modules the greater the benefit in this area.

          eg.1 If you have a twin system and you have a failure with a pump or another part of the system you only lose 50% of the plant.

          eg.2 If you have a 4 module system you only lose 25% of the plant.

• In the event of a failure the sewage to the failed system is stopped automatically until the problem is rectified.
  
• As a further safe guard the pumps and blowers can be designed as duty and stand-by which means you may only have to shut the system down for a major overhaul.

NOTE: This is a prefered option for a single plant.

Although this means the remaining unit(s) may not be up to the normal standard it is far better than having primary settled effluent pumped around the lawns or gardens.

A system can be designed to meet the requirements of most specifications and provided people are prepared to pay for it, it can be polished to a high standard.Some of the other features are:

• DISINFECTION is done by using the Zapper.
• FLOCKING is also done by using the Zapper and the added benefit in small applications is one Zapper can do both disinfection and flocking. 
• A HIGH LEVEL ALARM is used in the transfer or irrigation chamber.
• SOLAR POWER is available upon request.
• A TRANSPORTABLE unit is available from 15Ep to 100Ep. This can be offered with toilets, basins and shower if required.
• WET WEATHER retention can be either ponding or in a tank.
• IRRIGATION can be supplied only or supplied and installed. The two most common methods are spray or sub-surface irrigation. A fully programmed system can be supplied using one of our inhouse control units that ensures the correct application to all zones.