System Design & Installation Considerations to Avoid Problems

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1 System Design & Installation Considerations to Avoid Problems

2 Site evaluation should be completed before a building permit is issued and prior to any development or construction.

3 Site Considerations House was built prior to site evaluation. Foundation poured and all plumbing roughed in. - Setbacks: - Ideal distribution line would run 150ft. into the tree line, but there is a property line limitation. - Elevation & Land Use: - Steep sloping site into a field that was in-use was the only alternate location. - Quality: - Compromises had to be made that may have increased the risk of failure. - Distribution line length: - Difficult to find frozen spots, leaks, etc in 450ft. of pipe. - More joints = more chance of leaks. - Pump workload increases incrementally. - Costs: - Increased cost of materials to meet setback requirements - Larger pump = more expensive

4 Site Considerations Original sewer failed, and owner put in retention tanks to pump into a small municipal force main. The tanks needed to be placed on their own property, but are now partially located on public property. - Tanks are not all aboveground, and may not be able to bear the weight of traffic. - Groundwater is running down on top of the tanks. - Public easement is an issue.

5 The Importance of Site Evaluation Prior to Site Development Site Considerations & Pitfalls Evaluation could be completed by the homeowner or a contractor. Without an evaluation, the only appropriate spot for a system may be compromised or used for building locations, specific landscaping, etc Determine limitations of setbacks. Determining site needs first means that you can calculate distances to all utilities, buildings, and water to make sure that sufficient space is left for setbacks. Evaluate soils to determine system requirements. Every site has its own soil characteristics, and many sites have varied soils just within the property boundaries. Initial evaluation allows septic professionals to determine the best location for a system. Check for low areas on property. Take into consideration the elevation of wells, drainage, and freezing. Drainage can become a huge issue when elevation isn t considered. Consider constraints for tank placement. Needs to be handy for vacuum truck, consider the least amount of trenching; more distance = more problems; pump size, pump run times.

6 Site evaluation has to be done anyways, so why not do it to begin with and avoid extra costs and potential problems?

7 System Installations Many installation issues can be avoided with proper siting and considering the maintenance constraints and impacts of long term usage.

8 Flooded vent for a treatment plant. This is a vent that became an inlet for groundwater and sand. Probably about 3-5 gals a minute. The Aquaworx panel registered 579 Veto doses. Pump was working overtime. The dispersal area was being completely saturated every winter for 3 years, causing anaerobic conditions.

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12 Two feet of good usable soil. Unfortunately the bottom of the trench was two feet down on hard clay. Field failed immediately when built in Installer came back and dug a 5 foot deep curtain drain around the entire field which did nothing!

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14 Picture shows why you never put the electrical junction box inside the pump tank! I would not do it even if it were a NEMA 4X enclosure because sure enough the owner, or someone, will not close it properly. And as for weather tight junction boxes, well you don t get weather in a pump tank, you get very corrosive chemistry!

15 Systems planned and installed with functionality and maintenance constraints in mind require less troubleshooting as time goes on.

16 Maintenance Issues Unmaintained systems cause headaches for homeowners and contractors alike.

17 Several houses on one treatment plant so no one person had responsibility. Clients said they did not notice it, did wonder why it was so wet by the bench and why water flowed over a nearby retaining wall from time to time. Was only after we were called for maintenance on compressor leak, which was two years plus, after last inspection.

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22 Don t let the blackberry bush encroach your field!!! 25+ year old field, blackberries moved too close about two years ago.

23 The importance of proper regular maintenance cannot be overstressed to the homeowner.