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Advisory archive
Archive of historical questions and answers from the original How to care for a treatment plant website.
This is a historical archive of the original advisory section. New questions can no longer be submitted here; older legal answers describe Czech legislation and may be outdated.
Question and answer archive
Questions are imported from the original advisory section and personal contact details have been removed. The archive is read-only, and older Czech legislation answers should be treated as historical.
121 historical comments
Hello, I have an AT-6 wastewater treatment plant, I have been using the treatment plant for two years, it still seems to me that the treatment plant is not working as it should! Whenever I start the treatment plant and add bacteria, after some time (a month), the air in the individual chambers has a different or weaker intensity than after starting. This will lead to overfilling of the first chamber, as it is not sufficiently aerated, and subsequently the waste pipe from the house, which opens into the first chamber, will also be blocked. The water in the last chamber on the drain is dirty. We are 2 adults and a 7 year old daughter and the twins are still in diapers. We wash in eco powder, the dishwasher also uses eco tablets, we try not to overload the treatment plant with aggressive products! Nevertheless, something is still missing for the WWTP to function as it should. Can you please advise me where I am doing wrong. If necessary, we can call each other. My phone [phone removed] Thank you, best regards, Martin
Hello, it looks like a bad distribution of the air into individual sections. There can be several reasons:
1. with use, the air valves close and open by themselves, depending on where the air is "pushed". Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the closing of the valves in the individual sections so that the air distribution is always the same
2. as far as I know, the AT-6 treatment plant has a gravity overflow from the first chamber to the next, it is not pumped. So it looks like your passageway between the first and second chamber is getting mechanically blocked. It is necessary to check the passages between the chambers and, if they are clogged, to clean them. Those passages are really small, they have to be cleaned. How often do you check the treatment plant? Ours here every week 😉
Otherwise, sludge breakdown can also be caused if you have a poorly set aeration of the treatment plant, i.e. blower run and stop times. But first I would focus on the distribution of air and the patency of the roads.
Lenka
I also observed a problem with less efficiency of air bubbles in the inflow part of AT 6 (including the "hill" on the inflow to the WWTP). Through observation, I discovered that the pressure of the rising bubbles gradually pushes the basket higher under the inlet. This, of course, reduced the effectiveness of the bubbles and led to a slower comminution of the supplied material. It was enough to fix the crossbar of the inlet basket in the lower position and the problem ceased to exist. After a while I was able to reduce the air pressure under the basket.
If the rake basket is clogged, the water in front of it will naturally stand up and not drain, or drain slowly. However, the bin is very important at the treatment plant, and if it gets clogged often, it is better to focus on what I let into the treatment plant. If insoluble or difficult to dissolve materials, do not flush them down the drain, but throw them in the trash can. And if something gets stuck in the trash can, empty it out regularly (yes, it's a nasty job, but at least one thinks about whether this particular thing had to be flushed and whether it could have been disposed of in another way).
Good evening, I have a domestic WWTP EK S4 with air conditioning, it has been regulated by a technician, everything works as it should. Bacteria given every 3 months. The problem is that the treatment plant stinks. Nothing helps, I've tried everything. I'm running out of ideas please. Thanks Pirner
Good evening,
I will disappoint you a little, but from your question it seems that something is not working. The EK S4 treatment plant is a classic activation treatment plant that does not smell when operated properly. It may emit a slight odor similar to freshly dug dirt or mature compost. In addition, there is no need to supply bacteria during normal functioning, on the contrary, it is necessary to remove their excess. I recommend having the entire contents of the treatment plant exported, (having) approximately 100 l of activated sludge brought from a nearby city treatment plant, and restarting the treatment plant "from the beginning".
Odor is always a sign of either insufficient cleaning or lack of oxygen (if the sludge is black).
Hello, I can't find an answer, so I'll try it again at your place, I have a wastewater treatment plant from EKO Natur en4-6, it's been in operation for a month and according to the test, the sludge shows 90%, visually I would say that the sludge does not settle, I would say that there is enough air, the blower is running 15/15
Thanks in advance for the advice
Hello, that's a pretty general description, from which nothing can be deduced. It would require more detailed data - for example, what does the water leaving the treatment plant look like (is it clear? does it contain sludge particles?), what does the sludge itself look like (is it compact flakes or a light "mist")? How did you run the treatment plant - did you inoculate the sludge, or did you leave it "in nature"? How busy is the treatment plant (how many people and how often are they home)?
Hello, we have a domestic WWTP AT6. The problem I am describing has occurred repeatedly, so it is not a one-time issue, and we have a new blower and the valves are adjusted according to the technician's advice. After the WWTP has been de-sludged, it works for three months, after which most of the chambers, including the separation one, become covered with thick dark foam, after which the chamber below the inflow stops bubbling in a few days, as a result of which water stops flowing from the second to the third chamber and the second chamber quickly thickens and clogs. I note that if I do a sludge test at the given time, the sludge is definitely not at the level necessary for de-sludging (e.g. 50%). We always solve the situation by de-sludging the wastewater treatment plant and then everything starts up again as it should, however, thanks to this we de-sludge every three months, which according to the manufacturer is not possible and we also de-sludge when the sludge is not at a critical value. What can be done about this, or what does it look like? Of course, the manufacturer advised us to try replacing the valves and the electrical unit, however, he was unable to determine if this would actually solve the problem. Thank you. Helena P.
Hello,
it looks like the problem will be valve setting. The valves that are commonly used in household treatment plants are certainly not regulating elements, but closing ones. As a result, they do not "hold" their settings permanently and it is necessary to adjust the valve settings from time to time. When there is more sludge in the wastewater treatment plant, the "pumpability" of the individual streams also changes - the more sludge there is in the water, the more difficult it is to pump, and the thin pipes through which the sludge is carried can become clogged. Both phenomena lead to the fact that the air adjustment is thrown off and some streams may stop pumping completely. Typically, the return sludge is not sufficiently pumped (from the settler to activation), or the aeration in individual parts of the treatment plant deteriorates.
Unfortunately, I don't know a simple and permanent solution. The only thing I can recommend is to continuously adjust the air distribution settings so that everything works as it should. I recommend reading the article /how-to-take-care-of-the-treatment plant/how-to-set-the-activation-treatment plant/. The formation of thick foam is a very common phenomenon at household treatment plants, I recommend continuously mixing it to volume, or, if it is really thick, remove it. This is usually enough once a week and a really thick "blanket" will not form.
Otherwise, as far as sludge removal is concerned, once every three months is not an extreme frequency at all, i.e. if at least 4 people use the treatment plant. One of the reasons can really be a higher amount of sludge in the treatment plant (a lot of sludge = a lot of clogging) and if the pumping of return sludge from the settler to the aerated activation does not work sufficiently, the sludge accumulates in the settler and in the activation it seems that there is "just enough" of it. In fact, there is a lot of it, it just lies elsewhere than where you measure it.
Hello, we have an eco-nature wastewater treatment plant EN 8-12. I would like to ask what is the cause if water with sludge flows out and not clean water. The wastewater treatment plant has been connected for about 3 months. Aeration and operation have been set by the company since the connection and we have not changed it. The wastewater treatment plant does not smell and the sludge is normal. I have no idea what could be the cause. Thanks for the info
Hello,
the question is difficult to answer, because there can be many reasons. You may still not have "standard activated sludge". Did you vaccinate the treatment plant at the beginning, or did you leave the sludge formation to nature? If you have vaccinated, the slurry may break down because it is overloaded or, on the contrary, underloaded. It can also, for example, nitrify so strongly that it drops the pH to six or lower, and then the sludge breaks down as well. For any advice, more information is needed about how you used the treatment plant, how many people use it and how you take care of the treatment plant.
Hello,
we have an AT6 wastewater treatment plant and somehow we are getting a lot of sludge. In the separation, the sludge is washed out and the strainer is clogged, it lasts for one day. I don't know if it's enough to let more clean water into the wastewater treatment plant or how to limit the leaching of sludge.
Thank you
Hello,
it is normal for sludge to build up at the treatment plant. Bacteria convert some of the pollution into gases and use some for their reproduction. You should regularly measure the amount of sludge as the so-called V30 (it's done like this: /how-to-take-care-of-treatment plant/without-maintenance-activating-treatment plant/). If there is a lot of sludge, it is necessary to take away or pump out part of it (it can be composted, or taken to a nearby "big" treatment plant).
The second possible cause is improperly set air distribution, when an insufficient amount of return sludge is pumped. How it can be set can be found here: /how-to-take-care-of-the-treatment plant/how-to-set-the-activation-treatment plant/. If the condition occurs often, it is possible that the return sludge pipe is clogged, so I recommend to disassemble it and flush it with pressurized water to be sure.
If you just pour clean water into the treatment plant, the sludge will go away, but because it will flow down the drain, you will violate the permit for the discharge of wastewater and expose yourself to the possibility of penalties.
Hello,
I have had an AF K 5 from Aqua Form in operation at home for about 6 years, and now it happened to me that after about two months of not checking the pump (I didn't want to in the winter), a large amount of solid sludge accumulated (about a 30 cm layer) in the settling tank, where the water that flows out should already be purified. I don't know what it is, could it be a bad air ratio? last month i added liquid bacteria. I shoveled the sludge into the first and second chambers, but there is still a lot of sludge in the settling tank that flows out and now I have the entire settling chute full of solid sludge…. Thank you for the advice on how to get the train running correctly again. PJ
Hello,
Your problem is very common. Most users think of a treatment plant as a machine, a kind of equivalent to a pump or a domestic water plant. However, it is much closer to reality to look at the wastewater treatment plant as a living organism, let's say a pig. You can also lock the pig in a sty and just pour food and water through the hole for a while, maybe he will be fine when you come, but maybe not. Regular checks are important, a lot of problems can be prevented and most importantly they will not end up in a catastrophic state.
Specifically for your case: according to the description, it seems that the treatment plant is hardened. If it was necessary to shovel sludge, you should not have thrown it into another chamber, but outside. For one thing, there was probably too much of it, and I assume it was black and smelly, which indicates putrefactive processes. If the treatment plant smells unpleasantly, I recommend draining all the sludge, washing the "corners" well and revaccinating the whole treatment plant. /how-to-take-care-of-the-cleaning-house/starting-activating-the-cleaning-house/
If the sludge is medium brown in color and does not smell, adjust the air distribution first. The primary cause of your failure was insufficient pumping of return sludge from the settling tank (perhaps the pipe for this sludge is also clogged). /how-to-take-care-of-the-cleaning-house/how-to-set-the-activating-cleaning-house/
When the distribution is adjusted, measure the amount of sludge in the activation (the largest bubbling tank) /how-to-take-care-of-the-treatment plant/no-maintenance-of-the-activation-treatment plant/, according to the description, I assume you will have to de-sludge. After each sludge removal, it is necessary to check the distribution of air in the individual parts of the treatment plant.
Clear the sludge from the seepage channel as best as possible, on the one hand it can contaminate the groundwater, and on the other hand, by gradually penetrating into the subsoil, it "clogs the passage" and the water will seep in more and more slowly.
Hello, thank you very much for the info and valuable advice... After several years, such a calamity has not happened to me, everything was quite fine and worked more or less as it should.... Winter laziness is to blame for this...so I hope to put it in the pile as soon as possible. I will order a haul-off for the clogging grate and sludge from the chov, and I will adjust everything and train the chov...
I hope they helped you 🙂 I wish everything goes well quickly and works as it should
Hello
I have a wastewater treatment plant and I need to approve it. What will I need for this and where can I have the discharged water analyzed. (Opavska) Thank you Fenková
Hello. You will approve the treatment plant based on the building permit that authorized its construction. Permits and approvals are carried out by the relevant water authority (in the case of residential treatment plants, it is the environmental department of the relevant municipality with extended powers). It is best to advise you directly there, you will avoid the fact that something will be missing. You definitely start by calling or visiting the office. Next, you send the form Notification of the use of the construction of the waterworks (here: https://www.businessinfo.cz/cs/online-nastroje/formulare/oznameni-o-uzivani-stavby-vodnio-dila-2041.html), the authority will call an inspection on the spot, if everything is in order, they will allow the treatment plant to be used. You will definitely need proof of waterproofing, if the treatment plant is a finished product, then also a declaration of conformity. You must also prove that you have met all the conditions set by the building permit. At the time of approval, you should also have a Wastewater Discharge Permit (downloadable here: http://eagri.cz/public/web/mze/e-podatelna/ministerstvo-zemedelstvi/formulare-k-podani/vodopravni-rizeni_zadost-o-povoleni-k-vypousteni-odpadnich-vod.html).
As for analyses, contact a nearby laboratory, which must be accredited. Find it either on the Internet (password accredited chemical laboratory), or analyzes are also carried out by hygiene stations, the state health institute, watershed enterprises and large operators of water supply and sewerage systems in the area. An accredited laboratory is able to come and collect the sample itself. However, you are not allowed to use the treatment plant before approval and before the issuance of the Wastewater Discharge Permit, so the laboratory has nothing to remove 😉
I hope I helped you
Lenka
Hello, after about 11 years of almost problem-free operation of the ADOS DC4, for the last year I have been dealing with repeated excessive formation of thick foam in the fitting part (it does not smell). Of course, I check the sludge content, which I always pump out if it approaches approx. 70-80%. Even so, after about a week, a thick crust of sludge forms on the settling part (and also in the leveling pipe). There is beautifully clear water under this mud. I tried to increase the pumping of the return sludge by the mammoth, then on the contrary decrease it. Nothing helped. I have the aeration and thus the mammoth pumping during the day at peak times (for years) set to 15'/15', off-peak at night 15'/30'-40'. Previously, such a thick crust did not occur, and if it did, it formed only after a month of operation. I would like to point out that the occupation of the household and the method of wastewater management have basically not changed for years. What about that? Is she mature enough to be a "general"?
Hello,
don't worry, the treatment plant itself will last as long as its walls last. However, as the treatment plant ages, its results may deteriorate. And that's because: over time, some pipes and hoses can become "clogged". Maybe this is also your case, try to clean them. Another part of the treatment plant that wears out is the blower. Every few years, it is necessary to replace the membrane in the blower, or the entire blower, so that it always gives a sufficient amount of air.
Otherwise, in general, a "blanket" on the settler is formed in the event that either intensive denitrification takes place or there is insufficient removal of return sludge
We have a domestic wastewater treatment plant with aeration, for 2 and up to 6 people, a control unit in the house where you can set all time parameters of individual processes. Preset from the factory. The purifier has 2 storage and reaction chambers. The water does not smell, it is relatively clean, it has been in use for a year, but the results of the analysis have not come out. they are once so much higher. For example, the CODcr value should be about 150, and we have 290. I did a sedimentation test of about 50%. The wastewater treatment plant has a sludge tank where some sludge appears, but then I simply remove it. When the sludge was below 40-50% after the start, of course I did not remove the sludge, but waited until it reached a value of around 50% (as stated in the instructions. Bacteria need some sludge. The sludge in the sludge tank smells a bit and it is more rare, according to the instructions, I think there is not a problem in the fact that we only live in the house and the bacteria have a small supply of "nutrients", so since we are often at work, I dose the bacteria BIO enzyme for sewage treatment (yellow packaging) in 50g according to the package, I don't know if there is really a problem in the small supply of "nutrients" in the storage chamber. Basically, more urine, possibly water from washing in the evening "material" for bacteria. We don't wash often 3 washing machines and we don't pour any lye into the WWTP. I increased the aeration time (bubbles) in the reaction chamber from the preset 10400 seconds to 20000 seconds. As I write, there is not much sludge (but it is not missing) because of the lack of "nutrients" for the bacteria. 2 and 6 people? Is it possible to reduce the value of CHSKcr to the required value of the office? I will not pay 1200 CZK again for doing the same thing as I did in the accredited laboratory, I don't know if more air in the reaction chamber can help unit, does the aeration take place in both the storage and reaction chambers? Is it more efficient, I have increased the aeration by 100% as I wrote above. Good day TamášTAG1ZX
Dear Tomas,
according to your description, it is not entirely clear to me how your treatment plant model is supposed to work (what is the accumulation and reaction chamber and where exactly is the sludge tank). Moreover, it is difficult to assess anything from a distance, especially when there are no photos available. So in general: Samples not coming out can generally have three causes. According to how often they appear, we can sort them as follows:
1.) activated sludge breaks down. What am I observing? The drain does not smell, the water does not smell, but it is slightly cloudy. If you look closely, you can see the tiny flakes of sludge that, instead of settling in the settling tank, flow down the drain. This worsens its parameters (COD, BOD, NL, Ncelk, Pcelk). What is the cause? Mostly either high age of the sludge or low pH in the tank, less often the inflow of toxic substances (disinfection) or too low load of the treatment plant (permitted). How to solve it? Find the cause and eliminate it. In the acute phase, help by dosing calcium hydrate (if the pH is lower than 6, approx. 1 fan per week until activation) or a flocculant in the pool (if the pH is around 7, approx. 200 ml until activation).
2.) the water does not clear in time. What am I observing? The drain and the whole treatment plant smell like a sewer. The drain does not meet the parameters. What is the cause? Either there is no sludge at the treatment plant or it is overloaded. How to solve it? Increase treatment plant, increase aeration.
3.) a high proportion of non-biodegradable substances. What am I observing? NL and BOD are fine (NL up to 20, BOD below 10 mg/l), but high COD value. What is the cause? A lot of organic substances, which are non-biodegradable, flow into the treatment plant. How to solve it? Ask the water authority to change the limits to effective instead of concentration limits. Alternatively, dose some sorbent (e.g. activated carbon) or coagulant, which will help convert non-biodegradable substances into sludge.
I have to point out that variants 2 and 3 are really rare. More: /how-to-take-care-of-the-treatment plant/function-activation-function-of-the-treatment plant/
In your case, I would recommend: do not dose bioenzymes (they do not harm anything, but they do not particularly help either). If you have little sludge or it is in bad condition, either inoculate the treatment plant again (bring 100 l of sludge from a well-functioning treatment plant, for example a nearby city one), or you can support your sludge by adding a flocculant to the pool (no disinfection!! only a flocculant, approx. 200 ml to the activation tank). It acts as a "glue" that sticks small flakes into larger, better sedimenting ones. The addition of lime hydrate has a similar effect.
As far as aeration is concerned, if the treatment plant has little load, it needs less oxygen. If it doesn't smell like rotten eggs and the sludge isn't black or gray, I wouldn't add to the air. It is only necessary to check that the treatment plant is not without air for more than an hour during the day and for more than 2 hours during the night. I don't know exactly what the 10400 second setting means, but if it's a full day's worth of blower operation, it's just under three hours, and that's really not much. Even if you don't load the treatment plant too much, the blower should work for at least 6 hours a day (e.g. 15 minutes running, 45 minutes off).
Hello
Does it still work here?? I have a question. Thank you
Then ask 😉
Hello,
please advise We have a Biocleaner Basic wastewater treatment plant, in its second year, so far without any problems, but now it happened that the water level in the wastewater treatment plant is high - the mammoth is completely under water, the basket at the inflow is almost too. The level in the wastewater treatment plant is the same everywhere, so I assume that the drain is blocked. It happened to us once before, the water went down by itself, not now. I can't think of anything that could clog the drain. Can it happen? If so, what is the best way to clear the drain? With some stretching pen? Thanks a lot for the advice.
Yes, that looks like a clogged drain. I don't know how thick your pipes are, but they can become clogged with sludge, if the cleaning or separation of sludge from purified water is not perfect, or roots can grow through the pipes, or some animal can make a living in them. It can also be collapsed and covered with soil. The basis is to have the pipes laid at an appropriate slope, with sufficient clearance and to maintain a protective zone around the pipe route (without trees, bushes, etc.). Of course, operate the treatment plant in a functional way so that sludge, grease, scum, etc. do not flow out of it. To clean - it depends on the length of the pipe and the dimensions. If it is not long, try it with a pen or pressurized water. If it doesn't work, you can try a faeces with cleaning, it "can" higher water pressure. As a last resort dig out and replace.
Good day, cov name 2 years, for the last month we have had muddy water leaving and solid waste overflowing, upon visual inspection we do not have significantly more waste in the tanks and the sediment after inspection is 50%, thank you Grebáčová
Hello, if you are at home more now and cook more, it could be an increase in load, for example. Remove solid parts, try to increase the frequency of airing, if the condition does not improve within a week, let me know
Hello, if it is possible I would like to have a question. We have a WWTP EK-S4. In January, the purifier did not work as it should, the technician looked at it, made the settings and left, saying that it will improve in two months. We also used new bacteria, without improvement. Foam still forms in the activation zone and does not disappear. I measured the sludge according to the operating instructions and it was fine. We use a cleaner, we do not use any irritating cleaning agents. If I spray the water hose into the activation zone, the foam disappears quickly. Could it be an air problem? Alternatively, can it be set somehow without the intervention of a technician? And one last thing, I can't keep the levels within 20 cm. There is always less water in the inflow section. Sorry for the long message, but we are already desperate. I will send a photo to an email. Thank you for any answer. Best regards, Ladislav
Ekocis has treatment plants with inflow pumping. If you have a very low level in the tributary part, remove the tributary pump in the air on the mammoth pump.
As for the activation sludge, it depends on what it looks like. If like soap suds, then you have little sludge. If it's brown, that's normal to some extent with house cleaners. It must be ideally selected, or at least mixed. They usually form more in the summer when it's warm.
If the drain is cloudy at the same time, I would either bring 100 liters of sludge from the city or another well-functioning treatment plant and inoculate it again. If the foam is thin, by all means. Or I would try putting 200 ml of flocculant in the pool (without disinfection) if the foam is thick and brown. If so, send a photo of what the sludge looks like and the water reached after half an hour and what the foam looks like.
Hello, I tried to change the timer setting for sludge pumping on the advice of the technician. I tried every day 3 times a day after 8 hours, 2 minutes of pumping. The foam disappeared, but I don't know if I set the timer correctly or if this setting is useless. How often is it recommended to pump the sludge through the mammoth when I have a THC15 timer.?
Hello
I have a VHTECH VH4L wastewater treatment plant, I would say it works pretty well, the water doesn't smell. Even the samples that we have to send to the laboratory once a quarter come out according to the requirements of the water authority. However, there is still sludge forming on the settling tank, which I therefore remove once a week, the water underneath is clear (i.e. slightly yellowish). I declutter every 2 months, check the PH, which ranges from 6-8. I have the ventilation set to 15 minutes. running, 30 minutes off. I have tried various ways to remove air from the activation or from pumping the sludge back into the activation, but to no avail. If I pump out the sludge completely, everything seems fine for a while, but it lasts for about 1-2 weeks, then it returns to the same state again. I don't have sludge from any large wastewater treatment plant, but as it was formed by itself. Can you please advise me?
Hello, a blanket of sludge on the backwasher is unfortunately very common at household treatment plants and it is difficult to do anything about it. On the one hand, it helps to increase the pumping intensity of the gate sludge, especially when the sludge floats in clumps (the level is not completely full and the blanket is not homogeneous). It also helps to reduce the amount of sludge in the treatment plant (sludge), but it must not be overdone, even after the sludge has been drained, the sediment should remain at least 300 ml/l after 30 minutes.
Hello, I bought a RD a few years ago, I have a concrete monolithic 2-chamber septic tank. Everything fits in it...toilet, dishwasher, washing machine, bathtub. I would like to connect a wastewater treatment plant -aquatec-microclar-at6 to the second chamber. It is the simplest construction option. Roughly pre-purified water would go through the overflow through the downspout to the inlet to the treatment plant and then through the drain to the watering tank. There is a problem with water here, there is no order, sewage... we have wells and there is almost nothing to water the garden with. It is possible to connect the purifier to the septic tank in this way, or must the waste from the house go directly to the purifier.
V in principle this is not a problem, it would probably be a little better to shut down the first chamber of the septic tank (introduce the inflow to the second chamber), but the treatment plant should still work. You can even buy a model a category smaller than what you would need without a septic tank.
I read somewhere over the weekend that the WWTP needs a direct connection to waste. For the bacteria to work, they had to have enough ..food... I don't know. It's not a question of money, it's just that 40 years ago they didn't count on sewage treatment, so I have a problem with the location. The possibility is on the side of the septic tank, then leave it as a water tank. But a waste sewer with a few 90 degree elbows probably won't be much...it gets clogged and we fly with paper into the field
Hello Lenka,
we have a purifier from Envi-pur, type BC4 BASIC. Since the beginning (about a year), we have been unable to ensure its proper functioning. We have had a sales/service technician here a few times and he ended up telling us that he didn't know why it wasn't working, that it worked for him at home. It is said that we are probably not at home and we are not burdening the WWTP (there are two of us living here and we "feed" the WWTP practically every day).
The problems are as follows:
1) During the sedimentation test, there is always little sludge - approx. up to 10%
2) The water on the surface of the settling zone is cloudy, it often floats on the surface of the sludge (which we either transfer back or throw into the compost)
3) I noticed that more or less only water goes from the mammoth to the return sludge, and after we remove the sludge from the settling tank and the contents are agitated, thick sludge starts to flow out of the mammoth
4) Sometimes there is an unpleasant smell from the wastewater treatment plant, which is understandable given the obvious poor functioning of the wastewater treatment plant
Aeration is set according to the seller's recommendations (below the coarse dirt basket at approx. 1/2, at the level of the settling tank only slightly, water flows through the mammoth practically the entire width of the mammoth (which I thought was too much, but we were told this way - but it is true that during a storm with a smaller flow, the water did not flow continuously, but only briefly intermittently), in activation we have the valves fully open, they are visible on the surface bigger "waves" and like a geyser, but the water doesn't spray anywhere, the level just rises - and it's been like this since the beginning).
A few days ago, we tried to pump out part of the wastewater treatment plant and import sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant (they allowed us two barrels of 30 l each and some of it was water, so we could import approximately 30-40 l of sludge). However, it is true that we did not drain the entire WWTP to the bottom, as the salesman told us that he would not do that in order not to damage the WWTP - as per his recommendation, it is not concreted, but only filled with fine gravel and waste from the quarry).
At one time we even supplied purchased bacteria that are mixed in the water, after which the quality of the water in the settling tank temporarily improved, however, after a few days a lot of sludge floated on the surface again (a few days nothing and the next day the settling tank was full - the same is happening now after bringing sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant).
I also read somewhere that it is a good idea to close the air distributor once in a while and "blow out" the individual branches by opening only one valve to full for a while, which I tried).
We still can't get the WWTP where we want it to go 🙂 So please give me some advice and recommendations on what else to try. Thank you in advance and have a nice day 🙂
Hello,
sorry for the delay. According to the description, you clearly have little sludge, I recommend bringing more sludge from a larger treatment plant. 40 liters is not enough, approximately 100-150 liters are needed to inoculate a treatment plant for 4 people, the thicker it is, the better. You can pour the sludge into a barrel, let it settle for half an hour, drain the water from above and allow it again so that you don't transport water unnecessarily. It is advisable to pump out most of the water from the activation (be careful not to create a step between the individual sections in the tank, the partitions could collapse), pour in the sludge and flush with clean water. This is the ideal procedure.
If for some reason you cannot bring the sludge, you can use a chemical flocculant for the pool (without disinfection!!!!). You pour about 200 ml into the activator, it "glues" the free bacteria together and the basis of the sludge flakes is formed. But this procedure is more lengthy and sometimes has to be repeated several times.
In terms of air distribution, the return sludge should flow in as small but steady a stream as possible.
Hello, I am solving the dilemma of whether to buy a wastewater treatment plant or a septic tank with a biological filter for the family house, which, in my opinion, is much more maintenance-free (it has fewer parts that can break down and de facto works even with less than ideal bacterial population).
After reading the advice here (thanks for it), I excluded some models of defective WWTPs and am deciding between the EKO SBR BIO WWTP from Bazénplast and a septic tank with a built-in biological filter from Elpast.
It is clear to me that I will not save money on the septic tank, at least this pre-selected one will not take up more space than the wastewater treatment plant, but what about its maintenance-free nature? We have a wastewater treatment plant (mechanical, older type) in our family, which has to be jumped around every 14 days (sludge removal, cleaning of aeration valves, etc.), so I am a little careful. The manufacturers (she addressed those who have both types of equipment on offer) always lean towards one option, but they can't support it much with the facts (rather only in the sense of: "I used to go to service the wastewater treatment plant and I would never want it at home, get a septic tank..."). After all, you can assess it more technically from the point of view of ongoing processes, so I ask: "With the same load (3 people), will it be necessary to dispose of more sludge from the WWTP or septic tank? We are only counting on composting, is this realistic? What other maintenance (e.g. cleaning mats with bacteria, etc.) and how often is it needed?
Is there any other major difference between these devices that could help me decide? For example in the use of cleaning and hygiene products for the household, I would not like to limit myself in this regard. Will it help from this point of view to get a device designed for more EO?
The purified water will be diverted to the municipal storm sewer, so we do not need the highest quality (we have our own well and storage tank for rainwater for irrigation).
I only accept permission to report (ie for an indefinite period).
Thank you for your opinion.
Hello,
I have no personal experience with these filters, in principle there is no reason why they should not work. Occasionally, some users write that ammonia nitrogen is insufficiently eliminated. Be sure to expect some maintenance, the manufacturer claims that the mats are cleaned in a matter of months.
As for the amount of sludge, there will probably be a little less of it from the septic tank, but expect its strong smell.
In terms of resource usage, it is the same for both technologies. Feel free to use a "normal" drug store, but limit any disinfection as much as possible (toilet balls, be careful with agents such as savo, domestos, etc., do not use lye for cleaning pipes). There are other groups of bacteria living in the septic tank that also break down the sludge, if something kills them the septic tank will stink and fill up sooner.
In terms of administration, if you discharge effluent from the treatment plant into the municipal sewer, you must have a contract with the operator of this sewer. You can build on a permit as well as a notification, in the event that you do not discharge directly into "nature", the water authority does not issue a permit to discharge wastewater, and both quality and sampling are subject to an agreement (contract) between you and the sewer operator. So you don't have to limit yourself to "certified" manufacturers (by the way, I didn't find any declaration of conformity with ČSN EN 12566-3 and ČSN EN 12566-6 on the Elplast website).
Hello Ms. Lenko,
I was very happy to discover your website with advice, because you simply cannot find so much practical advice in one place and in such a wide range anywhere else. Thank you for her…
We have been operating a domestic wastewater treatment plant Microclar AT6 for a year. It is used for 4 people. In the last 3 months, I have already removed the sludge twice due to the rapid increase in sludge. I pump out the sludge both from the denitrification and from the activation area, leaving about 1/5 of the volume of both tanks, and refilling it with wastewater from the sump located behind the wastewater treatment plant. Sludge test after reconnecting after 24 hours - approx. 150 ml/l. (according to the technician, it's fine this way) However, the value of the sludge increases every week by roughly 100 to 150 ml/l. Now, 7 weeks after the last desilting, the value is again at 750 ml/l, a blanket has started to form in the separation. The WWTP does not smell, thick foam does not form, the color of the contents is chocolate brown. After consultation with the supplier (according to the photos and video sent), I used lime hydrate for better sludge sedimentation. Unfortunately without effect. Ph 6.5 is also exemplary, the valve settings are also fine. Even before the installation of the wastewater treatment plant, we discussed with the supplier the fact that we will use rainwater for flushing (I read somewhere that the rainwater does not belong in the wastewater treatment plant), but that is not a problem either. All leftover food and fats go to the compost. We tried the cycle with ECO detergents for washing and laundry, as well as the cycle with ordinary products. No difference... We don't use Savo, Domestos and similar.
At the first spike in sludge, I tried adding Bacti-DC bacteria - again without success. In the second cycle, then the product Golem. The sludge value continued to rise.
I basically check the wastewater treatment plant every day, even if it's just a visual inspection. Once a week I clean the walls, or I collect a small deposit from the separation with a fan.
It makes me wonder if we somehow managed to wash away the bacteria and whether we didn't re-sludge and inoculate the sludge from, for example, the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Maintenance is not a problem for me, but I would like to understand why our girl has not been doing particularly well for the last quarter of a year.
I hope I have described everything essential and I would greatly appreciate it if you could find a moment and possibly think of the cause of the problem or a possible solution.
Hello,
thank you for the compliment 🙂
As far as your treatment plant is concerned, increasing sludge is a completely normal phenomenon. In layman's terms, bacteria break down the pollution, use some for their reproduction, and leave some in the form of gases into the atmosphere. The fact that the sludge is increasing is desirable and normal. The more pollution there is, the more sludge builds up, so if, for example, you were at home more during the quarantine, your children didn't go to school, you cooked more, this could also be reflected in this. If the purified water flowing out is clear, all is well and continue de-sludging as soon as the amount of sludge rises above 750 ml/l. Otherwise, your maintenance, as you describe it, is exemplary, so I don't know what else to advise 🙂
Hello Ms. Lenko,
thank you for the encouraging answer. The situation with a higher load during the quarantine period has also occurred to me, and I also take with a grain of salt the supplier's information that the sludge removal interval during normal operation is 6-12 months. Unfortunately, the supplier forgot to note in their promotional materials that this fact is only real if no one is home 🙂
Thank you once again for your time, which you devoted not only to me, but also to the other interviewers.
I wish you a great day
Hello, you are welcome
Hello, I would like some advice, after a long time we had the wastewater treatment plant de-sludged and the sludge taken out. Technicians flushed the treatment plant with clean water. The aeration works as it seems, but the water drains into the soak pit is cloudy to mushy, which I have not noticed before, the treatment plant does not smell. Is it possible that after rinsing, bacteria favorable for the treatment plants would be missing? Thank you.
Hello,
if the technicians flushed the treatment plant with water, it must then be re-inoculated as if you were commissioning a brand new treatment plant. You can find the procedure here: /how-to-take-care-of-the-cleaner/starting-activating-the-cleaner/
Hello,
I also have to praise your website, you really present the information here in a very clear, comprehensible and complete manner. I would also like to ask you for advice from a slightly different perspective than is usually discussed here. I would like to know to what extent a domestic wastewater treatment plant (EK S4 type) is capable of eliminating faecal bacteria (coliform bacteria, escherichia coli, intestinal enterococci). I would also be interested in your opinion on whether it is possible for the application of pre-purified water from the WWTP to the surface of the lawn (bed) at a distance of approx. 17 m from the well to endanger the quality of the water in this well - bacterial pollution. Thank you very much for your reply.
Hello, if it is a classic wastewater treatment plant with a settling tank, these groups of bacteria will not be removed in any case and there will be a large number of them in the drain. If it is a membrane treatment plant, it also achieves excellent parameters in terms of microbiological parameters, the water is almost sterile until the membrane is damaged.
As for the well, a properly constructed and insulated well should be insulated against the ingress of surface water, including sprayed treated wastewater. However, the reality is usually different. There is Decree No. 501/2006 Coll., which indicates the minimum distance at which wells can be built from various sources of pollution:
The smallest distance of the well from sources of possible pollution is determined according to the type of possible source of pollution for poorly permeable environments as follows (selection):
cesspools, small treatment plants, sewage connections 12 m,
stables, urea pits and manure pits for small housing of individual livestock 10 m,
individual washing areas for motor vehicles and drainage pipes and gutters leading from them 15 m.
The smallest distance of the well from the sources of possible pollution is determined according to the type of possible source of pollution for the permeable environment as follows:
cesspools, small treatment plants, sewage connections 30 m,
stables, urea pits and manure pits for small housing of individual livestock 25 m,
individual washing areas for motor vehicles and drainage pipes and gutters leading from them 40 m.
Hello, I have an AT6 purifier. In the middle drain chamber, where the water should be clean, the color of the water is yellow to almost brown and cloudy. We drained the filter. To adjust the bubbling intensity regulation, I can only set the inflow basket and strainer in the middle chamber. All settings including are done on the control unit, valve settings are located on the side of the unit. Please advise why the water in the middle drain chamber is still cloudy. Thank you very much in advance for your reply
Well, something isn't working. Try doing a sedimentation test if you have enough sludge. If not, she should get vaccinated. If so, it may be low on air. There are a lot of options, I would like to know how you use the treatment plant, how you started it, if it worked better before, … Try looking at /how-to-take-care-of-the-treatment plant/function-activation-of-the-treatment plant/
Hello,
could I ask for advice on which domestic wastewater treatment plant to buy? e.g. Ekocis EK-S4, USBF AT6, ASIO variocomp 5 ? I like Ekocis (and it's also the cheapest), do you have experience with it?
I saw some Ekocis during reviews, more or less it doesn't matter who you choose. Be careful that it is well serviced, it will be almost a meter underground so that you can reach all the control valves. Do not put the blower above the water level, it will be destroyed faster. If it is certified, it should work
Hello, I appreciate your very nice website full of useful information.
I plan to buy a BC4 purifier, an old two-chamber septic tank of approx. 1.5m3 is installed behind the house. I wanted to connect the wastewater treatment plant to the septic tank (or make the septic tank only a one-chamber sump), it is easier this way with the old house. In one post above you write that this should not be a problem. However, the local supplier of dry cleaning does not recommend this to me, although he did not explain why. What is your opinion on this? Can this solution help with large one-time inflows such as washing machine drains? We wash very often at home.
Have a nice day.
Hello,
the problem is that the septic tank removes some of the pollution, so there may not be enough for the bacteria to thrive and stick together. A septic tank is usually used in combination with a root treatment plant, a biological pond, an earth filter and the like, rather not with an activation treatment plant. What can sometimes be done is to remove partitions from the septic tank and insert the wastewater treatment plant into it, or to build a wastewater treatment plant directly into the septic tank, but it depends on the dimensions of the septic tank.
If you wanted to keep the septic tank, it would have to be reduced in size so that the water does not rot in it. So a maximum of 30 liters per person. He will have to clean up occasionally. Or it can be operated as an equalization tank, but then water must be pumped from it to the treatment plant (not overflow, otherwise it does not equalize anything) and it must not be too large, the volume of one bathtub (max. 200 l) is sufficient
Hello Lenka,
I am again asking for your advice. During the last measurement, I noticed the (already described by you) sludge breakdown. Previous dewatering 10 weeks ago (WTP Microclar AT6, used by 4 people). Sludge at a value of 400 ml/l. A very thick (as if gooey), dark brown foam began to form in the activation space, which fell into separation as it increased. I de-sludged the WWTP, control measurement after 2 days - sludge at a value of 200 ml/l. Now, 14 days later, the situation is slowly starting to repeat itself. In the control sample, the sludge is roughly at a value of 250 ml/l, the water is not clear, but cloudy and slightly yellowish. When I opened the lid of the wastewater treatment plant, I noticed a slightly stinging odor. Not prominent, but still noticeable. Can you think of a possible cause of the problem, or how to eliminate it?
I haven't measured Ph yet, I'm waiting for a shipment with a Ph meter.
Thank you very much for any advice
Beautiful day. Dagmar
Good, I have a problem with the bc-4 home tv. After running the treatment plant without being vaccinated with another sludge, it drove without problems for a month. Now the sludge started floating in the inflow part next to the basket. I removed the sludge and after performing the sedimentation test I found that the sludge does not sink at all and the flakes have disappeared. All the air segments are working fine and there is beautifully clean water in the dispenser. The timing is running for 15 minutes on and off for 15 minutes. I'm asking for advice, I read somewhere that there is a breakdown of sludge
Hello,
from your description it is not entirely clear to me what is actually happening. If you have beautifully clean water in the settler, it is inevitable that you must have functional and well-sedimenting sludge. Otherwise, the water at the drain would be visually very polluted. You don't say where you get the sludge for the sedimentation test, I assume from the activation (the most aerated tank), but then the outflow would look the same as the sedimentation test. Please send me photos of the activation sludge after 30 minutes of sedimentation to [email removed]
Sincerely,
Lenka Procházková
Hello. At the family house in Králové Dvůr Zahořany, we have an Ekocis EK S-4 household treatment plant in operation for about 8 years. Originally, there was also an electric valve for the blower, which controlled the operation of the blower. A year ago, the valve started to go bad. We had a technician who recommended removing the valve and letting it run continuously. At first everything seemed to be OK, the water in the drain seemed to be cleaner than before. But that lasted roughly until this spring, then the quality deteriorated again. I am currently working on air distribution. Below I will try to describe the status.
The inlet is fine, it mixes, it is about 20 cm lower than the activation chamber, the dosing filter is not clogged. The activation chamber has the color of milk chocolate, is aerated, without foam. Previously, there was a wire filter between the activation chamber and the settling chamber. However, after changing to permanent blower operation, the filter will clog in two or three days, which the technician advised, and on his recommendation, I removed the filter completely. The problem is in the landing chamber. The technician set it up in such a way that the mammoth still returns the sludge to the activation and around the circular jagged overflow edge it bubbled slightly in about 5 places. But over time it started bubbling, for example, in only one place, while the mammoth kept driving. There is still aeration of the level of the landing cylinder, but with the current setting, air does not go there at all (it would have to significantly add to the bubbling at the overflow edge, but then the air does not go to the activation). The water at the overflow edge was polluted. I tried to turn off the aeration at the overflow edge and slightly reduced the flow on the mammoth, to about 1/3 of the diameter of the pipe. The water was beautifully clear at the edge of the overflow, a tube (approx. 20 cm below the water level) for its aeration was visible in the landing cylinder, so the water was not extra cloudy. But in just a few hours, the foam/sludge that is all around the edge of the overflow will float away. The layer is approx. 0.5-1 cm, below that the water is relatively clean. When I turn on the aeration at the overflow edge, the foam/sludge is only in the place where the bubbles don't come from below, but the water is more cloudy.
When I do a sedimentation test, the sludge doesn't settle in an hour. I pooped 7 weeks ago and now 2 weeks back. I turned off the blower, let the sludge settle (which doesn't want to settle anyway), and drained about half of the activation and inlet chamber, then flushed with clean water and turned the blower back on.
About once a month I put a mixed teaspoon of Subio bacteria down the toilet.
During the first and now the second wave of Covid, the whole family of 2+2 is basically at home all day, for several weeks at a time. If that can't have some effect too?
So the questions are - how to adjust the air in the landing chamber and on the mammoth or what could be wrong?
I've never measured the pH (I'm going to buy papers to determine the PH), is it possible to use lime hydrate or a non-disinfecting pool flocculant for activation to better bind the sludge, or perhaps Liquid XP2001 or similar products?
Thanks in advance for your reply
Hello,
of course, a higher load on the treatment plant causes a higher production of sludge (= more frequent sludge removal) and a higher need for air. As for your problem, I think it is a combination of higher load and problematic air distribution. Ekocis treatment plants are not really designed for operation without an electric valve, the flow of return sludge is relatively short (on the order of minutes per hour) and its mammoth is strong. Anyway, I think it might not pull the blower - these cleaners are sized so that the blower won't pull all the mammoths at once, that's why they alternate. I would recommend installing the solenoid valve again, it shouldn't be such an expensive part. Anyway, you can still try it for air distribution without an electric valve:
1. let the maximum amount of air into the activation
2. turn on the small bubbles on the applicator just so that they are there, but as small as possible. The central cylinder does not need air, but it is good to clean it occasionally with pressurized water
3. the mammoth intake pumping must always pump
4. the mammoth return sludge must always be pumped, but with the smallest current that is still flowing. If the sludge floats to the surface, then add air to this flow (applies if you have an optimal amount of sludge in the treatment plant. If there is a lot of it, it is necessary to de-sludge it first).
As for the sludge, it is not clear if it forms nice flakes but there are so many that the interface does not form, or if the sludge is disintegrated. Try to do a test - pour a third to half of the activation mixture from the activation into the glass, top up with clean water, stir and let it settle. If this test looks good (an interface is formed, the supernatant is clear), decant thoroughly. Please email the photos to [email removed]. Lime or coagulant will only help if the sludge doesn't stick together and disintegrates, which I don't know.
Sincerely,
Lenka Procházková
Hello,
I'm having trouble starting the Čov. I found in the questions and answers to use a flocculant without disinfection. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what kind of flocculant it is, the composition is not given in different companies. Can you tell me what kind of flocculant it is? Thank you Mádrová
K starting a treatment plant is ideal to bring sludge from another well-functioning treatment plant. Using a flocculant is more of a help if you have sludge in the treatment plant, but it is starting to disintegrate. There are a large number of manufacturers, the composition is always indicated in the safety data sheet, usually they are different types of aluminum salts (sulphates, polyaluminum chlorides)
Hello, I would also like some advice. We have a domestic wastewater treatment plant, which we try to take care of as much as possible. We have all organic products and we check twice a week, we even let her take part of it out once, but we feel that she still "doesn't like" something and we search in vain and try what "will do it". We have a clarifier with 5 chambers, the first inlet (1/4 tank) with a control small triangle, then the main activation (?) tank (1/2 tank) and the remaining 1/4 tank is divided into 3 parts, the small one in the middle is still full of sludge, the other has only a weak film of sludge on the surface and the water is clean at the outlet. Sludge is brown to dark brown and is most abundant in the middle small part, but sometimes (especially during winter) there is a "sludge cap" even in the largest tank. We remove the sludge from the small tank almost every week. There were already experts here, and everyone made a different guess and told us different information. Ideally, we would need photos of how the individual parts should look and where it should "bubble". The neighbors have the same thing, they use springs, ariels, sanytols and the like. they don't have any problem with clouding – the water and sludge are grey-brown and clean water goes into the drain. We don't know where we are going wrong. I understand that this is not the best description, but if possible I can send a drawing with descriptions. We would very much like to ask for advice on how a sample vehicle should look like. Thanks in advance.
Hello,
every manufacturer has it a little differently. Please send me the exact type and manufacturer of the treatment plant and a photo of what it looks like at [email deleted].
Hello, I would like to ask for some advice. I had the chow de-sludged in April and since then it has started to seem to be malfunctioning. For the last 14 days, it smells like hydrogen sulfide and the sludge is light brown in color, white foam forms on the surface of the activation tank. The sludge is about 20% by volume and I have the impression that it does not form flakes, but rather disintegrates. It seems to me that a transparent film is created on the surface of the contact. The WWTP is aerated as it should be, we always use the same detergents.
Hello,
apparently it really is too much sludge, the rest in the sludge in the treatment plant was overloaded and disintegrated. I recommend re-inoculating the treatment plant with approx. 150 l of sludge from a well-functioning activation treatment plant.
Hello, thank you. I would like to ask if the treatment plant starts itself? Because I don't have access to such a large volume of sludge :/
You can try, but the success rate is not very high. Some bacteria will always grow in aerated wastewater, but you need them to form nice, settleable flakes, which requires the right composition. You can help the vaccination a little by dosing a coagulant (flocculant for the pool), which will help create the first flakes, or lime. It is important to keep the pH around 7. And even then, success is uncertain. Vaccination from elsewhere is most reliable.
Cheapest: buy 50 l barrels, but you can also use five liter PET bottles. Any city or municipal wastewater treatment plant will be happy to donate excess sludge to you for free, you just have to drive to collect it. Alternatively, you can order the shipment of activated sludge by fecal truck from the local operator, but the price there is already higher due to transportation.
Hello,
the water from the mammoth has stopped leaking to us. What could be the cause?
Hello,
there are usually two reasons: either not enough air goes into the mammoth or the discharge (the pipe through which the liquid is supposed to flow) is blocked.
What about it: close all other air distributions, leave only the supply to the mammoth open. Turn on the blower if it is not. Water should start flowing. If it does not flow, the pipe is blocked (with a rag, a piece of sludge) and must be flushed either with a strong stream of air from the blower or with pressurized water (hose, hose). Once the water starts to flow, the air distribution settings must be made again.
Hello.
I would like to ask how to take care of the SBR cleaner, the cleaner is from the manufacturer Gera and its name is Solid clAir Quick 6EO.
Lately it has stopped working, the sludge in the second tank is disintegrating and there is also a lot of floating sludge, when taking a sludge sample, around 20% settles, I regularly add 5 ml of SCD Purus bacteria once every 3 days. I suspect that now the only option is to let her stand, clean and re-vaccinate, but how to avoid this in the future. There are 5 of us at home, it is washed quite often, even though I try to schedule the washing into at least every cycle, the dishwasher runs once a day. Usually, only classic treatment plants are dealt with everywhere, but no one mentions SBR treatment plants much.
Thanks for your reply.
Hello,
in principle, the SBR treatment plant works in exactly the same way as a normal activation treatment plant. The difference is that, while a conventional treatment plant has individual processes separated spatially (=more tanks), the SBR has them separated temporally (it does this for a while and that for a while). So if the sludge is disintegrating and the effluent is cloudy, the solution is the same as for a conventional WWTP. So:
option 1: measure the pH of the effluent, if it is lower than say 6.5, add lime hydrate to the WWTP. The optimum pH is 7.0 – 7.5. If the pH is fine, you can help by adding flocculant to the pool (approx. 150 ml).
option 2 (and option if no. 1 does not help): drain the treatment plant and bring approx. 150 l of high-quality sludge from a well-functioning treatment plant. For at least the first two weeks of operation of the treatment plant, monitor daily that the sludge does not break down, the drain is clear and without sludge
Purchased bacteria are wasted money, a properly functioning treatment plant can do without them.
Hello, I'm trying to ask here too, unfortunately I haven't received an answer anywhere yet.
We have an As monocomp 4 wastewater treatment plant and sludge is formed in it relatively quickly (approx. 150 ml of sludge per week during the sludge test). I loaded the treatment plant with 100 liters of activated sludge from the municipal sewage system. The wastewater treatment plant drains itself into a jute bag for sludge, yet the sludge rises there like this. During the sedimentation test, sludge sediments poorly (slowly) after half an hour, e.g. 70%, after 50 hours and finally settles down to 35%. There are 2 of us at the treatment plant. Purified water looks good, as long as I monitor the amount of sludge so that it is not drawn into the drain even with purified water. Can sludge sedimentation be helped in any way? Thank you for your reply.
Rec Tomáš
Yes. But if the drain is nice, it is not necessary. Either a pool flocculant or lime hydrate can be used (but in both cases it is necessary to monitor the pH, it should be between 6.5 - 7.5).
Hello. I would like to ask for advice. I own a domestic WWTP .
Brief description: the first accumulation chamber - inflow of domestic sewage, from that pumping with a mammoth into the activation chamber, mixing with air, from that pumping into the settling tank in which there is a settling cylinder, from the settling tank through the overflow to the sand filter and then the drain.
My problem lies in the constant accumulation of sludge on the surface of the settling tank, with the subsequent deterioration of the water purity at the outlet, including the clogging of the sand filter. Sludge that does not sink in the settling tank, I collect it from the surface on a daily basis, does not help. I've been removing sludge every two weeks (I have to, the sample taken is not satisfactory and the sludge can be seen a little below the surface when the blanket in the settling tank is exposed), it only helps for a few days. We are trying to use bacteria for WWTP, Trepsan was recommended to me, both seem like a waste of money. Now I have decided to order a fecal truck to drain the entire WWTP and start again, I did that last time a year and a half ago and it was quiet for a while. Please advise how to get rid of sludge formation on the surface. Thanks for the advice.
Hello,
most small domestic cleaning companies have a problem with floating sludge. It is essential to have the sludge in good condition, i.e. so that the bacteria live in nice, compact flakes and there aren't too many filaments between them and there isn't too much sludge in the system. There can also be a problem with flotation caused by denitrification processes. If the sludge floats "in pieces", the problem may also be insufficient pumping of the return sludge.
Try to take a photo of 1.) the treatment plant and 2.) the sludge in the glass container after 30 minutes of sedimentation and send it to me by email
Hello, according to the description, it is a TOPAS WWTP with a sand filter. I recommend checking the following:
1 – the functionality of switching to the reverse phase and the mammoth sludge, whether it works and pumps.
2 – aeration function, whether it blows a fine bubble. The aeration membrane in activation may be damaged or older than 10 years.
3 – blower as an air source. This WWTP has large pressure losses and it is necessary to change the membranes every 2 years.
In my opinion, the mammoth doesn't sludge the sludge into the slush and the activation is hardened. You can check this with a sedimentation test. For this type of WWTP, the amount of activated sludge is 200-300 ml after 30 min. sedimentation.
Hope I helped.
Martin V.
Hello, please advise, we have had a WWTP bio cleaner BC4 for about 2 years. It has now started to smell a lot. It is set by a technician and I roughly know how it is supposed to work. Nothing in particular accumulates there. What should be the timer setting We live here for two
Thanks for the reply
Hello,
something is probably not working as it should. What is the nature of the stench? More like sewage, or more like rotten eggs? What does the drain look like (photo)? What does sludge look like? Isn't it black or grey? Does it settle well? Do they form nice flakes? Isn't the treatment plant more loaded (more cooking, cleaning, visiting,...)? Does everything bubble like it did when it was new? Is there any part without air? Is the return sludge pumping working well? Didn't you carry out any major disinfection at home? There can be many reasons, more information is needed.
The timer setting is always individual, it depends on how much pollution you produce at home (how much you cook, wash, ...) and how strong your blower is, the most accurate is to measure the oxygen concentration with a probe. For two people, I would set a 15-minute run and a 30 or 45-minute break as a shot, then I would possibly adjust the times according to the reactions of the treatment plant.
Hello,
please advice We have a 3-8 person EK-S8 home wastewater treatment plant from Ekocis at home. It has been in operation since March 2019. There are two adults and one infant in the household. Now, for the umpteenth time, we are solving the problem that the water level in the purifier is too high (it overflows over the individual partitions, which are completely under water). When we pump out the water with the sump so that the levels are properly high, during the day the level rises again and flows through the partitions. Both the outflow and the inflow are continuous. At the same time, the last of the chambers (the smallest round one), where the "cleanest" water should be, has a level significantly lower than the other chambers by approx. 60 cm. The overflow into this chamber is also through. I am asking for advice on how to ensure the correct level permanently. Thank you
Hello. According to the description, there seems to be something clogged somewhere.
The wastewater treatment plant from ecosis has a pumped first sump, so the level in the first tank below the inlet can be lower. In the other parts (activation and settling tank) the levels should be the same everywhere. If they are, then the drain is clogged. If they are not and the settling tank (where clean water is supposed to be) has a level lower than the activation, then the drain from the activation to the settling tank is blocked. Ekocis wastewater treatment plants have such a "wire" between the activation and the settler, it must be cleaned regularly with a stream of water, otherwise it will clog and then the activation will overflow into the other chambers. If it keeps getting clogged, it can be removed permanently and the treatment plant will work even without it.
LP
Hello Lenka. I work as a WWTP service technician. According to experience, it is better to remove the inflow filter to the settling tank. Next, of course, determine the amount of sludge in the activation and de-sludge, which is the problem of the majority of WWTP users. Unfortunately caused by insufficient operator training by the manufacturer/supplier.
Thank you and have a nice day.
Martin V.
Hello, I am asking for advice, in the summer of 2021 I bought a cleaner from EKOCIS EK-S4, according to the manufacturer's instructions, I planted it in the ground, etc., according to the instructions, I filled it with water, after a call, a technician came and activated the cleaner (basically, he started the compressor, set the bubbling, gave me the preparations for activation and told me that after 14 days of normal use, I should use the preparations, according to his instructions, I The people in the area also have a cleaner, and we started using it. After about 1 month of regular use, I found out that the drain was leaking, and I sent him a video (he said that it was not possible). so that pieces of sludge get into the drain. He also said that the only way it could get there is with the help of foam, after cleaning the drain I used the cleaner regularly and after emptying the washing machine, a little foam was made to get through the chambers (sometimes foam was made up to a height of about 2 cm on the edges of the cleaner). etc... everything is intended for the cleaner, there is almost no foam. Anyway, pieces of sludge are coming out of the cleaner. I am an amateur, but according to a few conversations, the sludge remains on the surface of the landing chamber (there are about 5-10 cm of it that lead to the drain chamber), the technician said that he does not know EKOSIS told me to read the operating instructions. There are days when the pipes are not visible. As soon as we drain a large amount of water, it gets into the drain. Basically, I pour the drain through the kettle every day (I don't have a drain). I went to the EKOSIS website to see how the chambers are actually handled, but they already sell a new type under the same name... Please, I can also send photos, videos, we have been using the purifier for 4 months and it still does not work as it should. Thank you very much in advance, the purifier does not smell, only the drain when I pour a kettle over it, many people write about the filter, I am not aware that we have one.
Hello,
I recommend proceeding as follows: /how-to-take-care-of-the-cleaner/starting-activating-the-cleaner/
i.e.: bring at least 100 l of good activated sludge, adjust the air distribution and check the treatment plant daily to see if it really cleans, the sludge increases, the drain flows clean
If chunks of sludge are flowing out, then the sludge is insufficiently sedimented. Measure in a measuring cup how much sludge there is after half an hour of sedimentation. Sludge sedimentation can be supported by adding a flocculant to pools
Hello, I have a wastewater treatment plant bc4, it's been fine all the time and now I have a scum in the middle. I always pour it back to the beginning and the next day the scum is back. There are 2 of us and it happened that the mammoth didn't work. The water seems to drain clean. Please help
Check sludge sediment. If it is higher than 600 ml/l, drain. If not, try adding return sludge to the exhaust. While the shell is forming, it needs to be removed often, otherwise it will clog the mammoths
Good day. I have been operating a Cov BC 6 Optima from Envipur with phosphorus precipitation and with each and a Biofilter for the third year. An authorized company put it into operation and set it up for me, but the treatment plant still does not work as it should. There is still cloudy water in the settling tank, and the sludge from the activation part is apparently still washing out into the settling part and then into the biofilter, which I then have to keep cleaning and pumping out its contents.
The sludge content has not yet exceeded 15%, which indicates a lack of bacteria. Meanwhile, I have already vaccinated Covka twice with sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant.. the first time about 100 liters in the fall of 2021 and then about 30 liters in the spring of 2022.
Basically, the hood doesn't work as it should, despite the fact that the ventilation has been adjusted several times in different ways, and even the company that started the hood for me can no longer advise me. I also have to point out that since September 2021 I have been using only ecological products from Jelena for washing dishes and laundry.
a.
Please can you advise me? Thank you.
Hello,
sludge seems to be low and disintegrating. The following is needed:
1. bring a sufficient amount (approx. 100-150 l) of sufficiently high-quality sludge (the drain at the treatment plant where you take the sludge must look almost like drinking water, it must not be cloudy)
2. pour it into ČOV
3. adjust air distribution
4. monitor the pH of the effluent and the amount of sludge at the ČOV
Once the pH is lower than 7, it is necessary to occasionally add a scoop of lime hydrate to the WWTP. As soon as the sludge starts to decrease or the drain becomes cloudy (and the pH is above 7), it is a good idea to add a pool flocculant to the WWTP. Before the treatment plant arrives, you need to monitor it daily so that you can intervene in time
good day
I have one from the company biowa (at6) and lately foam has been forming in the inlet and the aerated part,
I spray the foam with water every day (it goes away), but the next day it's back. sometimes turbidity/foam appears in the drain part, it used to be without turbidity.
what would you advise?
E.
Hello,
it depends on the type of foam. It can be light and light, this is usually caused by a lack of sludge (what kind of sediment do you have?)
It can be dense and brown, this is usually caused by the development of filamentous bacteria and at least a little bit of sedimentation helps. The solution depends on the cause, try to send me at least a photo by e-mail.
Hello, first of all I would like to thank you for your site, it helped me a lot to understand how a home treatment plant works and how to handle it. It took me about a month and a half after commissioning to make it work. Well, then disaster came, in the form of rains that, according to the hydrogeologist, should never have come, but which nevertheless filled with groundwater in such a way that it turned the pools in the pond into one big pool. Well, I did it.
But now I have a problem, the water has stopped draining from the tap. Is it possible that the drain could be clogged (the WWTP was in operation for 2 months, so there really wasn't much sludge)? And is there a way to loosen the drain (poke through)? I really don't want to reveal the whole thing though. Maybe I'm asking a completely stupid question, but considering the fact that we're soaking, spilling some lye is out of the question.
Thanks a lot for the advice
Hello,
I won't make you happy, it's probably really clogged. As a rule, some kind of cleaning is not technically feasible, but it usually has to be uncovered, inspected, the clogged parts removed and replaced. But it's possible that it's just a high water table and your water has nowhere to go because the ground is already "full" of water.
This time not a question, but a comment - great job Lenko!
Hello,
I would like to ask how long it takes for the necessary minimum amount of activated sludge (30%) to be created in the activation part of the purifier naturally without vaccination?
We installed the ASIO VarioComp 5K purifier and it is now in its 4th month of operation. We did not put sludge from another treatment plant, we left it to nature. We are at home 3, a permanently occupied RD. we do not use any aggressive cleaning agents, no absorbents, and only in moderation. Washing machine and dishwasher always with a time gap and never more than two a day. The water on the tributary is just fine for me. The concentration of the activated sludge is 150ml/1L, which seems quite low to me after such a long time (basically half of the functional minimum). Thanks to this, the water at the drain still does not look like it should. It is still slightly cloudy yellow. That's why I'm wondering if I should wait another month or call the service.
Hello,
first of all, it is necessary to realize why the vaccination of treatment plants is carried out. 1. legal reason – the moment anything starts to flow from the treatment plant, it must meet the parameters given by the wastewater discharge permit (or the contract/sewerage regulations in the case of discharge into the sewer). The legislation does not allow any exceptions, the treatment plant must operate from the very beginning. There is a trial operation institute, where milder limits can be negotiated for a certain period of time, but the vast majority of operators of treatment plants do not set a trial operation. In addition, even these limits must fit into those given by government regulation.
2. biological reasons - as soon as you have dirty water and enough air, some bacteria will always start to multiply in it. The trick is that in order for the drain to be clean and not full of free-growing bacteria (i.e. cloudy and not meeting legislative parameters), the bacteria must grow in clusters, so-called flakes. Convincing bacteria to form compact and well-settled flakes on their own is not entirely easy. The flake has a center formed by filamentous bacteria, on which spherical bacteria are packed. The easiest way to get these flakes to the treatment plant is to bring them from somewhere else. For inoculation of a common household treatment plant for 5 people, count on approx. 150 l of sludge from a well-functioning treatment plant. You can, of course, try to grow the sludge yourself, but then it is advisable to support the sludge's capture at the treatment plant, for example by adding a flocculant to the pool. It acts as a certain "glue" that at least temporarily connects the bacteria and keeps them in the flakes. The problem is also that if there is little sludge, bacteria tend to grow singly rather than in clusters (sludge overload and floc breakdown).
As for the drain, you can try doing the test with a glass. If the drain in the glass is transparent (you can see objects behind the glass when looking through), the drain is probably fine. If you see only mist when looking through the drain glass, then the drain is most likely defective.
Don't even call the service, it usually won't help. Find out where an activation treatment plant is nearby, get a few kegs/canisters of something non-poisonous, and bring the sludge.
Thank you very much for the full answer. Now it's clear to me why it doesn't work for us yet. I have another question, if I have to bring sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant, is the 150 L just thick sludge or a mixture from activation? Thank you
Hello,
I'm looking for advice and thank you very much in advance for your reply. We have a wastewater treatment plant from ASIA type AS-MONOcomp 4 installed at home, it has been in operation for about 9 months and I struggle a bit with the removal of sludge, which is removed in a jute bag. On the website of various sellers, they talk about taking out twice a year (sometimes even once a year), in the operating sheet they talk about taking out 4-6 times a year, but in practice I take out the basket every month, sometimes as easy as 14 days. At the same time, the sludge test turns out well, the wastewater treatment plant recently passed an inspection in order, but the inspector could not give me any advice. That's why I would like to ask, what could be the reason that the cleaner drains so much sludge into the trash?
Thanks again for your reply.
D. Yours
Hello,
it depends on how much dirt you produce at home. Theoretically, you can calculate the production of some 30 g of sludge dry matter per day per person, which is roughly 10 l of non-thickened activation mixture at normal dry matter in domestic treatment plants. The real production is lower, because residential treatment plants usually work at an extremely high age of the sludge, so the bacteria eat each other a lot. In addition, you remove thickened sludge. The manufacturers of household treatment plants like to promise customers that the cleaners are maintenance-free and that almost no sludge is produced, but if the cleaner works well and the drain is clean and without sludge, it is necessary to remove quite a lot of sludge. There are also those who claim that they don't need to drain the sludge at all, but for them the sludge simply flows into the drain 😀
Hello. I wanted to ask. We have a cleaner at our accommodation. In winter, we drain the water from the barrack so it doesn't freeze. We will winterize the barrack and in the spring we will fill everything again and get it into normal operation. Does the cleaner have to run even on level two, or I can turn it off completely. Saving energy is important these days. Thank you Mark. Have a nice day.
If you are not there, it is best to turn off the treatment plant, clean it and fill it with clean water (I don't know if it is sufficiently secured against the action of groundwater). Insulate against frost as best as possible from above. In the spring, it will be necessary to vaccinate her again and start
Hello, please advise.
We have been operating the AT6 WWTP for 4 months. A smelly thick crust forms in the second chamber.
The water from the second chamber (I mean the one to the right of the inlet chamber) does not flow into the third chamber. And that's probably why a thick crust forms in the second chamber, which smells bad over time. I should have set the ventilation of the chambers correctly. Please can you advise?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hello,
if the water did not flow at all, the level in the first chamber would rise until it overflowed the partition. If the seepage is below the surface, then yes, the floating matter remains in the tank and must be removed by hand. If this chamber is also aerated, try adding some air to it, it should mix better. If you have sediment higher than 500 ml/l, try de-sludging, this usually also helps to create foam
Hello, I would like to thank you for your website. Thanks to your advice, I got the wastewater treatment plant up and running, and it's finally working as it should 🙂
Thank you
I'm so happy 🙂
V I think I understand the chamber count. — If it does not overflow, or something will probably overflow when more wastewater flows into your WWTP, but you can't see it under the "crust" (it is - it should be - more like whipped sludge, maybe it's called floated) so be sure to check if your water is being pumped from the 4 (according to your conception) chambers (there's the narrow overflow into the aerated section) through the mammoth back to the beginning (the mammoth leads to such triangle). — If it doesn't flow, try to blow it by opening the valve (however, the setting should be such that it doesn't flow very much).
Hello, please advise. We have a domestic WWTP Asio Mono comp 4. There are three of us living in the house. The WWTP has been in operation since May. In August, we had to take it all out and put it up again. That's when the technician with the team advised us that our biology must have died and it's better to start over.
However, there is currently the same problem. Sludge does not settle in the treatment plant, and "the water that flows from the WWTP and should be treated is full of sludge. The sedimentation test shows that the sediment falls to the bottom only after about 2-3 hours, and a maximum of 1/3 of the container remains. So it is obviously not a lot of sludge.
We wondered if it was fat from cooking, but we eliminated it as much as possible. We use Frosch, Ecover and Jelen drugstores. But it seems to me that some chemistry causes the sludge to be constantly in the water and take time to settle.
It's terribly tiring, because when I manually drain about 20 liters once every 3 days, the purifier runs. Within a week or two after I stop, the situation is the same again and the sludge does not settle.
I will be very grateful for ideas, because so far the WWTP seems to be nothing more than an expensive sinkhole...
Hello,
it seems your sludge is not in good condition. Even if there is less sludge or less settling, the drain (water settled above the sludge) must be clear and sparkling. If it isn't, it's usually because the sludge isn't holding together for some reason. For example, it could be that what you call "sludge" is actually mostly leftover toilet paper, and for some reason bacteria is growing freely all over the place. For example, you may have a too low pH (the activity of some bacteria causes the pH to drop on its own), there may be a high load, too much air, the influx of some toxic substance (disinfection), your longer absence,….
If the water above the sludge is clear, try to de-silt the treatment plant vigorously, which means composting about half of the volume. If the supernatant is cloudy, the fastest way is to re-inoculate the treatment plant. It is important to check it regularly, and the moment the sediment stops growing, or begins to decrease, or the drain begins to become cloudy, it is necessary to intervene immediately, before the sludge breaks down completely. At that moment, a pool flocculant or lime can help you, depending on the cause of the breakdown. If the sludge is really bad, it is best to really de-sludge the treatment plant and inoculate again.
Thank you for your reply. I will try to find out the ph in CHOV.
Now I desilt 4 buckets a day and after 4 days the sedimentation tank is not ideal (2/3 is still cloudy after an hour and 1/3 is clear, after two hours 2/3 is already clear) but the purified water is clear. The stuff "smells" right - earthy smell, the foam is thick brown and nice. Everything looks ok, but it's just that Cov requires frequent manual de-cluttering. But I will find out the ph and see what can be done. And I really appreciate your help!
Hello, we have the same treatment plant and the same problem and we are far from the only ones. I think the fault lies somewhere with the manufacturer. The sludge grows incredibly fast there, we had to increase the de-sludging from the original 8 seconds to 29. I use flocland, otherwise the sludge is terribly thin, as if the water doesn't want to let go.. there are a lot of people on the Internet with the same experience with monocomp..
Thank you for your comment. They told me at Asio that they had never encountered a similar problem when I wrote and called there. It is all the more important for me to read that I am not the only one. And did it help to increase the de-sludge time and add the floc?
Thanks again for writing Tomáš!
Well, thanks to the sludge removal, the value stays at 40%, and thanks to the flocculant, the sludge is thick, it's nice to work with, you just have to pick a sludge pan every 4 days, I pick it with a mason's fan. Yes, they told me the same thing a year ago 😄. And then on the Internet you come across more and more people who solve it. Definitely does not work as described. The water comes out clean if you keep the amount of sludge, we did 4 analyzes and everything is ok, you just have to jump around it. I recommend that you look for groups with owners of vehicles on fb, you will find out more there.
Lthen write to me at [email deleted] so I don't spam here
This is not the problem of just this one manufacturer, a number of treatment plants across manufacturers have similar problems. It is essential to realize that a household treatment plant is not just a machine, but rather a living organism that needs optimal conditions for proper operation. And yes, dewatering, preferably continuous. And yes, sometimes you need to help yourself with "chemistry", especially as first aid when the condition worsens. But in normal operation, if you don't have limited phosphorus, you should be able to keep the sludge long-term without the addition of flocculant/coagulant.
Hello.
I use a wastewater treatment plant with trativodom.
I use an absorbent cage (120cmx60cmx42cm = 300 liters) covered with geotextile as a drainage channel.
A few days ago, the water in my drain line stopped flowing. I also tried to flush the pipe through which the water drains into the duct with a stream of water, but it did not help.
We have been using the wastewater treatment plant for almost 1.5 years and so far the water has absorbed sufficiently.
I'm thinking of digging up the drain. I am assuming that the drain pipe could not be clogged with sludge or that the sludge did not stick to the geotextile and thus clog it.
Please, does anyone have experience with such a case? Or any advice?
Thank you
Hello,
if the water could not freeze, then the geotextile is most likely really clogged. Its use (or the use of a different filter before each one) is more than desirable, but the design of the filter must be such that it can be cleaned and/or replaced. That is, the filter should be BEFORE each one, preferably made of geotextile, but inside and in such a way that it can be removed and replaced (for example, sew a bag from geotextile and put it inside the cage). Unfortunately, in the event of a geotextile blockage, you don't have many options other than digging up the cage and replacing the geotextile. After the fix, I recommend two things:
1. replace the outer geotextile with a thinner fabric that lets water out, but not the surrounding material in. The soaking cage should be sprinkled with rather coarse-grained material, so if the cage must be separated from the surroundings by a barrier due to the penetration of particles inside, then something coarser should be sufficient (the size of the holes, for example, like pearls).
2. Place filtration between the cleaning room and the cage. Either filters are made on the principle of "filtration through foam", or you can make a geotextile sleeve at home, but it must be replaceable. However, once it gets clogged, there is no other way than to dig it out again.
Hello, I am contacting you with a question regarding the contaminated last chamber. We order the bacteria from the bactoma website, we give 2 scoops every 14 days according to the instructions on the package. The tank works as it should, it doesn't smell, everything decomposes, but the last chamber is still dirty. I would like to know what to do with it, thank you in advance 🙂
Hello,
unfortunately I can't answer. Try to take a photo of the runoff, sludge from the activation after 30 minutes of sedimentation and send it to me at [email removed]
Hello,
we have a new building with The WWTP is put into operation at the end of 12/22. The house inhabited at the end of 1/23, in the meantime, no one entered the WWTP and the original settings were left. It wasn't until around mid-February that I looked into the WWTP and used the first starter dose of the delivered enzyme, followed by the second part a week later. He adjusted the valves a bit, but I didn't notice that the sludge was not returning to the first chamber to the inlet basket. The WWTP never smelled, but the drain is still polluted. After that I studied various videos etc until I noticed that the valves would be set wrong. There was a correction, but no result. Now in March, I still bought a liquid concentrate of bacteria, where it was written that it is used to revive a poorly aerated wastewater treatment plant. Today is about a week since the second dose and unfortunately nothing has changed at all. I am attaching a video of how it looks + settings.
A house inhabited by 2 adults + a worker jumps in here and there. I should also add that the pump ran non-stop until March, after which I tried to experiment, but without success.
Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/Garh7uy91o4
Thanks in advance for the advice
Hello,
your problem is that the sewage has nothing to clean. If at the beginning the wastewater treatment plant does not inoculate at least 150 liters of nice functional sludge, the effort to grow it from nothing is quite a lottery bet. Adding enzymes or commercially available bacteria is like spitting in the sea. Bring (or have) the sludge brought to you, only then can the treatment plant start working.
Hello.
I know people who have a wastewater treatment plant and solve the water fraud by soaking, they all have the problem that the sludge overwhelms their soaking.
Do you have any recommendations on how to deal with water seepage from the wastewater treatment plant?
I would like to redo the soaking.
Thank you