Your guide to off mains sewage, from Independent Drainage – the south coast’s experts in off mains drainage solutions.
If you can’t connect your property to the mains sewage line for any reason (be it location, logistics or land type), there are other options. Off mains drainage solutions come in several types, to service your property for sewage and wastewater. The right one for you depends on your budget, the size of your property and your usage needs – but generally, the best solution is a sewage treatment plant.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS – ROBUST AND EFFECTIVE OFF MAINS DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS
A sewage treatment plant is considered the best of the off mains drainage solutions available today. This is because sewage treatment plants treat wastewater well enough to discharge directly into a watercourse, without any environmental issues. They have a distinct advantage over other systems in this respect, and are growing in popularity.
Sewage treatment plants use electricity to achieve fast, effective bacterial digestion and water treatment – with fans that blow additional air to the bacteria, accelerating their growth and feeding rate. After filtration and settling, wastewater is partially clarified and harmful particles are removed, allowing it to be safely discharged.
DISADVANTAGES OF A SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
There aren’t many, and most are use case- specific. The use of electricity does complicate them somewhat, so if there’s not a suitable source of power at your property, then there may be better off mains drainage solutions for you. These systems also need to be fed waste constantly in order to work, so if your use is limited, for example at a holiday home or temporary residence, the bacterial process will shut down.
SEPTIC TANKS – SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE OFF MAINS DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS
Septic tanks are simple but brilliantly effective. Like a sewage treatment plant, a septic tank uses a bacterial process across multiple chambers to break down waste and filter out particles. But there’s no electricity involved at all, making it simpler, with no moving parts or power considerations. The biggest advantages of septic tanks are afforded to properties in rural and remote locations, where the disadvantages of a sewage treatment plant may outweigh the benefits, but an off mains drainage solution is still required.
DISADVANTAGES OF SEPTIC TANKS
There are only a handful of disadvantages – one of the main being that wastewater is not adequately treated for discharge to a watercourse. A final processing step is required; a drainage field. Installing a drainage field is an additional cost and takes up further space on your land, but is highly effective and keeps your off mains sewage system under full ownership and control by you.
CESSPITS FOR OFF MAINS DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS
Cesspits are the simplest off mains drainage solutions of all – they’re just sealed tanks buried underground. Waste goes in and stays there until it’s time to empty the cesspit. This has advantages; like predictable maintenance schedules, less to go wrong, fewer restrictions on operation and their suitability for sporadic use. But there are disadvantages, too.
DISADVANTAGES OF CESSPITS
The main disadvantage of a cesspit is that it requires frequent emptying and maintenance to avoid damage – but this can be offset by their simplicity and general reliability if a regular maintenance schedule is adhered to.
LOOKING FOR OFF MAINS DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS?
Do you have a new build project that requires off mains drainage support? Do you need to upgrade your existing off mains drainage solution? Talk to Independent Drainage – the south coast’s experts in off mains drainage solutions. Call us now on 0800 0131301 or book a free consultation.
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