Here at Biotank Ltd. you would be surprised at the number of calls that we receive from users of septic tanks who have problems with their soakaways.  (Drainfields in the USA). 

A soakaway relies on two factors to work properly.  The first and main factor is the percolation of the ground that the soakaway is built in.  The second is the porosity of the ground above the soakaway.

The two issues are both connected and slightly different:  The soakaway has two main purposes; firstly to get rid of excess water and secondly to provide an ideal environment for the aerobic digestion of the pollutants that are contained in the septic tank effluent as it passes to the soakaway.  To do this properly you need the factors above.  You need a soil that, even in winter when the water table will be at its highest, will effectively allow the excess water to be absorbed and also allow air / oxygen to be drawn down into the soil to aerate the bacteria that are living in the ground and consuming the pollutants in the septic tank effluent.

As you can see from the above.  If your ground conditions are not ideal a soakaway will fail very easily.

Along comes the Biokube system.  It removes the need for a soakaway by treating the septic tank effluent by aerobic digestion in a small tank before allowing clean water to be discharged to a ditch or watercourse...  The issue here is you have to be able to get rid of the water!!!  If you have a site that has no ditches or other means of removing water you can have even more problems.

Biokube extend range of sewage treatment systems.

Biokube A/S have today extended the range of it's sewage treatment tank systems.  The new range consists of three models:-  The Pluto tank suitable for treating the sewage from a single house to the EU Standard Specification of less than 25 mg/l BOD and 35 mg/l SS.  The Venus tank suitable for either a single house, when used to treat sewage to the Biokube "Elite" specification of 10 mg/l BOD, 15 mg/l SS and less than 5 mg/l Ammonia, or a couple of houses when treating to the Standard EU specification.  Finally the existing range have been renamed the Mars models and cover the range of treatment options from 10 to 30 PE depending on treatment standard required. 

Pricing starts from an incredible £1,400 plus VAT for the single house Pluto model.  Further information and pricing is available on the website at www.biokube.co.uk

Distribution of the models in the UK is handled by Biotank Ltd. through which all enquiries should be made. www.biotank.co.uk

Following the successful launch of the BioKube Aerated Sewage Treatment system in the UK, we are now looking for more installers to become Certified.

If your company has installed septic tanks and sewage treatment tanks before and have a history of good groundwork installations please contact us.  We have at least 30 qualified leads per week that we need followed up by qualifed ground work contractors.

So far we have a good number around the UK but we need more.  Please check out the following link to see if there are other certified installers in your area:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117943705633293970684.000434e903affe3352800&z=7&om=1

The Biokube system uses two tanks and can be used to upgrade existing septic tank installations.  More information can be found on our dedicated Biokube website:

www.biokube.co.uk

For further information contact Chris White on 01277 889333.

Biotank Ltd. are pleased to announce that we have been appointed UK distributors for BioKube A/S of Denmark.

The BioKube system is one of few Packaged Sewage Treatment systems that is certified and tested to the new European Standard EN 12566.  It consists of a low depth settlement tank and an associated Advanced Wastewater Treatment System using aerobic digestion.

Biotank Ltd. are pleased to offer this superb treatment system on the UK market.  Please see our new website: http://www.biokube.co.uk for further details.

It comes with an effluent quality guarantee...  This is the first time that any system on the UK market has had such a guarantee.  The system is proven to treat domestic sewage to below 10 BOD, 15 SS and 5 NH4.  It will also reduce Phosphorous to below 1.5ppm if required.

Further information is available by phoning Chris White on 01277 889333

Well it's that time of year again...  Phone calls regarding septic tanks and sewage treatment tanks to go in before it gets to wet.   Well this year the weather seems to have caught a lot of people out.  The wet weather in August has brought the water table up by far more than we would normally expect and we are already finding that some installations are having to be put off until the spring / summer of next year.

We took an interesting phone call today from Radio 2.  Steve Wright in the Afternoon runs an "Ask Elvis" question time slot.  Members of the public phone in an pose questions that Steve guarantees to get answers too...  This week it is all about sewage treatment for houses in the country.  What is the difference between a rotating disk system and an aerobic system...  Well lo and behold, nothing, they are both aerobic and will both do a good job on treating sewage.  The only problem is they won't treat the ammonia very well, a Biotank on the other hand will.  The follow up question was asking what type of tertiary treatment was best.  Reed Beds, peat filters or membrane filters...  Well, in my book I would not go for any of them.  Put in a system that produces an effluent that is clean enough in the first place to go to any watercourse.  Maintain it well and you will have no need for tertiary treatment.  Put it in a pond for even better results.  Ultra Violet is one of the best cleaning agents around.

Have a great day and just go and make sure your system is running as it should.

BTW.  Steve Wrights "Ask Elvis" spot is on Friday afternoon.

Over the last couple of years Biotank Ltd. has been asked about approval for our tanks...  We even get Building Regs officers asking to see our approval certificates.  So...  Let us for once really set the cat amongst the pigeons and see what reaction we get:

There is currently NO approval or British Standard that applies to Domestic Sewage Treatment units.

Some companies have BBA approval for their Sewage Treatment Tanks but it is not a requirement.  There is no legal need to have BBA certification.

You will also see Sewage Treatment tanks stating that they are manufactured to BS6297:1983  Again, when you read the small print you find that this British Standard actually only applies to Septic Tanks and that Sewage Treatment tanks should "in principle" use the same guidelines.

Where does this now leave us.  Well European Regulations are being enacted...  BS EN 12566-1:2000 is now in force and makes all the British Standards such as BS6297 redundant.  It states that they should be withdrawn by July 2000.  It consists of 5 parts:

Part 1.  Prefabricated Septic Tanks

Part 2. (In preparation)  Soil Infiltration Systems  (Soakaways)

Part 3. Packaged and/or site assembled domestic wastewater treatment plants. 

Part 4. (In preparation) Septic tanks built in situ from prefabricated kits

Part 5. (In preparation) Filtration systems (including sand filters)

This is all fine and dandy but part 3, the one that our tanks would fall under, does not yet exist as it has yet to be ratified.  So currently there is no standard that applies to Domestic, less than or equal to 50 PE, sewage treatment systems.

This information was obtained by one of our directors, David Burt, spending a day at the Institution of Civil Engineers library and at the National Library.  Both were unable to find a current standard for our tanks.

If anyone knows differently please let us know!

Grey water recycling is going to become all the rage.  This year with water shortages and hosepipe bans on everyones minds it is going to be even more important to save water. 

Biotank Ltd. have just been appointed a UK dealer for Brac Systems of Canada.  Brac Systems manufacture a grey water recycling system to recover and reuse the grey water from your baths, showers and washing machines to be reused in flushing your toilets.

The Brac System uses a holding tank that filters the grey water coming into it and also adds a small chlorine dose to disinfect it.  The water is stored and reused in the cisterns of your toilets.

The system will save approximately 33% of your water useage in any one year.  With the unit costing just £925 plus delivery and VAT this system will pay for itself in very little time at all.  Installation has to be done by a professional plumber.

Biotank Ltd. are very pleased with this new introduction to their product line, it complements our existing range of sewage treatment systems where our aim is to produce a cleaner effluent than is currently produced by septic tanks.

Further information can be obtained from Chris White at Biotank Ltd on 01277 889333.

At long last we have completed our move to Norfolk...  Lock Stock and Barrell.  All I can say is that it is not easy moving when you have been in one place for over 20 years and in the same village that you where born in 47 years ago.

But that said, we are loving it.  Our new site has a much larger workshop and many more acres.  We are still manufacturing our tanks in either the High Peak near Manchester, Doncaster or in Horsham in Sussex and managing the whole operation from Norfolk.  Modern electronics are just amazing.  (The new TomTom 700 is awesome for navigation around the country)

Our new address is:

Biotank Ltd.
Birch Farm
Southery Road
Feltwell
Norfolk.  IP26 4EN

Our phone numbers have not changed and are the same as they have been since January.  But for completeness it is 01277 889333 for the phone and 01277 889388 for the Fax.

"Why is there a different top to your Biotank 6 and larger tank sizes?"

The reason is quite simple.  Our Biotank 6 units are manufactured by a process known as Rotational Moulding.  We have a series of large moulds into which we pour powdered PVC.  This is then heated and rotated over what is effectively a large fire.  The plastic forms on the inside of the mould to create the tanks.  These are then assembled by hand to produce the final product.  The tank is then coated in insulation.

The Biotank 12 and larger sizes are made by fabricating Polypropylene sheets into a tank.  A much more laborious process as each part of the tank has to be cut and welded into position.  This produces a very strong tank that can be made exactly to order.  If there are specific requirements for a tank these can be accomadated into the larger tanks at the design stage.

The lids of the tanks show the differences.  Please see:

http://www.biotank.co.uk/biotank_installation_photographs.htm

These photographs show a number of different installations and methods of installing the tanks.

A very good description of one such mound is contained in this link:

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/farm/az1010.pdf

Please contact us if you want any more information.

One of the regular reoccuring messages that we receive is "How close can I site a Sewage Treatment Tank to my house".

If you examine the building regulations in England closely, it seems that the minimum distance that you need is 7m.  The only real answer can come from your building regulations department at your local council.  It seems to vary dependant on the particular officer and his interpretation of the regulations.  Biotank Ltd. would not recommend that a tank is sited closer than 7m to any existing structure.  It can be a problem. 

When siting a Biotank you need to pay attention to several aspects.  Firstly you need to decide where you are going with the water from the treatment tank.  Is it going out to a ditch or to a soakaway?  If it is going to a ditch then that is your starting point regarding depth of pipes and ultimately the treatment tank itself.  You need to have a minimum of 1 in 150 fall on the outlet pipe from the tank to the ditch.  You can get away with 1 in 200 if you go up to a 6" perforated pipe.  From the tank to the house you must have a fall of at least 1 in 80.  Preferably 1 in 60, to ensure that you do not get blockages.  These figures are the real determinant of where you sewage treatment tank will go.  Much in the same manner as siting a septic tank. It is important to do the leg work first before you decide where your tank is going.  If you are going to put in a soakaway then you need to have done a percolation test.  This is the only way that you will really know if your spare water is going to disappear.

There you go,  it is quite simple if you really put your mind to it.  Give us a call if you need more advice

Biotank Ltd. have just secured two orders to supply our Biotank Washdown Treatment Tanks too two Golf Courses on the South Coast of England. (A 45 hole course and an 18 hole course)

The Washdown Treatment tanks will be used to treat waste water from pressure washing equipment at the Golf Clubs.  The water is recycled through a Biotank Biological digester and reused.

The European Groundwater regulations 1998 are starting to affect all golf clubs, amenity sites and commercial yards where pressure washers are used to clean equipment.  The water is collected on a concrete pad and passed through the Biotank treatment system.  Clean water coming from the Biotank is pumped back to a storage tank.  The water is then filtered and pressurised using a DAB Aquajet pump for re-use.

Finally we have managed to change our phone numbers.  Not only that but we have moved to a virtual phone system and number using VoIP  (Voice over Internet Protocol).  For anyone that is interested we now have a virtual phone and fax number that is delivered across broadband Internet.

Our new phone number is 01277 889333

Please check out our providers http://www.gradwell.com for more information.  They provide a first class service and the system if very well priced.

It now means that we can have our phone calls delivered anywhere in the country so long as we have a broadband connection that we can connect too.  

Well folks, it has started...  The usual New Year phone calls about failed septic tank soakaways...

"We seem to have a boggy patch at the end of the garden, it appears at this time of year, what can we do about it"

Every year we get the same phone calls.  More often than not it is caused by the holiday period overloading the septic tank and the soakaway not being able to cope with the large throughput of water. 

The solution is not simple.  It can range from a new soakaway having to be installed to a complete new system, including sewage treatment tank, to solve the problem.

We have also produced our "Bacterial Treatment Programme" in order to help.  This is a bacterial treatment designed to assist septic tanks digest materials in a more efficient way.  The bacteria in our products are designed to digest all sorts of sewage and products that get put down the system.

Sign up for our Free guide to looking after your septic tank to get a great discount on this programme.

Oh the Joy of Septic Tanks.

Just thought that I ought to start letting everyone know that the Biotank office will be moving at the end of February.

Already we have a new Fax Number: 01277 889388

This is active as of now.

Later in the month we will be changing the phone number to:

01277 889333

And finally we will be moving the office as well.  Not quite sure where we are going currently.  Watch this space.

With Xmas nearly upon us and the phones as dead as a septic tank in winter we have started writing articles.  The first of these is called "Caring for your Septic Tank", written by Chris White.

It is only available by subscribing to our mailing list from the frontpage of the website.  Along with the article there is also a major deal to be had on a Bacterial Maintenance Programme for your septic tank system.

Biotanks are replacement sewage treatment systems for Septic Tanks.  Here at Biotank Ltd. we are using all of the latest research material to develop our sewage treatment system into one of the best products on the market. 

In order to make this information available we use the Internet as our sole source of advertising and media publishing.  The Internet is great, it offers huge advantages to both users and companies like ours.

So, the next logical step is to provide a Blog with regularly updated information on what we are doing at Biotank Ltd. and how we are developing our sewage treatment systems.

Please enjoy!