These work nicely as basic, small septic tanks. There are a few things we did, to insure the tank would last many years: 1] Larger hole in top than the usual screw-cap; make this a bit smaller diameter than the riser tube used; allows fitting T-baffle; allows easier inspection or pumping. 2] T-pipe baffle, at least to the outlet, inside the tank, to prevent solids in tank getting into drain outlet and drain field. 3] Aeration of the system helps keep it aerobic, which prevents coliform bacteria migrating through the ground or reaching water tables. Anaerobic bacteria are what causes most problems, since those don't need oxygen to live. Keep your system Aerobic, because those bacteria require oxygen to live...these keep the contents less noxious, and, aerobic bacteria cannot spread through ground the way anaerobic ones do. This largely reduces polluting ground water or ground...which is critical to your health. This can take the form of a small inlet tube + an air-pump pushing air into the system, at the inlet end. The more air pumped into the system, the more aerobic it stays. T-Pipe baffle = a T-fitting + length of pipe to reach about to mid-depth of tank. This forces only liquids, not solids, from getting into the drain pipe from below. The optional upper pipe can also prevent most solids getting into drain, over the top of the T-baffle, in the event the tank fails to drain or gets sudden over-filling episode. With larger hole cut in top, you can just reach the outlet pipe to press-fit the T and it's glued-on drop-pipe, onto the outlet pipe. We were able to use a stainless steel screw to secure the T baffle onto the outlet pipe. OPT.: another length of pipe pressed into the upward-pointing opening of the T fitting, to barely allow fluids to come up and over that upper pipe edge, preventing solids entering the drain pipe that way. We used a 5-gallon bucket with it's bottom cut out, glued/sealed to the top of tank; the lip of the bucket bottom forms a wider lip to glue/seal onto tank. Result: Solids stay in the tank to decompose. System lasts longer before needing maintenance. We also made the inlet pipe about the diameter of the pipe, higher than the outlet to drainage field or 2nd tank. This prevents the system backing-up; it forces fluids to only flow one direction--to the outlet! If you only have one or two people using the system, you could even use [2] 55-gallon plastic drums, fitted similarly as the Cube tank; except fit them in series. This allows a bit of secondary treatment in a tank, and, helps the drain field last longer, since solids are more digested. Another item that could help longevity of system: Running separate greywater and blackwater lines! A sand/gravel filter bucket to trap junk out of greywater, before it goes to a storage tank or directly to water a yard, helps irrigating with cleaner greywater, or, saving it to flush toilets with. We backfilled with gravel and site dirt, placed heavy planks across the aluminum cage frame to carry weight, then laid a tarp + weed cloth, over the top, cutting a snug hole in these to allow riser tube through, to easily reach that lid. We've installed a simple system using a cube tank and a 1-pipe drain field; we've also installed a [2] 55-gallon plastic barrel with a drain field made of another barrel cut in half, installed lengthwise on a gravel bed. Both systems have continued to work for intermittent use of rustic cabins, for over 20 years. We want to try making systems like those described in Solviva book by Anna Eddy...those use worms to abate coliform bacteria and solids in a composting box, and plants to use up the fluids. AVOID ever pouring chemical cleaners, solvents or anything that is harmful to your health, into a waste system...those kill the bacteria needed to digest the solids and abate the bad germs. Unless you have a large waste system, avoid ever using an in-sink food waste grinder [like Insinkerator], because that's wasting what otherwise makes great fertilizer for your plants, and, can clog the system prematurely.
the calculation in the UK is for a tank system of 2000 litres, plus 250L per person using it, or potential usage for the property. If you have 3 bedrooms then a tank system needs to allow for 6 people, even if there is only 2 people living there. So a family of 4 would need a settlement tank of 3000 litres,which is 3 times the size of this unit. And then the system would simply settle the solids to the top and to the bottom. When the solids come into contact with the wets you then get ammonia and nitrates in solution. You take the mucky water from the column between the bottom and the top for the outflow. In the UK this is no longer legally allowed. From January 2020 additional treatment will be required. People will find this when they sell their house. Suddenly a buyer will be found, and the seller will then be shown the septic tank needs upgrading. So there will be lots of people with added pressure to do something to keep the buyer happy. Further treatment would be package treatment tanks, or Reedbeds into infiltration fields. But this as it is will just not do the job
Hi Mel, thank you very much for your comment. What is said is very true regarding domestic septic tanks. However, I just thought I would point out that this is a non domestic septic tank. so it does not come under any of the septic tank rules and regulations in the UK. Regards Jason
Just looked on eBay and found the micro septic tank company selling what looks like a GRT unit with the bidding starting at £185....instead of adding shitty comments (no pun intended) why don't you look....the units look really good...if you went to a farm in the UK and tried buying the ibc in a metal cage without everything else that farmer would probably want £40/50 quid off you even before you do all the rest to the unit... These are small units to used to service something like a toilet in the extension...small use not whole four bed house....also the units were a lot cheaper than what was being sold by an American company selling the same thing they wanted 1100 dollars for a thousand ltr unit.....you can buy them for between £15/150 in the UK in there cages which is good but then you've got all the hassle of doin this and that yourself...I suppose all to there own...ones on eBay for water holding many only had sugar syrup or soya in them.... GRT for septic tank and for water collection...
IDK what this guy used...looks like someone's making special tanks of this purpose. We got several of these basic beverage tanks, each for about $25 US. To make a "bootleg" septic system, we made some improvements to the basic tank: ---Fitted it with a T-pipe baffle at the outlet to prevent solids reaching drain field; ---Cut the inlet at least the diameter of the outlet pipe, higher than the outlet pipe, to drastically reduce likelihood of effluent back-flowing into the inlet. --------Cut a larger opening in top smaller than bucket-bottom, to allow using a 5-gallon bucket and it's lid, as a riser. ---Laid thick planks across the aluminum frame of the tank, to help strengthen top against weight of back-fill or traffic over it. Covered those with a tarp to resist rain getting gin to it, then backfilled. ---Outlet goes to a drainpipe laid in gravel, with weed cloth around that, to prevent dirt infiltrating and clogging gravel. To use a basic cube tank as catchment, you'll want some sand/gravel filtration to prevent solids clogging the tank. For use, it'll need filtered to remove the heavy metals and pollutants spread by Chemtrails and polluted rains. Those who bury cube tanks for water catchment, some also cut larger opening, to ease cleaning the tanks every so often as needed.
Fully its just an IBC tank recycled. They've even left it in the cage...$30 of stuff here. That first tank will have sludge that needs removing after a few years.
These exist all over the place...but owners rarely talk about them, because these are generally not "to Code". The closer these resemble engineered systems, the better [please see my post of June 28, 2017] We've installed one using a cube tank, and another system made of [2] 55-gallon barrels plumbed together, to a drain field made of a cut 3rd barrel. Those have been fine, for about 20 years, at a couple rustic off-grid cabins that get sporadic use. I have every confidence these could handle daily use, as long as only 1 to 2 people are using them. Of course, there's no bathtub, and no washing machine to overload them at any time. The Cube-tank unit would likely handle a small washing machine's out-flow. One cabin uses a composting toilet, therefore the system mostly handles greywater. The other cabin has the twin-barrels system and uses one of those SeaLand micro-flush toilets. At a 3rd site, as a temporary solution to a regular front-loader washer drain, I collected a wide tire [maybe from a small racer?]; it's about 18" diameter. I laid it on it's side, so an opening is to the rocky ground in a hole, the other faces up, and the drain pipe spills into it. A regular load can almost make it overflow. So, I cut a small outlet trench next to it, so it all drains over and through the rocky trench. It's essentially a french drain. Temporary, since eventually, it will drain out farther, to water gardens. Our ground at this site is very rocky; it drains very fast; germs in the ground help eat-up anything that might cause a stench, very fast...in over a year, there's been zero odor from this, and zero back-ups. We've used natural/biodegradable soaps for decades, so irrigating with this washer effluent, actually helps the garden thrive.
