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Guides

Water Butts Winter Tips

Read our guide to maintaining water butts throughout the winter, ensuring they stay functional for many years to come.

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Septic Tank Troubleshooting

We have put together a guide detailing the most common issues property owners have with their septic tanks and offered a number of potential solutions and preventative measures you can take to alleviate them.

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How To Tell When A Septic Tank Is Full

The last thing you want is for your septic tank to overflow, causing costly damage to the septic tank and surrounding area. Luckily, there are various different signs you can look out for which indicate your septic tank is full, which we are going to outline in this guide.

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Cesspit vs Septic Tank – What’s The Difference?

We have put together this ‘Cesspit vs Septic Tank’ guide, highlighting the major differences between cesspits and septic tank and summarising their respective pros and cons.

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Wastewater treatment plant comparison guide

We have compared the main sewage treatment plants that we supply and install so that you can easily see the benefits of each system.

Give us a call on 0333 272 6940 for free advice and guidance.

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How To Size A Cesspit

Cesspit (or often referred to as a Cesspool) is simply a holding tank for sewage. A cesspit does not have an outlet like a Septic tank. It is the last resort to install a cesspit, only when there is no way to drain water through the ground or send treated water to a ditch would a cesspit be installed.

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Sewage Treatment Plant Installation Guide

Sewage treatment plant installation doesn’t have to be a long or difficult process. If you’re aware of the legislation that applies to your situation and you have a good supplier, you shouldn’t need anything more. Owls Hall’s sewage treatment plant installation guide will give you the information required to take the first steps. Keep reading to understand the full process, or use the links below to jump to the section you’re most interested in.

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How To Size A Septic Tank

If you want to know how to calculate septic tank size, look no further. It can be tough to work out exactly what size septic tank you need for either a commercial business property or your home. As such, we have put together this septic tank sizing guide which specifies which septic tank size a property would need, determined by the amount of people it needs to serve. With over 50 years’ experience in septic services, you can fully rely on the information provided by Owls Hall in this guide.

For context, a septic tank is generally used where no mains sewage connection is available, and the water can be discharged through the ground via a soakaway or drainage field.

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How To Size A Sewage Treatment Plant

A sewage treatment plant is designed to treat waste water from a building where no mains sewage connection can be made. The water from a sewage treatment plant is clean enough to discharge into a river or stream, alternatively the water can be discharged through the ground via a soakaway. sizing it is vital for it’s correct operation, if you need to know how to size a Sewage Treatment plant, you’ve come to the right place.

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What Do I Need To Know About Pumping Stations?

Pumping stations are used to move water from a tank when gravity can’t do the job. If you want to know how one works, take a look at this article before reading here. In this article, Owls Hall Environmental answers more questions about the installation and maintenance of pumping stations.

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What Is A Pumping Station?

pump station is a product used to lift or move water when no gravity fall can be achieved. Installed underground and often cylindrical in shape, the pump station would normally have 1 or 2 pumps installed inside it. Float switches monitor the level of water in the tank. As water enters the tank and fills up, the float switch activates the pump to move the water to its desired location.

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What Items Shouldn’t Be Put Into A Sewage Treatment Plant?

If you have read our page describing how a sewage treatment plant works, you’ll already understand that it is a natural biological process. In fact, a sewage system thrives on being fed with normal organic waste. When it comes to what should not go down the drains, (e.g. via toilet, kitchen sink, drain) when you have a sewage treatment plant, we can categorise the items into 3 distinct areas.

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Do I Need To Top Up The Bacteria In A Sewage Treatment System?

This is a question we often receive from people looking to purchase a sewage treatment plant. If you’ve already read our post on how a sewage treatment plant works you will understand that the process in a sewage treatment plant is a natural biological one.

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What Quality Of Water Is Produced By A Sewage Treatment Plant?

Modern treatment plants are designed to treat the wastewater from a building to a level of quality that will not pollute the land or rivers.

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What Would Happen To My Sewage Treatment Plant In The Case Of A Power Cut?

Short power cuts (2-4 hours) should not be a cause for any particular concern. If the power cut is for a longer duration, then it depends on the system as to whether it would cause a problem or not.

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What Is The En12566/3 Standard For Sewage Treatment Plants?

European Standard EN12566/3 is a rigorous test for small treatment plants (for treatment plants up to 50 population) assessing their efficiency. It is a test performed on all products sold as a “packaged treatment plant”.

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Why Should I Choose A Sewage Treatment Plant Over A Septic Tank?

If you are discharging to a ditch or stream you must use a treatment plant. However, if you are discharging to a drainage field (through the ground), you are legally entitled to install a septic tank. However, many people upgrade this to a treatment plant for the following reasons.

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How Do I Install A Sewage Treatment Plant?

Installing a treatment plant is something that should be done by competent people who understand performing ground excavations. This being said, we can break down the sewage treatment plant installation process.

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How Does A Sewage Treatment Plant Work?

Sewage treatment systems come in all shapes and sizes. Some have different ways of performing the same job but all work on the same core principle. In this article we will explain what this core principle is and help you to understand the differences in the styles of treatment process. But first we should explain what a sewage treatment plant does.

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Do I Need An Environment Agency Permit To Install A Sewage Treatment Plant?

In most instances, you will not require a permit to discharge waste from a domestic sewage treatment plant. However, the following criteria must be adhered to.

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What Is A Percolation Test And Who Carries It Out?

A percolation test is a way to calculate how quickly the soil in your area absorbs water to make sure it is permeable enough to absorb and filter all the effluent before it reaches the ground water.  Both the Environmental Agency and local councils recommend that percolation tests are performed by a qualified engineer to ensure accurate and objective results.

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My Sewage Treatment Plant Smells, What Can I Do?

If your sewage treatment plant smells, there are a number of things that should be checked. It would be helpful to also understand what you should not put into a treatment plant as some things will harm or kill bacteria.

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What Is A Pumped Sewage Treatment Plant?

A pumped sewage treatment plant is a sewage treatment plant with a pump to lift the treated water out and in to the ditch or stream. It is used when a normal gravity discharge cannot be used.

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Do Energy Free Sewage Treatment Plants Work?

Energy free sewage treatment plants have been around for a long time. They can work very effectively for the treatment of domestic wastewater. If you understand how a sewage treatment plant works then you will understand that bacteria perform the main role in the treatment of waste. This is no different in an energy free sewage plant.

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What Happens During Servicing Of A Sewage Treatment Plant?

There are a number of things that are checked during the servicing of a sewage treatment system.

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What Is A Reed Bed?

A reed bed is a natural filtration system that can be used to treat and improve water quality prior to discharging into the environment. It utilises the ability of a reed to transport oxygen to the soil, hence encouraging microorganisms to digest the contaminants in the effluent.

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How Do I Test If Rainwater Is Entering My Sewage System?

New drainage is always split so that your rainwater and surface water go down one set of pipes, and your fowl (sewage water) goes down a different set of pipes. This is set out in the building regulations.

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How Do I Maintain A Sewage Treatment Plant?

With the right maintenance, a sewage treatment plant can last a long time without needing any significant work. Owls Hall Environmental addresses the key questions regarding service and maintenance to help you keep yours in top working condition.

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How Do I Plan For A Sewage Treatment Plant?

If you’re considering installing a sewage treatment plant, there are several planning considerations for you to bear in mind. This guide from Owls Hall Environmental addresses some of the most important things to plan for.

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How Much Does It Cost To Install A Sewage Treatment Plant?

Whether you’re upgrading an old wastewater system or contemplating having a new sewage treatment plant installed, it’s important to understand the associated costs to protect yourself from any nasty surprises and to ensure you are given a fair price for the work carried out.

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How Does A Septic Tank Work?

More than half a million domestic properties within the UK aren’t connected to mains drainage, operating off septic tanks instead. The majority of these homes are located in more rural parts of the UK, and so, if you’ve decided to join the 126% of UK people contemplating a move to villages in search of more of a country-esque style living, you may have to get to know what a septic tank is and how it works.

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How Big Do I Need My Septic Tank To Be?

In the UK, we use a simple rule of thumb for sizing a septic tank, that is the volume of water per day + 2000L. We have a full guide on sizing a septic tank which can provide you with the detailed calculations.

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Can I Discharge A Septic Tank Into A Ditch?

In the UK, discharges to the environment are regulated by the Environment Agency. These rules cover septic tank discharges into ditches and other areas. The current regulations are set out in the general binding rules and apply to everyone as of this year (2020).

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Why Does My Septic Tank Smell?

Knowing precisely what a septic tank is and how it operates, you’d think they would be quite a smelly thing to install in such close proximity to your home. But the fact is that your tank should not smell.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Our know-how stems from years of experience in serving and maintaining rainwater harvesting systems. Our systems have been developed to be as robust as possibly with the highest quality components selected for their reliability.

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Why Should I Harvest Rainwater?

Any water saving is good, whether it is a low flush toilet, or a rainwater harvesting system. These days we see water as a commodity which is regularly wasted.

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Does A Rainwater Harvesting System Need A Header Tank?

No, you don’t need one, but you may want one. This article goes into detail about what the role of a headertank is and why you might (or might not) want one.

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Can I Install A Cheap Rainwater Harvesting System?

If you are very good with DIY and are comfortable with water pipe fittings and pumps, then it may be possible for you to install a cheap above ground system for watering the garden.

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How Much Indoor Space Is Needed For A Rainwater Harvesting System?

For a domestic rainwater harvesting system that flushes toilets you will have a few components in the house depending on which system you opt for.

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How Much Water Can A Rainwater Harvesting System Save?

In a domestic house system, you can save up to 50% of your water consumption, although we feel it is more likely to be 40%.

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Do You Have To Maintain A Rainwater Harvesting System?

Yes, you do have to maintain a rainwater harvesting system. However if the system is well designed and installed the maintenance is minimal and normally comprises of checking and cleaning the leaf filter. You should check the filter in any new system (not just ours) every 3-6 months in the first year, especially around the time the leaves are falling. This will help you to build up a pattern of when the filter needs to be cleaned.

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I’ve Got Dirty Water In My Rainwater Harvesting System, What Can I Do?

Whilst this is uncommon with modern rainwater harvesting systems, we have seen early rainwater harvesting systems that have dirty water in.

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How To Save Water At Home

Owls Hall Environmental has collected a number of tips to help you save water at home. We’ve covered a range of water-saving ideas, from little changes you can make to your routines through to more efficient ways to use water in your garden.

In a period of increasingly unpredictable weather and damaging climate change, saving water where we can helps to ease the strain on Britain’s water supply. Our tips will also help you save money if you have a water meter and could also cut down on your gas and electricity bills.

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What Size Rainwater Tank Do I Need?

As a simple rule of thumb, for domestic system you will require about 1000 litres of storage per person.

There are more detailed calculations that can be performed to assess the best size of rainwater harvesting tank.

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What Does A Pressure Vessel Do For My Rainwater Harvesting System?

A pressure vessel is a metal cylinder with a rubber diaphragm inside. On one side of the diaphragm there is pressurised air, on the other side, and connected to your plumbing, is pressurised water.

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How Do I Plan For A Rainwater Harvesting System?

If you’ve already decided that you want to install a rainwater harvesting system, there are a few other practicalities to get out of the way to make sure everything goes smoothly. This FAQ by Owls Hall Environmental gives you information on the key things to consider.

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Should I Install A Rainwater Harvesting System?

Rainwater harvesting is a way of collecting and storing rainwater with a view to reusing it. It is a great strategy to reduce your water bills and ensuring you have enough water to reuse in your house or garden in times of drought and hose pipe bans.

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Glossary

We admit that there is a fair bit of jargon used in the construction industry and we hope to smash some of that here. We’re happy to help and always offer free advice over the phone, so if you have a question about any aspect of your water treatment or drainage give us a call on 01371 850537.

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Rainwater Harvesting Calculator

Please fill out our rainwater harvesting calculator form below in order to help you select the right size system.

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Home Buyer Drain Survey Faqs

Considering a drain survey but not sure if it’s right for the property you’re buying? Do you want to find out more about what it entails? You’re in the right place. This FAQ page contains common questions for our drain survey service that will help you know what to expect. Surveys are available for the South East and East of England.

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What Is Rainwater Harvesting?

Rainwater harvesting is a way of collecting and storing rainwater with a view to reusing it. It is a great strategy to reduce your water bills and ensuring you have enough water to reuse in your house or garden in times of drought and hose pipe bans.

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Helpful FAQ's from Owls Hall
Helpful glossary from Owls Hall