HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR AERATED HSTP HOME SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
- Never turn the electricity supply to the plant OFF*. Turning the supply OFF will:
- Stop the air supply and kill the bacteria.
- Flood the system
- Disable the alarm system
- Cause back-up in your sewer line from the house
The plant will smell, the equipment may be damaged and you will be in contravention of your “Permit to Use” and “Occupancy Certificate”.
- Never pour down the sink or flush down the toilet any of the following:
- Anything from your home brew kit
- Sour milk or yogurt
- Cooking oils
- Excess food scraps (particularly from a garbage grinder)
All of these will provide too much food material for the bacteria to use. They must be disposed of in proper containers in your garbage collection.
- Never dispose of any of the following items into the system
- Automotive oil
- Bleaches, disinfectants, whiteners
- Nappy liners, condoms, sanitary napkins
Automotive oil is not treatable by the bacteria; the disinfectants will take away all the bacteria’s oxygen; the sanitary items are impregnated with anti-bacterial matter, so they will never break down. The results will be – the bacteria will die. The tank will almost certainly need to be pumped out to remove the gross pollutants and the tank refilled and re-started.
Whatever the product, always ensure that it is marked as Bio-degradable and Safe for Use in septic/onsite systems. Avoid excess usage of toilet paper and limit toilet paper grade to 2 ply