Tuesday, July 31, 2012

You probably won't believe this. Before and after one day of Eliminite treatment

We retro-fit an existing onsite community septic system with an Eliminite system.  The first photo shows the influent to the Eliminite system before startup.


After  One Day (24 hours,) the effluent from the Eliminite system looks like this.....




And the MetaRocks treatment media looks like this.....




 The MetaRocks are clean and, as usual, show no signs of fouling.  I can't imagine what a peat moss, foam cube or textile media might look like after receiving the wastewater shown in the first photo. 

Honestly, I know Eliminite systems are great onsite wastewater treatment units but was not expecting such dramatic results after only one day of operation.  It gets better however, because only 1/2 of the treatment system had been turned on.  I can't wait to see the results after two days with the whole system in operation..

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Picturesque Montana Residential Community Installs Eliminite Onsite Treatment System

I told you about this system back in December.

http://eliminite.blogspot.com/#!/2011/12/i-forgot-to-tell-you-about-this-one.html

Justin Buchanan owner of  EonNW, installed an Eliminite advanced treatment system today.  It took about 3.5 hours to set the tanks and install the MetaRocks media. 

Contractor: Jason Burk, Burk Excavating, Bozeman, Montana.
Engineer:  Cordell Pool, P.E., Stahly Engineering and Associates, Helena, Montana.
Precast Concrete Tanks:  Flathead Concrete Product, Kalispell, Montana and Three Forks Lumber and Ready Mix, Three Forks, Montana.

The system will be equipped with automatic controls including a monitoring feature that captures alarms, pump conditions and level measurement and calls out on a cellular telephone to notify the operator in the event of any problem.


Justin loading the tanks with MetaRocks:
The photo aqbove shows the compact footprint, minimal visual impact and robust, cold-weather design. 

Because Eliminite was developed in Monatana where winters can be brutally cold, we were compelled to figure out ways to protect the treatment system from  the likely -30 degree temperatures that can persist for weeks on end.  Notice the relatively small access hatches. 

Patented (in the U.S. and Canada) Metarocks media are designed to last, without invasive maintenance.  We have many MetaRocks systems in operation which have been functioning for many years, and they all are functioning beyond expectations.  Consequently, we can focus our designs and maintenance program on site conditions and treatment requirements rather than media sensitivity.   We can utilize smaller (i.e., less conspicuous/visually obtrusive) access hatches because our media is rugged and robust, and will not require scouring, "fluffing" or other common (and nasty) rehabilitative measures that are common with other systems. 

What makes smaller hatches better in a cold-weather design?   I direct your attention to the photos below:

Warm weather design:



Cold weather design:

Get it? 

Big ears are designed to lose heat, small ears conserve heat.  And, if you need to inspect a system during the winter and have to open a large hatch, the cold air can kill the entire treatment system.  Because MetaRocks do not need to be removed, there is no need for large access hatches that expose the entire treatment system to the elements.  The system stays warm and the treatment effficiency does not degrade. 

And warm weather......It is common knowledge that higher temperatures  produce better results.  Our New Mexico systems average 7-8 mg/L total Nitrogen.  This has to be tempered against the fact that the NM systems are located in high altitude locations.  High altitude means lower oxygen concentration. Biological treatment systems are just like humans, they get out-of-breath hiking up the mountainside (You know what I am talking about). I can think of quite a few denitrifications systems designed and or tested in warm climates and low altitude conditions. 

Also, the system in the photo above won a competive bid against two other manufacturers systems. 

Eliminite was chosen as the best value over a textile system and a foam cube system.

Next up......Telluride, Colorado. 

Amanda and I  just spent a few days in Telluride.  If you have never been there...go....now.  It is perhaps one of tthe most magnificent places on earth.  I was there providing engineering expertise to the developer of a beautiful and unique residential community.  

Great time. Great place.