It is a recognition of Eliminite's superiority.

You saw it here first!!!   Our C Series onsite wastewater treatment systems.  We carefully designed them and have been perfecting them for years.  Now I see that our big "competitor" has decided to try to copy the Eliminite system.  HA HA!  An act Desperation?  Engineers, installers, developers, homeowners have been choosing Eliminite over the "big guys" at an incredible rate.  They had to do something to stop the bleeding...so ....the easiest thing to do was to TRY to copy Eliminite.   Thank you guys!  You flatter us.  To think our little company, our detailed designs being scrutinized by such a BIG company not with the intention of building something better...something cheaper...something more reliable.  Couldn't they one-up us? Come up with a better idea than we did? Improve the thing?  At least when Japanese companies copied U.S. auto makers products they tried to improve the product!  If you study it you will see that the copy is actually a pretty bad copy.  A desperate copy.   A cry for help.  The fact is, people are getting sick and tired of their unreliable, high maintenance, overpriced rube goldberg gizmos.  Take a look at the original and see whay it is still the best value in onsite wastewater treatment. 

Here is a quote from General Contractor...I received this in my email yesterday for a 3000 gal/day project. 

"I think I can finally put the issue of which system to use to bed. I’m sure both systems would work but when I look at budget cost Eliminite is much cheaper. Therefore please proceed with the design based on the Eliminite system."

I will provide contact info if you ask.   Oh...I almost forgot...we will be rolling out 6 new models in about a week.  So you "big guys" better stock up on tracing paper!!! HA HA HA!

The names have been changed to protect the guilty

The players:


Designer: M.T. Head

Septic Tank Guy: Robin M. Daily

Business Name: Lee King Tanks

From: M.T Head

To: Tom

Subject: RE:

Tom:

Got a call from Robin M. Daily at Lee King Tanks and he said he had talked to John Q. Public Servant at

XXXX County and John Q Public Servant told him that Eliminite would be acceptable.

Robin M. Daily called me and wanted to make sure that the bid is apples to apples, so I think we should leave

the location and size for the piping, septic tank and treatment tank locations where they are on the plans.

Otherwise, there could be some complaints about unequal treatment by allowing a complete redesign.
Thanks,

M.T. Head
 
____________________
Now what does this mean you ask?  Well, the deal had already been struck between M.T. Head and Robin M. Daily to use Lee King Tanks and Equipment.  We were not given an opportunity to provide a quote for the job.  When I complained, Robin M. Daily called John Q. Public Servant and tried to get the govt. official to disallow us from bidding the project.  When John Q. Public Servant told Robin M. Daily that we were an acceptable alternative, Robin M. Daily contacted the designer, M.T. Head, and strong-armed him into forcing us to bid the system with the same components being supplied by Lee King Tanks and Equipment.  This would be like saying, Ford can bid the job but they have to bid it with GM engines.  The result was we were forced to provide an unrealistic price and the client got the shaft delivered to their front yard by their neighbors, M.T Head and Robin M. Daily.

A comment about the school

Normally comments are buried below the post but this one was so well thought out that I want to post it right on the front page where everyone can bask in its wisdom and perspicacity.

Anonymous said...

I think you need to pay attention to budget rules which the school district is tied to. Capital projects are a separate line item from operations (day-to-day expenses), the latter one they are REQUIRED by law to balance. So even if they had kept the money from the sale of Coram school in a bank account, they would not have been able to use it for expenses. The FACTS are the school has died from it's own lack of use and population shifts. Get over it or do something about it financially.

In spite of my earlier wisecrack, I will give the author of the comment some latitude to make uninformed statements. Once.   If the school "died from it's own lack of use" why was the septic system designed and built to accommodate a much larger population than is indicated by current use or growth projections.  Look at it this way, the current population at the school may generate 1500 gallons of wastewater per day, and this would be a big day.  Why, if the school was dying, was the septic system designed for nearly 5000 gallons of wastewater per day?  Why was a 15,000 gallon septic tank used for such a tiny flow?  Why were 3, 2500 gallon recirculation tanks used? Why was it necessary to install a 3000 gallon dose tank? Why was a septic system for a school showing a decline in population designed as if the student population was swelling faster than a tick on a lazy dog? 
 
As I said earlier, I have some interesting e-mail messages that will help explain why the system was so grossly overdesigned and why it came in for at least twice the budgeted amount.

Now why would I be posting a story like this?

Canyon Elementary appears to have earned a reprieve, at least for one year.

The School District 6 board took a first look at a new plan that would cut staff at the Hungry Horse school, but allow it to remain open next year.

"With this plan and other cuts I'm looking at we could maintain our current status," Superintendent Mike Nicosia told the board Monday.

Teaching and staff positions would be cut at the school.

 

I have some interesting information regarding the Canyon Elementary School that will help illuminate recent machinations that I am sure several individuals would rather keep in the dark.    This school is facing a serious budget shortfall contributed to, in part, by the expense of a new septic system that was recently installed. 

 

I will be posting several e-mail messages that will help explain things and describe what exactly happened.

Update for Colorado Onsite Wastewater Treatment

As many of you know, we have been installing Eliminite systems in Colorado since the 1990's.  During this time our popularity has grown and we have experienced greater recognition and presence in the Colorado onsite industry.  I strongly recommend that Engineers consider Eliminite for their projects for several reasons including lower initial cost, less invasive maintenance procedures, lower maintenance cost and less visual impact.  You will make real points with your clients when you show them how you saved thousands of dollars over competing systems by specifying Eliminite.  Also, people do not really want to see all those parts, pieces, covers, vents and components common to the other guys system.  We designed Eliminite to be more reliable and more visually appealing.  Our approval by CDPHE as an advanced treatment system means we have earned the highest treatment approval and are therefore equivalent, in a regulatory sense, to other advanced treatment systems in Colorado.  I am sure you will be glad you checked into Eliminite and I know your clients will appreciate your resourcefulness in saving them money and headaches.

Switching to Eliminite in Montana

Many of our Montana customers had property that was previously approved with a competing wastewater treatment system but decided that it was in their best interest to switch the system shown on their plans to Eliminite. Quite a few of these owners were told by the distributors of the competing systems that they had no other option and were required to install the system as shown on the plans. This is not true. In fact, the process is really quite simple. In many Montana Counties all that is required is that the swap be noted on the "As-Built" drawings. In other words, no advance permitting is required at all and the owner is free to select Eliminite in place of the other units. I will be posting a list of counties where this rule applies. In the other counties, MDEQ has implemented a simple procedure for completing the swap. I have done this for many clients and it only involves a short application, lot layout sketch, and administrative fee of about $200.00. The process takes 10 days or less. MDEQ decided to streamline the process for making the switch because so many people want to install a different wastewater treatment unit than the one their engineers decided to show on the plans. So what does this mean to you?




Everyone is looking to save some money these days and Eliminite will provide relief from other high priced Level 2 systems. You benefit from our local manufacture and use of local materials. If you are planning to install a system we can almost always save you money. In fact, even on single family residential applications, Eliminite can save you several thousand dollars over our competition. We also give you the option of selecting your own installation contractor and O&M provider. This means you will not be held hostage by a manufacturer to use their installer and pay their maintenance prices.



If you are an engineer, your clients will appreciate your effort to save them money and provide their clients with more choice. Plus, the people who buy lots in the communities you are designing will like the smaller, less obtrusive footprint of Eliminite as well as our less invasive maintenance procedures.



I also must tell you that this procedure works both ways; you may also swap an Eliminite for a competing system in the same manner I discussed above. Honestly, this almost never happens because when people compare advanced treatment systems they will almost always choose to go with Eliminite because we offer the end user so many more advantages, features and significantly lower cost.

This goes in the "I told you so" file

I have taken an excerpt from this newspaper article.  This is what I mean about the decentralized field....so much of it looks like a joke.  And, while the story below is amusing, it represents a real problem in this industry.  When you finish reading, give me a call and I can tell you why stupid problems like the one below do not occur with Eliminite. 


But, Kennedy's real concern is that his failed non-conventional septic system left him with about seven tons of toxic peat moss.



Peat moss is used as a natural filter in some non-conventional septic systems, Burton said. In Kennedy's case, the peat moss became saturated with waste, causing his septic system to fail and the peat moss to develop pathogens. Kennedy was instructed to shut off his septic system and remove the seven tons of toxic peat moss from the property; however, LCSA, waste management or the health department is not equipped to dispose of the pathogenic material.


Until Kennedy finds a disposal location-he mentioned a site in North Carolina-that will accept his dump-truckload of toxic peat moss, he has to pay $350 every few weeks to pump and haul the sewage and effluent off his property. Since June, Kennedy said he has spent close to $2,000.


"I'm really interested in getting rid of this stuff, and getting my system to where it needs to be, but I can't seem to go anywhere with it," he said during Monday's meeting.

The way to neutralize the contaminated peat moss, Chief of Environmental Health Alan Brewer said Monday, is to spread it across a parcel of land, treat it with lime and let it "bake" in the sun for a period of time. Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) suggested LCSA attempt such treatment, but Supervisor Bruce Tulloch (R-Potomac) said Loudouners wouldn't tolerate the smell.
"If treated with lime, it won't smell," Burton said.
"Then let's use your front lawn," Tulloch countered.