Treatment Process

The JET Home Plant is an aeration treatment system. It uses a treatment process known as aerobic digestion. This is an entirely natural process where bacteria that require oxygen utilise the incoming sewage as their food supply. Oxygen is mixed with the incoming waste by using the aerator or blower to inject fresh air into the liquid. This enables the naturally occurring aerobic bacteria in the waste to live and break down the waste.

Reductions in the incoming pollution loading of up to 95% can be expected. Final BOD and Suspended Solids levels are less than 25mg/Litre. The aerobic treated effluent is easily accepted by the soils.

Aerobic bacteria break the waste down further and faster than the anaerobic bacteria found in the traditional septic tank, and the treated effluent quality is over ten times better than that of a septic tank.

The treatment takes place in a single tank underground which takes up minimal space.

Highly treated effluent is then pumped to drip irrigation lines pegged to the ground surface to irrigate gardens or bush while dispersing the treated liquid. The size of the dispersal area is calculated in accordance with council guidelines. As the lines are pumped the dispersal area can be below or above the treatment plant.

Treatment Plant Volumes

CAPACITY

The Jet Home Plant has an operating capacity of 4,500 litres (total volume of plant and pump station is 6500L) and consists of three compartments:

» Primary Treatment Compartment
» Aeration Compartment
» Settling or Clarifying Compartment

The Primary Compartment has a holding capacity of 1800 Litres and is 80% of the size of the Aeration Compartment. This section pre-treats the waste and holds back non-biologically treatable material. The extra large capacity is designed to cope with shock loads. This compartment requires pump-out every 3-5 years, similar to a septic tank.

The Aeration Compartment has a capacity of 2,250 litres and is where the principal treatment takes place. Here, the JET Aerator injects fresh air to provide oxygen for the aerobic digestion process. In this tank huge numbers of micro-organisms perform the treatment process as they convert the waste into further micro-organisms and more stable end products.

The settling compartment has a capacity of 474 litres. The design of this tank keeps the liquid in this compartment perfectly still for maximum settling of solids. Patented Jet settler tubes encourage any remaining settleable solids to sink down through the liquid, then slide down the slanted end wall and return to the Aeration Chamber for further treatment.

A single Classic Home Plant is capable of treating up to 650g B.O.D./day or up to eight people on a residential basis. Larger capacity plants are available for larger applications.

DISPOSAL OF EFFLUENT

A high quality effluent is achievable using the Home Plant, therefore the end product may be used as a valuable resource for irrigation, rather than disposed of as a pollutant.

We recommend the use of Raam pressure compensated drip irrigation for ground disposal of the treated effluent. The liquid is dispersed into the most active topsoil layer where the majority of the liquid is taken up by evapo-transpiration of vegetation. The close proximity to the ground surface also increases evaporation by wind and sun exposure. This type of disposal system is particularly beneficial for clay sites with poor soakage. A ground application rate of only 3.0L/m2/day is used which is below the natural environmental requirements and in many areas less than transpiration rates.

The Raam Drip Irrigation system is suitable for widely undulating sites, being able to provide constant application rates over varying topography. Raam line is ideal for use in existing gardens and need only be covered with 50-100mm of bark or topsoil. It can be snaked through the garden to distribute the nutrient laden liquid throughout the vegetation. Alternatively the hose may be laid in bush, and covered with bush litter.

A small pump station is required to pressure dose the Raam Drip Line. We offer our standard 600L pump station for this purpose and is suitable for most applications with variations in ground levels of up to 10m. With larger variations a suitably sized pump is required.

DISPOSAL FIELD SIZING

The disposal field is sized in accordance with council standard TP58. For homes with a total of three bedrooms on tank water supply with 6/3 dual flush toilets and standard water fixtures and low flow dishwashers we allow 180 Litres per person per day: three bedrooms equates to a maximum occupancy of five people, each rated at 180L/day gives 900L/day total flow. Assuming moderate soaking soil, (Category 3-5) soil, a loading rate of 3L/m2 /day is used thus requiring 300m2 disposal area. This is covered with 300m of Raam Line laid at 1m centres.

Note – if water saving devices are installed, a smaller disposal field size is possible.