Control panel eases lakeside septic system monitoring and control
Problem: A small lot on Lake Blackshear in Georgia sat vacant after unsuccessful septic permitting attempts with the county health department. New owners wanted to build a two-bedroom seasonal home, but the shallow water table and only 50-foot lake setback made siting the required primary and replacement drainfield challenging. Any system design needed to accommodate site constraints, the intermittent use of the cabin and the county replacement drainfield requirement.
Solution: Vinson Septic Systems selected a peat fiber biofiltration pretreatment system with direct discharge paired with an Infiltrator IM-1060 septic tank, an IM-540 dosing tank and an Aquaworx by Infiltrator Intelligent Control Panel. Wastewater gravity flows through a 7-inch PVC pipe to the septic tank, then into the dosing tank. Every 2 hours, the dosing tank pump sends 25 gallons through a 1.5-inch PVC Schedule 40 force main to the modules. Effluent trickles down 30 inches of packed peat fiber to a 6-inch-deep gravel layer at the bottom of the modules before entering the gravel absorption bed. When the cabin is vacant, microorganisms living on the media go dormant. They reactivate to optimal performance levels when the homeowners return.
Result: The system was installed in a 30-by-40-foot area next to the cabin. Via an embedded microprocessor in the pump controller and a floatless pressure transducer in the pump chamber, the panel monitors liquid levels, controls pumping time intervals and logs events in real time. 800-221-4436; www.infiltratorwater.com
