Do I need primary, secondary or advanced secondary treatment?

They describe how thoroughly the wastewater is cleaned before it goes out to the disposal field, which is the area of land set aside to receive it.

Primary treatment is what happens in a conventional septic tank. Solids settle, fats float, and bacteria break down some of the waste. The liquid still needs further treatment in suitable soil.

Secondary treatment adds another stage of biological treatment to remove more of the waste before the water reaches the land.

Advanced secondary treatment produces a higher-quality treated wastewater, with lower levels of remaining organic waste and suspended solids.

None of these turns wastewater into drinking water. Every option still needs a properly designed way to return it safely to the ground.

Before recommending a system, your designer needs to understand the house and the land.

They’ll look at how much wastewater the home needs to cater for, how the soil absorbs water, how wet the ground gets through winter, and where the disposal field can go. Slopes, waterways, boundaries and future building plans all come into it.

The soil matters because it does part of the job. Some ground can receive and further treat wastewater well. Other ground drains too slowly, stays wet or allows water to move through too quickly.

That’s why a big section doesn’t automatically mean every system will suit. It gives you room to work with, but the ground still needs to be up to the job.

A higher treatment level may be required where the site needs more protection or where the proposed land application method needs cleaner wastewater.

For example, a property close to a waterway may need a different approach from a roomy rural block with suitable soil. A smaller section may also need a system and disposal method that make better use of the available space.

Your designer should explain what’s required and why. You shouldn’t be left looking at a quote wondering what “advanced secondary” has to do with your house.

And cleaner wastewater doesn’t make unsuitable ground disappear. The system and disposal field still need to work together.

Then you have some flexibility.

If the assessment confirms there’s suitable soil, enough space and no requirement that rules out a particular option, you can choose around how you want to live.

You might prefer power-free treatment for an off-grid home. You might want advanced treatment even where it isn’t required. Or you may put more weight on installation costs, ongoing power use and maintenance.

There’s no need to choose the highest treatment level simply because it sounds like the best one. Equally, you don’t have to stick with the minimum if another suitable system offers benefits you value.

The useful question is: “Of the systems that work here, which one suits us best?”

WaterFlow has different options because properties and homeowners need different things.

NaturalFlow uses worms and natural filtration to treat wastewater without power in the treatment process. That can appeal to people wanting to keep energy use down or build off-grid. Depending on the levels of the site, a pump may still be needed to move the water.

BioPod uses biological treatment in a compact, lightweight unit. It can be worth considering where access or installation space is a factor, with pumping needs included in the design.

EconoTreat uses aerated treatment to produce advanced secondary-quality wastewater. It’s an option where that treatment level is required, or where an owner prefers it.

The right model still needs to meet the treatment standard and capacity set out in your design. We’ll help you understand the suitable options and what owning each one involves.

The system will be part of your property for a long time, so it’s worth asking more than “How much is the tank?”

Find out what the complete installation includes, how much electricity the system uses, what servicing it needs and who can look after it locally.

Tell your designer about holiday use, regular guests or plans for another dwelling, too. It’s much easier to allow for those things before the system goes in.

Get wastewater advice while you’re still planning where everything will go. The house, driveway, garage and water tanks can quickly claim the best spots for a disposal field.

Once the assessment is done, you should know what treatment level is needed, where the treated water will go and which systems suit the property.

From there, we can talk through what suits your lifestyle and budget. Much easier than choosing a tank first and trying to make the property fit it.