A Day in the Life of a Servicing Engineer
10 February 2023
The servicing engineer plays a very important role in the maintenance of your ConSept or Sewage Treatment Plant. They have to go through a number of checks and fix anything that is not working. Some sewage treatment plant are 15 to 30 years old and we are still keeping them in good order, although we don’t install those types anymore. Some more examples of what we service are Klargester, Condor, Entec, Mantair, Mono Pump, Waterwise, Clearwater, Marsh and many others.
6 Person Bio Filter
The other day one of our servicing engineers serviced a 6 person bio filter. Here is a pdf of how to care for the Mini Biofilter and below is a diagram extracted from the handbook.
The irrigation pump on the right side sprays effluent over the media. Adding oxygen to the water in the process. We need oxygen to give the oxygenated bacteria all they need to digest the organic material in the water. If the irrigation pump fails, we have no treatment and so dirty water is sent to the ditch. So not so immediate of a problem. In the image here we see that it has been removed and cleaned.
The outlet pump from the left hand side, outlet pipe and distributor head (grey plastic disk) have been removed for servicing. Often the outlet pipe is below the level of ditch or river levels. So we have a lift pump to lift the final effluent out. If the outlet pump fails, water backs up into the house so the occupants cannot run any water.
This is the view from the top. The media bed (black pieces) are home to the aerobic bacteria.
The parts were removed to check and clean them and make a note of any advisories then replaced and checked again to ensure everything is in working order. The following explains how a servicing engineer will check and perform maintenance on another piece of sewage treatment equipment… an Allerton ConSept.
ConSept Servicing
Septic tank conversion units also need to be serviced regularly. For each item on the check-list the engineer will give it a pass or fail. He or she will then correct anything they can or provide advisories. The first thing they check is if the lid is secure. They then observe the overall performance of the unit. Next they check the odour to see if it is healthy.
The engineer will take a sample of the effluent, however, they will note if there is no flow meaning they can’t take the sample. They will check the condition of the sample chamber. It is a pass if there is no water present. The engineer checks the turbulence of the aeration, the liquid colour and condition, and they will remove rags or fats if there is a little bit present and they feel it will help with the flow. If there is flooding caused by too many wet wipes or grease and fat, for example, then an external company needs to come to the property to remove it using a desludger.
The syphon pipework is removed, cleaned and flushed. The outlet pipework gets flushed with a hose if it needs it. The uni-directional needle valve controls the air flow to the ConSept. The servicing engineer checks the condition and will add an advisory if need be, for example if there is some corrosion. The unit is then reassembled and the engineer checks that everything is working as it should.
Blower
When it comes to the blower, the engineer will need to check and replace various elements such as the air filter, diaphrams and magnets if need be. The blower's diaphragms and filter come free of charge when servicing the ConSept.
How to Learn More
Be sure to contact us to set up a servicing contract. If you have anymore questions, you may find the answer on our Frequently Asked Questions page. Here is where you can find more information about the types of things Allerton can service.
- Sewage Servicing and Maintenance
- Pump Station Servicing and Maintenance
- Allerton Servicing and Maintenance
- Septic Tank Conversion Unit Servicing and Maintenance
We will be pleased to service any other manufacturer’s Sewage Treatment Plant! We have 40 years of servicing units of all makes. And all sizes too - not just households but large housing estates, factory units as well as hotels and schools.