Andrey Ratnikov is an expert in the study and organization of autonomous sewage systems, a member of the Union of Designers of Building Engineering Systems. One of his inventions is an autonomous septic tank, which can be used for wastewater treatment in private homes and cottages.
What is a septic tank?
To begin with, there are two possible methods of wastewater treatment.
- Natural cleaning. In the soil and water bodies occur the natural processes of water purification. This is due to biological oxidation processes. So, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria existing in water and soil purify the wastewater flowing through them. If the amount of wastewater is not too large, then natural processes can clean them yourself.
- Artificial. With impressive volumes of wastewater, biochemical processes cannot be enhanced naturally. A large accumulation of pollution, on the contrary, reduces the speed of natural processes, therefore, in order to avoid environmental disasters, artificial conditions are created for their cleaning.
Septic tank is an artificially created structure designed for preliminary treatment of a small amount of domestic wastewater. In simple terms, this is a filter that holds in itself small substances that fill contaminated water.
Such devices are widely represented on the market by foreign manufacturers, but Ratnikov's septic tank can be developed and installed independently. At the same time, installation costs will be minimal, unlike other technologies, and the result will exceed all expectations.
Where can I install a home-made sewer system
In order to avoid soil erosion under the building, septic tanks and cleaning systems are installed at a distance of 5 meters from the buildings; nearby buildings should also be taken into account.
If the septic tank is planned to be installed in the garden, it should be borne in mind that the root system of trees can adversely affect the efficiency of the structure. To avoid reducing efficiency, you should choose a place within a radius of 2-3 meters from which trees do not grow.
It is strictly forbidden to install home-made cleaning systems on the territory of sanitary-protected areas, rocky terrain, where the soil does not perform cleaning functions, and in areas prone to landslides.
The scheme of the device and the principle of operation
The purification system consists of pipes through which sewage water enters the rings consisting of the septic system, where primary wastewater treatment takes place, and then enters the purification well or another septic tank ring. Ventilation pipes and gas outlets must also be included in the system.
Calculate the correct design of the septic tank Ratnikov will help the works presented by him. On average, one person produces 200 liters of wastewater per day, respectively, the rings should be of the same volume. The scheme allows you to install one massive ring for sewage or several with the required total volume. For this, the cleaning tanks are connected together in series using pipes, which facilitates their communication with each other. This method also allows you to increase the life of the system and to clean filters from solids as rarely as possible.
Pit preparation
Rings for the septic tank should be installed at a depth of three meters from the surface of the earth. The foundation pit for the septic tank should be large and roomy. All the sewer rings will be located here. Also, the pit should have an additional place for backfilling gravel. On average, it should be 30 centimeters wider than the design.
The bottom of the pit should be carefully aligned. After that, it should be sprinkled with a 15-cm layer of sand and filled with water in order to ensure maximum shrinkage.
If you plan to use concrete rings for sewage without a bottom, then the bottom of the pit should be concreted, and then place rings in it and process the joints of structures.
Septic tank installation
First of all, rings under the septic tank are laid on the bottom. Further, from the inside, they should be waterproofed with layers of hot bitumen, and with the outside glued with roll insulation. The filter well is mixed after the sump. At the bottom should be laid in advance prepared composition of gravel, small stones and other cleaning land components. The height of the embankment must be at least 30 cm.
The next step is the installation of overflows. For these purposes, you can use pipes from any materials, both iron and plastic. The drainage pipe should be located 5-6 centimeters higher than the discharge pipe. In order to ensure the circulation of effluents from top to bottom, a sewer tee is mounted at the ends of the pipes. The outlet of the purified water should go through a pipe directed deep into the soil with a horizontal inclination.
The ventilation pipe must be at least 70 cm high from ground level and connected between all compartments of the system.
When the structure is assembled, it should be covered with a roof and covered with soil.
Advantages of installing Ratnikov septic tank
- Complexes of biochemical wastewater treatment processes flow inside the system.
- A self-created septic tank will cost several times cheaper than its production counterparts.
- Ratnikov’s septic tank is also suitable for dummies who have only indirect ideas about arranging engineering systems, since the designer has developed many materials that allow to calculate the design of the septic tank to the smallest detail.
- The average service life of such structures is 15 years.
- Ratnikov’s septic tank from rings allows you to create a purification system designed for individual needs.
- Filters do not require frequent replacement.
- You can collect Ratnikov's septic tank using even improvised materials.
Summing up, it can be noted that Ratnikov’s works provide detailed instructions for creating an autonomous wastewater treatment system with minimal financial costs, not inferior to Western analogues of this system. But the design of the Ratnikov septic tank and the installation of the system require detailed miscalculations of the load of the sewer system.