Press

 

SludgeHammer Gets Thumbs Up From IAPMO.

The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has granted certification to SludgeHammer ’s revolutionary technology. After rigorous testing, SludgeHammer is the first device to restore function to septic leach systems that have become clogged with organic material under IAPMO’s new standard (#IGC 180-2003). This standard defines the Aerobic Bacterial Generator (ABG) and the new SludgeHammer is now the only such device listed to this standard.

Devices of this type have often been tested to the NSF-40 standard for testing and certification. This standard is useful for new systems, and the SludgeHammer is currently under testing for it, but for remediation of existing systems the IAPMO standard is more appropriate.

SludgeHammer is IAPMO Certified

Nature Gets A Boost

Septic systems have successfully treated household waste for hundreds of years. Soil absorbs the waste and microbes in the ground consume organic material. As long as there is oxygen, the microbes thrive. The problem is that most of the bacteria released in septic effluent is from fecal material flushed down toilets. These bacteria secrete thick mucous coatings which allow them to survive the acids and enzymes in the intestine. When these bacteria reach the soil they slowly clog it with this excess mucous slime.

The designers of the SludgeHammer realized that the key to restoration was to change the complement of microbes going to the soil. Dr. Dan Wickham used his two decades of experience as a research ecologist at the University of California to experiment with wastewater applications and inoculation with various strains of Bacillus bacteria for bioremediation of contaminated soils.

Dan realized that this, combined with an airlift design that could aerate septic tanks more efficiently than any existing systems, would allow him to introduce a packet of the powerful Bacillus and keep them alive and flourishing in the hostile environment of a septic tank or grease trap.

He also discovered these bacteria had an appetite for the anaerobic sludge in manure ponds, reducing its viscosity and improving water circulation. He reasoned the ability to generate large volumes of these beneficial bacteria by feeding them the waste in the septic tank would allow them to pass into the soil. There, they could consume the slime so water could also pass freely into the soil.

Measuring Success

After many years and over hundreds of examples of SludgeHammers restoring homeowner leach fields, it fell to IAPMO to develop a standard and rigorous testing protocol -- one that could certify the process and insure that other devices entering the marketplace would be held to the same high standard.

A testing system was installed at the UC Davis Wastewater Treatment facility. It consisted of two IAPMO listed septic tanks loaded with raw influent from the plant headworks. Lysimeters, or test leach disposal units, were constructed to receive the overflow from the tanks. Each tank had three 4 ft. diameter x 2 ft. deep lysimeters. A drain at the bottom was overlain with pea gravel and 12-14 inches of sand. This was covered with drain rock, and a measured flow was delivered to each lysimeter at a high enough rate (10-12 gpd/sq.ft. of sand) that it would allow the slime layer to clog the soil and reduce the percolation rate to less than 1.0 gpd/sq.ft.

At that time a unit was installed in each septic tank in the inlet chamber. One was allowed to operate as an aeration device without any introduced bacteria. The other was inoculated with the blend of facultative bacteria. Loads to the lysimeters were maintained at a high rate, greater than 8 gpd/sq.ft., and monitored until the lysimeters were able to restore percolation to a level of at least 5 gpd/sq.ft.

The device restored the percolation rate to this level in less than 60 days, thereby qualifying for listing. The aerated-only version restored percolation to about double the original rate, while the inoculated version restored percolation to almost 6 times the original rate, or three times the restoration with air alone. This is important to the standard because the device is defined as an Aerobic Bacterial Generator -- NOT an Aerobic Treatment Unit (ATU), which is typically governed by the NSF-40 standard. While it is known and accepted in the industry that some recovery of leach function is possible with an ATU, it is the extra power of the bacterial enhancement that sets this technology apart and requires the new standard to distinguish the approaches. NSF-40 devices would not meet the IAPMO IGC 180 requirement.

Focusing on the critical functional aspect of leach disposal makes the IAPMO standard far more relevant to the onsite industry. The ability to restore leach function allows millions of septic system owners the option of preserving their investment in treatment infrastructure. And this same process allows owners of new systems to enjoy the economy of a standard septic system, while protecting their investment for the long term.