Grey Water System Odours

[spartan]

Hi all....

I live on acerage property that is about 20 years old. We have a spetic system, and a grey water system. We have been in the house for 3 years...

We are getting the sulphur dioxide type smells in the bathroom closest to the tank.

I've tried all sorts of active enzyme type treatments - but it seems as soon the grey water has been settling for a few hours then it starts to stink.

The tank drains to our backyard by some form of float type system - when the water reaches a certain level a valve is opened and the water flows out (I don't think its electric etc).

My question is this.....does anyone have any simple tips on rectifying this issue....Is it time to update the system - if so are there any recommendations....

[Cliff Rogers]

I'm interested to hear what others say about this too.
We have a new septic system, less than 2 years old & it gives off more smell that the one that is now about 20years old & has a caved in lid.

Some of the smell comes out the vent pipe & I think we need a taller pipe but there is a smell down near the tank as well. One plumber (not the one who supplied & installed it) suggested attacking the tank with a tube of silicon & goopping up all the joins around lids & openings.

Same bloke said to find some roadkill like a dead wallaby or possum & chuck that in the tank, he reckons it makes them work better.

[silentC]

Grey water systems seem to either use bacteria or chemicals to do the business. Ours uses bacteria and the only thing that will make it pong is if it isn't getting enough aeration for the bacteria to do their thing. The water is aerated with an air pump - it used to be a sump pump but that was costing too much to run. Have either of you got this type of set up?

[Cliff Rogers]

Ours is a single tank septic system & is mean to be anaerobic & gravity feed so we don't need any pumps.

Here is a snip from a document about what causes odour in a sewer system.
Not exactly what we are talking about but will give some idea to the cause.

..............
WHAT CAUSES SEWER ODOURS?

Before detailing HWC’s approach to odour control it may be useful to briefly discuss the formation of sewer odours. Many factors have the potential to contribute to the generation of odours in a wastewater transportation system and many different odorous compounds are produced by sewage. However the most prominent factor by far is the release of hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) from sewage which has become anaerobic (septic) due to retention time in the system. After around four hours sewage begins to become anaerobic and dissolved sulfides are formed. The higher the concentration of dissolved sulfides the greater the potential for the release of H2S leading to nuisance odours in the community and corrosion of components of the wastewater transportation infrastructure. Other factors affecting the potential for release of H2S are pH levels, turbulent flow conditions and trade waste discharges. The problem is further highlighted by the sensitivity of the human olfactory system to very low concentrations of H2S in the atmosphere.
..........

[silentC]

Well one thing my old man told me about septics is that they take awhile to start becoming effective. They form a crust on top and it takes time to build it up to a reasonable depth. I'd have thought 2 years would be long enough though.

[Cliff Rogers]

Also found this just now. I'm going to try some lime next.

It seems that I may have hi-jacked Spatan's thread as there is a differance between grey water & septic systems.

[silentC]

I'm going to try some lime next.

Yeah, that rings a bell. Something else the old fella said. Hey, he's about to swing past your place on his way to the cape. Maybe I should send him a message and get him to drop in and have a look. He's a grey water system serviceman down here

[Cliff Rogers]

....the old fella .... about to swing past your place on his way to the cape. Maybe I should send him a message and get him to drop in and have a look. .....

Thanks, I'll try the lime, let him have his holiday.
It is about 12° & blowing a gale & drizzle outside here at present & I'm sitting inside with a cold that would kill a brown dog.

[silentC]

It is about 12°

And he shaved off his 20 year old beard the other day! He'll catch cold for sure.

Back to Spartan's question, it might be worth contacting the supplier of the system. I don't think grey water systems have been around for that long, have they? Do you know what make it is?

If you're thinking of updating, I reckon Biolytix is worth considering. It uses worms and you can put food scraps in it as well. They're about $7,000 retrofitted to your existing septic tank.

[Cliff Rogers]

.... he shaved off his 20 year old beard the other day! He'll catch cold for sure.....

Only if he comes up to the Tablelands, the coast is warmer & the other side of the range is dry.

[woodcutta]

Our system is as Silent says uses bacteria both aerobic and anaerobic to break down waste.

When it started to smell a few weeks ago we contacted the service company and they advised us to pour a large tub of yoghurt in the toilet and flush it down. Within 4 hours - no more smell

woodcutta

[Cliff Rogers]

Any particular flavour?

[journeyman Mick]

Not sure about grey water systems but with the old style single tank septics it is possible to under-use them which leads to odour. This usually happens with new systems. In this case you can fix it by tipping a tin (or a few cups of dry) dog food in. This gives the bacteria something to feed on.

Mick

[Cliff Rogers]

....with new systems. In this case you can fix it by tipping a tin (or a few cups of dry) dog food in....

That has to be better than looking for a dead roo.

[journeyman Mick]

That has to be better than looking for a dead roo.

I can save you the looking, there's a four day old one just across the road from here if you want. Heard some noises one night and found a dead roo in the front yard.

Mick