Just then, your brother came in and announced that he had a gallon of ice cream and a litter of Coke. Every nerve in your body told you that you should just dump the ice tea in the fridge for a while ant get loaded up with that ice cream float. Your parents were out of town and it was your brother who was in charge of the house until they got back. He had a job as the manager in the local two-storey market so he had access to virtually anything that you would ask him to bring home for you. There was a time when you just had to have chocolate tidbits in your cheesecake and all you had to do was text your brother for it. When he got home, your cheesecake was decorated with the chocolate bits. Your brother spoiled you a lot but you knew that being the eldest was hard work.
When you had your fill of three ice cream floats, you decided to crawl your lounge area again, turn on the TV and watch some of your favorite series. When your brother checked the to-do list, he found out that he had to call the septic expert the next day to have your sand mound aerated. Your eyebrows raised, you asked what that was this a about. Your brother just said that you would find out the next day if you really wanted to watch.
The next day, the septic expert came with his aeration gear. He was like going to build a bomb with the things he had in his truck. He said you parents made the right decision in having your raised mound aerated. In aerating your raised mound, you increase the number of aerobic bacteria that improve the wastewater quality in your raised mound. It is basically adding more oxygen in your raised mound to encourage the aerobic bacteria in what they do. But how to aerate a sand mound was the question of the day? The septic expert was more than happy to demonstrate to you and to your curious, large dog.
1. Connect the aeration system to an electrical source.
2. The ATU (aerobic treatment unit) oxidizes the dissolved oxygen that is already in the wastewater to support the aerobic bacteria. The bacteria break down the organic nitrogen into simpler inorganic compounds or simple carbon dioxide.
3. The ATU then separates the solidified wastes in the so-called trash tank.
4. Then air or oxygen is pumped into the sand mound system.
5. The mixer will stimulate the wastewater and incorporate more oxygen into the wastewater.
6. Additional solidified wastes are later on separated inside the settlement tank or the clarifier.
7. The treated wastes will be returned to the primary tank for further treatment.
8. The nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur are transformed into minerals.
You were amazed at how educational the start of your summer vacation was. Somehow, you already had an idea of how to aerate a sand mound. You discussed all that in Biology class. But the treatment didn’t stop there. The septic expert told you and your brother to observe the run of the system and evaluate the improvement that the aeration brought into the system. After a few weeks, occasional backups and clogs didn’t happen anymore. It was truly one of the best decisions that your parents made that year.