48% Of Households Septic Tanks Fail.

The review of the of the National Inspection Plan for septic tanks has shown that almost half of household septic tanks fail inspection. The Environmental Protection Agency report showed that 48% of household septic tanks inspected by local authorities failed.

ls

It is evident that many of the failures could be simply avoided by householders taking simple steps to de-sludge and maintain their treatment system. 987 inspections were carried out by local authority inspectors and more than half of domestic waste water treatment systems passed inspection.

The EPA has said that it expected the failure rate to be significant, but that many of the failures could have been avoided by very simple measures.

Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement David Flynn has spoken on record that half of the problems were very straight-forward, and required cleaning the tank rather than replacing it. He said the EPA is trying to increase the awareness of servicing the tank on an ongoing basis.

“We were expecting that the failure rate would be significant and I think what this shows is that the failures, a lot of them could have been avoided by very simple things that people could do, such as de-sludging the tank, which is effectively just emptying the system on a regular basis,” he concluded.

At Irish Drain Services, We offer a comprehensive service for both Household & Industrial Desludging, covering everything from small domestic septic tanks to large industrial units. This includes emptying, cleaning and inspecting any given system and advising on the on-going maintenance of the unit. We range from servicing large pumping stations, sumps, wetwells, septic tanks to forecourt interceptors, our specialist waste teams will manage your waste requirements efficiently and professionally.

We also specialise in the emptying, cleaning, repair and servicing of Bio-cycle units, both domestic and industrial. Additionally we are also qualified to certify the units.

Contact us Today for your FREE Quotation!!

What is the difference between a Grease Trap and a Grease Interceptor?

A common question we here at Irish Drain Services come across quite a bit. What is the difference? Well to put it simply, A Grease trap and a Grease Interceptor are devices that are used to trap grease and solid waste before entering the water waste disposal system.

A Grease Trap

A grease trap is a small grease disposal device usually located under the sink above the ground.  Sizes are usually will vary from 10 gallons up to 500 gallons.  Due to the small size the grease trap should be serviced more often to prevent overflows and clogging.

 A Grease Interceptor

A grease interceptor is located under the ground and it will hold more than the grease trap. Sizes of grease interceptors are usually within 500 gallons and up.  Service increments for grease interceptors are longer than a grease trap because of its waste capacity.

How often does the grease interceptor or grease trap need be serviced?

Grease trap / interceptor service increments will vary depending on the size and the amount of usage.  by contacting us here at Irish Drain Services we can advise you on the best course of action to make sure your restaurant, shop or kitchen  remain at their high working standards. Failing to pump or clean in an untimely manner the grease trap / interceptor can cause in bound and out bound lines to clog, grease interceptor / trap to overflow, foul odour’s, grease to harden, and violations.grease-interceptor

For more Information or Queries please contact us,
We’d be more than happy to help.

Furry Friend Surprises Man Sitting On The Throne

4618022917

A man in the Midleton area of Co Cork had an unexpected visitor l
ast week when he made a trip to the bathroom, The man was bitten by a rat
while sitting on the toilet.

 

Yesterday, Councillor Noel Collins reported the incident to Cork County Council during a Southern Area Meeting, after asking them to investigate the possibility of flushing rat poison through the sewer system.

“The flooding resulted in another problem for residents, that of rat infestation, which really upset many families, mentally and physically, and indeed, one elderly gentleman suffered a rat bite to his posterior while using his toilet, and had to receive immediate medical attention,” he said.

A plumber found a broken sewer pipe nearby, which is believed to have allowed the rat to enter the system.

The council warned that flushing rat poison through the public system could lead to contamination of other water sources, but said that Irish Water are responsible for vermin control within the system.

Cllr Collins added: “I would advise homeowners to keep their toilet seats down when not in use, and to watch their posteriors.”

*Taken from Evening Echo*

Failing Septic Tanks Increasing In County Cork

Prior to the start of 2016, Cork county council inspectors had carried out 245 examinations of septic tanks, of which 137 (56%) were non-compliant.

This year, they have carried out 21 inspections, 15 of which did not meet the required standard, amounting to a non-compliance rate of 71%. Six inspections were carried out on septic tanks in West Cork and all were non-complaint.

Fine Gael Councillor Kevin Murphy said he was concerned at the increasing failure rate. In most cases, septic tanks fail because they are not regularly de-sludged, he said, while Independent Councillor Alan Coleman urged council officials to carry out a public awareness programme on the issue.

Officials said it was estimated there are upwards of 50,000 septic tanks in the county, a number of which are not registered.

If people have not registered their septic tanks, they will not get any government grant-aid should they develop a fault.

Five recent inspections identified major non-compliance issues, which will require significant work, or even the complete replacement of septic tanks, said council officials.

The county council has, on behalf of the Department of Environment, paid out 10 grants to householders who needed to carry out repairs to the tanks. The grants totaled €20,336.

A number of applications are currently being processed by the council.

Ted O’Leary, a senior official with the council’s environment directorate, said there was a significant level of non-compliance and he agreed with Mr Coleman that it would be a good idea if the local authority carried out an awareness programme on de-sludging.

The council is concentrating its inspections in areas where leaking septic tanks could pollute rivers and springs which are sources for public drinking water.

By Sean O’Riordan
Irish Examiner
23/05/16

Suspected Sewage Leak Closes Busy Beach

Four beaches in north Dublin have been closed for swimming on the hottest weekend of the year so far because of suspected sewage pollution.

 

Swimming at beaches at Rush, Balbriggan, Skerries and Loughshinny has been banned for 72 hours because of a deterioration in the quality of the water. This is believed to have been due to a “suspected sewage discharge” from a waste water treatment plant, according to the local council.

A warning about the beach closures was issued to local councillors by Garry O’Brien of the Environment Department of Fingal County Council. “Pumps at the foul sewer pumping station at Hampton Cove, Balbriggan, failed on Saturday June 4 and the pump station has been on overflow for a period of time,” he said. “This action is being taken to ensure we are not compromising the health of bathers. “Loughshinny Beach and Rush North Beach were closed after inspections revealed a “significant amount” of matter, including sanitary towels , had washed up on the shores.

Fingal Councillor Grainne Maguire said: “It’s very serious because it stretches from Balbriggan all the way to Rush. It’s a huge issue.” Councillor JP Browne said it was “a real shame” and that Fingal County Council and Irish Water were working together to solve the problem. “It’s very disappointing and will have a huge affect on Fingal’s tourism.”

This year Portmarnock beach, also in Fingal, lost its Blue Flag, while Skerries lost its Blue Flag the year before.

Ciara Treacy
Irish Independant
6th June 2016

€30 Million Water Treatment Plant For The Kingdom

mmy3n2u2yWork has begun to build a new water treatment plant on Lough Guitan, Killarney, in Co Kerry.

The plant is being built by Irish Water as part of a €30 million investment in the Kerry Central regional water supply scheme.

More than 62,000 people are dependent on the scheme, which covers nine water supply zones. The treatment plant at Lough Guitane, a mountain lake near will provide 51m litres of treated water per day to residents in Tralee, Killarney, Castleisland, and Castlemaine, in addition to an extensive rural area across the county as well as the county’s tourist industry.

All of the zones are currently on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List due to lack of adequate water treatment facilities.

It is hoped the required treatment processes are in place by the end of 2017, while the project is due to be completed by mid-2018.

This project forms part of Irish Water’s investment plan where more than €530m will be invested in upgrading services in 2016 to improve the country’s water and waste water infrastructure.

The Irish Water Business Plan has earmarked almost €2 billion to improve waste water quality and capacity to 2021.