2020 vision for self-build wastewater solution

Whilst not the most glamourous part of building a new home, selecting the correct wastewater treatment solution is a crucial decision that will keep your home, garden and the surrounding environment safe for years to come. It’s an important decision and one that I thoroughly researched before finally settling on a Kingspan Klargester BioFicient domestic sewage treatment plant for my own home.

Building in rural location outside Ballymoney, our home’s location didn’t have access to mains drainage, therefore the responsibly for our wastewater treatment lay with us, as the homeowners.

This isn’t a decision that you want to get wrong. I’ve heard too many horror stories and the significant associated costs that are incurred to repair damage; therefore, choosing the most reliable and environmentally friendly system was a key consideration.

The options available to us were septic tanks or domestic sewage treatment plants. I was already pretty knowledgeable in this area but before deciding, I looked into each of the options in more detail.

Weighing up all of the options, we decided to go for a treatment plant over a traditional septic tank installation as our site is directly beside bogland, which is home to a wide variety of plant life and animals.

In NI, the ‘consent to discharge’ stipulates that the wastewater treatment solution chosen by a home builder must deliver effluent quality to at least 95%, and the Klargester BioFicient delivers effluent quality of approximately 97.5%. It was these environmental properties of the Klargester BioFicient domestic sewage treatment plant gave it the edge, safely discharging wastewater with as little impact to the environment as possible.

By using a system that treats wastewater, removing as many pollutants as possible before it is discharged into the ground, homeowners can respect their surroundings and habitat, and this was extremely important to my wife and I. We were committed to building a home that integrated into the beautiful, natural surroundings of our site.

Ease of Installation: Having difficult ground conditions around the site due to the adjacent bogland, it was important to try and keep excavations and construction work to a minimum, or installation could have worked out very expensive. Due to the low-profile design, the Klargester BioFicient was ideal for shallow dig installations, keeping installation costs as low as possible. The product’s unique design includes a low-profile cover and adjustable extension neck, and this helped us to save on on-site installation time and expense.

The ease of installation combined with the strong environmental benefits, economical running costs and reduced emptying made the decision simple and the Klargester BioFicient domestic sewage treatment plant was the quality and reliable option for our self-build.

For self-builders, I understand first-hand the pressures of a home build and watching the budget, but from experience, don’t always go for the cheapest option as it could be much more expensive in the long run. Speak to your architect and builder for sound advice.