Contact our experts GET A QUOTE

"Smart Flow visited our property today to help us with our septic tank. Their professionalism and expertise from the first call, to completing the work was outstanding. We cannot thank them enough - highly recommend!"

- Rebecca Snaith, Boldon.


Five Star Reviews

Septic tank installation & repair Boldon.

A septic tank should not emit a foul odour and should not be a source of pollution. Smart Flow NE service, repair, install, and upgrade / replace problem septic tank systems.

  • Septic tank and sewage treatment plant.
  • Pumping station - septic tank and cesspool emptying.
  • Pumps and pumping systems.
  • Water and wastewater solutions.
  • Land drainage - soakaways and liquid waste removal.
Septic Tanks

Need help?

FAQs about septic tanks & domestic sewage treatment plants.

A septic tank is a two or three chamber structure that retains sewage from a property for sufficient time to allow solid materials such as human and food wastes to form into sludge at the base of the tank. The remaining liquid then drains from the tank by means of an outlet pipe, which carries it through an open pipe called a leach drain, and into a soakaway where it percolates down through layers of gravel, sand, and soil.

Domestic treatment plants are usually made of glass-reinforced plastic, and they treat sewage to a higher standard than septic tanks. These units, which are more complex than septic tanks, require electrical connections and may also need compressed air. They discharge through an outlet pipe and soakaway in the same way as septic tanks.

A cesspool is a tank connected by a series of pipes to drains in a property. The tank collects sewage from the property and when it is full it must be emptied by a tanker and the waste water taken to a disposal point. Cesspools have no outlet pipe.

A septic tank is a container used to treat and dispose of small volumes of wastewater from houses or other small buildings that are located close together. Septic tanks are commonly used where there is no access to the mains drainage network.

Some of the sludge at the bottom of your septic tank will be digested by anaerobic bacteria and will disappear. Over time, the remaining sludge will build up and it needs to be pumped out of the septic tank. The tank never needs to be totally emptied, but you should have it "desludged" regularly.

According to the manufacturer's recommendations, you should empty your tank when the level of sludge reaches 50% of the tank's volume. For septic tanks, this should be done when the level of sludge reaches 30% of the primary tank’s total volume.

Septic tank failures are often related to inappropriate maintenance, such as when soakaways are installed in inadequate ground conditions or on excessive slopes. Poor maintenance, such as irregular septic tank emptying, can also cause solids to block the soakaway and clog the complete system.

Do not pour bleach into toilets or sinks. Avoid disposing of too much fat in your septic tank. Your septic tank is an environment where biological waste is treated biologically. Do not put the following items into your toilets or sinks: coffee grounds, disposable diapers, animal litter, hygiene products and sanitary items, cigarette ends, fats and greases, paper towels, paints, detergents, and pesticides - these products may harm the bacteria in septic tanks.

If your septic tank smells bad, this may be a sign that the biomass has died. First determine what may have killed the biomass, as this is likely to be a product you have poured down your sink or toilet. If this is the case, you may need to add bacteria to your septic tank.

Please contact Smart Flow NE - your local Boldon septic tank specialist for any problem related to your septic tank or if your system needs servicing or emptying.

Scum, composed of FOG (fats, oils, and grease) from daily domestic activities such as cooking, washing up, etc., forms on the surface of septic tanks. The enzymes in bio-degradation septic tank treatment will break down this scum over time. However, if the scum in your primary tank dries out and gets too thick, air cannot reach the liquid effluent. The bacteria need oxygen for aerobic degradation of pollutants in sewage. A hard and dry scum crust means that it is time to get in a contractor to desludge your septic tank.

Contact our experts GET A QUOTE