Septic system options

Can anyone tell me if there is a superior type of septic system out there or are they all similar in cost(both installation and running cost) and efficiency?

I was told about the worm farm style but have yet to talk to anyone that has one. They seem good tho

I've got a mate who has one that feeds the gardens/lawns etc. It has these pressure/vacuum pop-up things that do it.

Not sure how it all works but he's happy.

Maybe get a quote.

I have old style septic system that works well however anyone building new will have to put in treatment plant, it has electrical supply and aerates sewage and does other things that I don't know much about but it does need quarterly inspections so you are up for fees and you can kiss goodbye to 12-14k
You can do your research on the internet

I have one here.

First service/inspection after 6 months, then inspections every 2 years.

Being on a sloping block I don't use any electricity because of gravity feed out to the pits.

wormsfarms.com.au I think is their site.

All the other neighbours with HSTP's here get inspected every 3 months.

I note worm farm system does not include WA and Tas in the list of approved states
What did your system cost you?

I dare say because the owner actually drives the truck to deliver then install them. WA is too far to drive to be able to make a profit, and Tasmania because he hasn't bought 'floaties' for his truck yet.

Mine was around $13,000 from memory. So a bit more than your standard Taylex system as you see all around here, but just one inspection every 2 years, compared to 8 quarterly inspections, plus mine uses zero electricity throughout the year. The difference in price in my case can be made up in a couple of years.

.[/quote]
Mine was around $13,000 from memory. So a bit more than your standard Taylex system as you see all around here, but just one inspection every 2 years, compared to 8 quarterly inspections, plus mine uses zero electricity throughout the year. The difference in price in my case can be made up in a couple of years.[/quote]

How many people is that for? We need one for a house hold of 6

I believe it is supports up to 6 or 8 ... standard size tank, based upon what the council would call a '5 bedroom house' because of the 'habitable' rooms... reality is that it is a 3 bedroom.

Just took a look at my quote from them... they state :-



My system was actually $11,400 upon reading the quote.

We are getting a worm farm system installed this year. 5br plus study house. $11k. Gravity fed to trenches.

Bpratt do you find it soggy where the pipes are? Also does the waste water water your lawn or plants or does it drain away subsurface?

Not so much soggy, but you definately don't want to drive your car over the transpiration pits after it has been raining, but that is to be expected. We have had a spoon drain around the high side of the pits to prevent lots of water running over the top, as it is now diverted past it.

This is the same as what was used in the old days of a septic tank system, the overflow was diverted in to he same transpiration pits, and you should never drive over them on wet days or continuously.

I haven't had the surface of the ground look damp unless we've had rain, but the grass grows rather well in those areas.

We did have rain at a rate of 236mm/h (54mm in around 40 minutes) just the other week, which did run over my transpiration pit area, and in a day or so the ground was back to normal which surprised me, as I thought it would be very soggy there. Our land is H1, so I was expecting the pits to be rather mushy, but they weren't.

What part of vic are you in?

That's pretty good bpratt. We are hoping to plant fruit trees over the drainage area so they get free nutrient rich water and so our grassed area stays as useable as possible

North Central.

Thanks. That gives me a ball park figure to work towards. I do like the idea of the worm farm rather than the traditional septic systems