12 YEARS WITH A COMPOSTING WASTE WATER DISPOSAL SYSTEM

The system's main components

As mentioned in the last post we recently had trouble with the pump that moved water from our worm farm waste water disposal chamber to the underground distribution system. As many people who come on our permaculture tours are interested in the system, we thought we would elaborate on how it works and review its performance over the past 12 years.

The system is called the A&A Worm Farm Waste System (designed and built in Australia) and we are very happy with it. All waste (bathroom, toilet and kitchen) flows by gravity to a storage chamber (the worm farm). Solids form a compost heap in the tank and liquids gradually drain through into the sump. A submersible pump activated by floats takes a couple of minutes to pump the liquid to the disposal area where the waste is dispersed underground.

 

Our plan is to one day run this waste water through reed beds and then use it to water fruit trees. It is possible on some sites (in fact desirable) to have the whole system run by gravity. This would negate the need for a pump, and the only need for power would be to charge the battery on the alarm system which lets you know if the system is not working properly.

The rechargeable alarm

There is a compost bin on top of the chamber for adding other organic matter. We dispose of cardboard boxes and invasive weeds through this, to give the worms some variety in their diet. 

Over 12 years we have had some large parties and events and the system has coped well. The solids in the chamber have reached about the halfway mark and seem to have stabilized at this level. As the solids are broken down by microbes and worms, small particles get flushed out with the water.

We see the system’s main advantages as:-

·                 The waste water can be put to use in orchards or grassy areas

·                 Minimal power use (Almost nil if gravity is used instead of the pump)

·                 The cost of the system is reasonable with no ongoing maintenance contracts (like some other systems)

·                 There is virtually no odour – even when the access lid is lifted up

·                 A simple design that doesn’t require specific technical knowledge and problems are easy to diagnose and fix

·                 Most of the time there is no maintenance required at all

·                 The compost chamber allows easy disposal of persistent weeds and other organic matter

Looks like a compost heap inside!

 

How has it performed?

Even though we have had occasional issues that need attention, we think its performance over the 12 years has been excellent.  During this period it has largely operated day in and day out without us giving it a second thought.

The issues that have arisen with the system have mostly been of a minor nature and were easily fixed.

• Stuck floats. A couple of times the floats that turn the system off and on have become stuck. Usually the solution is to give the sump outflow pipe a shake and this frees them up.
• Build up of sediment. Every year or so we pull the pump out of the sump, wash it down, inspect it and empty any sediment that has built up in the bottom of the sump. The pump is not designed to cope with sediment so this is more of a precautionary measure.
• Pumps have a limited lifespan. Our issue with the pump was detailed in the last post
• Blocked Disposal trenches. This took a bit of effort to solve, but was very site specific. During the drought (years of very dry conditions) the ground surrounding our disposal trenches dried out to such an extent, it had set like concrete, and lost the capacity to absorb water. We would have had the same issue with any system of underground distribution of waste water.  In these conditions our soils were just not capable of absorbing the required amounts of waste water quickly enough. We replaced the first few metres of the installed underground distribution channels with Plastic Domed Drain Material which had a much bigger capacity and was capable of holding the waste water long enough for it to be absorbed over a longer period of time.

Domed drainage added to each absorption trench

 

Most of our issues were relatively easy to solve in retrospect. They were also part of the process of learning about how the system works, its limitations and maintenance needs. This last point is part of our basic philosophy – to take responsibility where possible for growing food, generating power, harvesting rain water and disposing of our own waste. Life has become one huge learning experience!

Fixing our Worm Farm Waste Water Treatment System

At about the worst possible time (between Christmas and New Year) one of our electrical safety switches activated, switching off power in the house. After a few minutes of plugging appliances into various power points, we narrowed the problem down to the circuit that supplies the back half of the house.

Further investigation showed the problem was in the submersible pump that pumped waste water out of our worm farm waste water tank. This system processes all our effluent from the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The waste water filters through a compost heap, where the solids sit until they decompose and the pump empties excess water that builds up in the sump.

 

There is no odour in the worm farm tank but the waste water entering the sump does have a mild smell. (Mild compared to that in a traditional septic system.) Still there is an odour and it is not the best time to be working with it, in the middle of our hottest summer for many years. This timing was also unfortunate because during this period most plumbers, plumbing suppliers and pump repairers were on their annual holiday. We decided that our only option was to have a go at it ourselves.

 

After checking the power point it was clear that the fault lay in the actual pump. It was time to get our hands dirty and extract the pump. It is fairly heavy at 15kg and a reasonably tight fit with the attached floats, but we managed to disconnect the wiring and piping and haul the unit up to the surface. We worked through many of the obvious possible problems trying it out again and again after each time. We even left it for a few days in the hope that if moisture was causing a short circuit it would dry out and at least work for another week or more. No luck!

 

Then we got on the phone and managed to find a pump repairer who worked from home. He did a few tests and told us that it was indeed faulty and would cost more to repair than buy a new one. The next day we went to Water Pros, an irrigation supplier in Lilydale (by now the holidays had finished). They were very helpful and to our amazement had a new pump for us within 2 days at a better price than I could find on the internet. We highly recommend them for their service and price on irrigation and pump equipment.

Once home we removed the piping, floats and wires from the old pump and transferred these to the new pump. After a few trials and tribulations we turned it on and it worked (no tripping of safety switches) and as the water level rose, it activated the shut off float and turned itself off. We were back to normal at last!

 

Altogether it took over a week to get the system working again. That was a week with minimal showers and working out ways to dispose of kitchen and laundry water onto the lawn (not a bad idea in summer anyway). The main worry was the fact that if water levels built up in the tank, the composting worms that process the waste, would all drown. Therefore emptying the waste water in the sump by hand (using a plastic ice cream tub screwed to the end of a pole) became a daily ritual. It took around 30 minutes to lift out about 200 litres.

The pump has now been working well for around six weeks, so we are hoping it will do so for many more years yet. However, both the pump repairer and the irrigation shop staff said you are lucky to get 5 or 6 six years out of a submersible pump in our situation (the old one was 9 years old). When we get time we will take the old one apart and see if we can repair it and keep it as a spare for emergencies.

 

Over the years we have found that it is possible to give things ago ourselves. As owner builders we frequently come across issues that are beyond our existing knowledge. We are by no means technically minded, but often find that doing some research on the web, asking around for information and taking things step by step helps. The process takes longer, can be a bit frustrating but it saves money and we learn new skills at the same time.

Back at work on the Cottage

Even though it has been a hot dry summer with regular temperatures in the thirties, we have been steadily at work on “Tenderbreak Cottage” (formerly our barn). Several helpers have helped us get the mud brick walls started and they are close to a metre high already.

Our latest helper is Andrea from Italy and he has helped us do one of the trickier parts of the retrofit, which is to strengthen the roof frame to make it strong enough to support a solar hot water system. This involved installing heavy duty beams to support the extra loading on the roof and bolting these into place.

 

The next step was to use recycled chipboard to make a temporary floor on top of the existing collar ties so that we had a stable working platform to walk on. Once this was in place we cut the extra rafters to size, installed them beside the existing ones and bolted them in place.

 

This job would have been quite difficult to do alone, and it was great to have an enthusiastic helper like Andrea.  He was happy to help to lift the long timber beams and work in the reasonably confined space (which was quite hot up under the roof).

He cheerfully contributed his muscle power, helped work out methods to overcome problems that arose and made a good working companion. In fact he was so keen, that on his last day when we suggested we could take him for a drive and look at some of the local sights, Andrea said he would prefer to finish off the roof frame because as he said “when he starts a job, he likes to do a good job and finish it”.

 

Thanks to Andrea our little cottage has moved one step closer to completion!

A Simple Pet Carry Crate made from Recycled Materials

Our family has a new member called “Cobber”.  Cobber* is a Red Heeler or Australian Cattle Dog puppy.  The lady who sold us Cobber suggested we buy a puppy carry crate so he could ride in the car. We were not keen on spending money on a commercially made crate, which we may only use once, so we thought out a much cheaper (free) alternative, using an old grass catcher from a lawn mower.

The grass catcher was perfect for the job because it was reasonably light, had a built in handle, was secure and strong, had good air circulation, allowed the puppy to see out, was safe without rough edges and easy to clean.

The door was made from an old refrigerator shelf. It was strong being made from stainless steel, easy to clean and without rough edges. It was cut to size with bolt cutters and bent to shape to fit over the grass catcher opening.

We bolted a piece of wood to the top of the catcher as a base for a door hinge mechanism.

To enable the door to open freely we used what we had on hand, which were  “U” shaped staple nails, but could have used wire or “U” bolts to make a neater job.

We made a simple toggle locking mechanism out of a piece of scrap wood, which rotates to lock or open the door.

The whole job took less than an hour. The carry box could be used to transport a variety of small animals such as cats, puppies, rabbits, guinea pigs, large lizards and small poultry.

 

Well how did it work in practice? Cobber travelled happily and of course we made regular stops to give him a toilet break and a walk around. We are unlikely to use it for Cobber in the future though, as he has already grown bigger in the past couple of weeks.

*Cobber is an Australian colloquialism meaning "mate" or "friend".

In Memory of “Blue”

This is the hardest and saddest blog entry to write for us. It has been five months now since our dear dog “Blue” passed away suddenly.

Blue was only six years old (not old for a Blue Heeler) when he developed bowel cancer. It all happened so quickly that we were all in total shock and heartfelt pain.  Even now we still feel overwhelming sadness with a huge hole of emptiness in our hearts. It seems he is still here and each morning and dozens of times each day we are expecting to see his smiley face or waggy tail, but of course we cannot.

Blue was our very first dog and in his short life he became a very special member of our family.  Each of our family members developed their own personal relationship with him. This dear dog gave so much to so many people who met him.  The adage that “a dog is man’s best friend” is so true.

Blue was handsome, loving, loyal, absolute fun, cheeky, obedient (except when sniffing out rabbits), “ratter” extraordinaire, watchdog, friend to children and adults alike, playful (especially with other dogs) and much, much more. Most of all though, he was a real character, so easy to love and he gave love back unconditionally.

We have asked ourselves how we can move on without a constant feeling of loss and the gnawing heartache that goes with it, but never forgetting the special place that Blue holds in our lives. Blue would have loved a puppy mate to play with, and we did contemplate another dog to grow up with him.

Your mate is coming Blue; a little red heeler pup called “Cobber”. He is your best mate and will continue to keep the essence of you alive in our hearts.

Our daughter Sally compiled the attached video clip to celebrate Blue’s life.

We’ve hit a century!

Our first open day. The crowd "blew us away".

Not in age, but in the number of posts we have done on this blog! We actually passed this milestone without even realising it, but now we know, it is a good time to reflect over the four and half years of our history that is recorded in our blog. More detail about the events below can be found by clicking on the links or using the blog index on the right hand side.


What a beautiful day it was.

2008 posts started with a report about our first public open day on 21 September. It was held in conjunction with Permaculture Yarra Valley as part of a project to celebrate 30 years of permaculture in Australia. As it was an “open” event we had no idea of the number of people who would turn up and were blown away (stunned!) when over 500 people came to do a tour. Apart from the wonderful day, this event was the primary motivation for starting the blog.

The garden looking towards the dam

The next three posts went back in time and told about our background and how Tenderbreak Permaculture Farm came into existence (our vision and permaculture design, our owner builder experience and setting up our gardens. See building related posts.

The frame went up fairly quickly

2009 started off really well with posts about the start of our regular small group tours (which we still run from time to time) and about the wonderful wildlife that shares this property with us. Then things turned ugly with the devastating Black Saturday bushfires that burned much of Victoria as well as 90% of our bushland.

Our beautiful forest became a changed landscape

After several posts about our experience in the fires, we tried to get back to normal with posts about other topics. They included a post on our first “WOOFER” a lovely French girl named Emilie, several posts about the design and building of our passive solar mud brick house and how we turned our garage into a temporary art gallery for our photographer daughter.

The garden with burnt forest in the background

2010 was fairly light on for posts. One reason was because this was the year our experience with the fires caught up with us. We made a trip to Europe to catch up with family members that we hadn’t seen for many years, but when we returned to our still blackened landscape, many deep emotions came to the surface. For several months we were feeling low and it took quite some time before we could get on top of it. Even today the sight of wild fires on the news brings a lump to our throats. Amazingly, not long after that, we went through what we call “The big wet” where for weeks on end we were getting really good rains- so much so, there was flooding through much of the Yarra River including across our access road.

The "Big Wet"

2011 in retrospect was a really good year. There were lots of posts about our developing gardens, visiting helpers, new infrastructure and our future dreams (including our plans to use steam to generate electricity).

Our new verandah

2012 was largely summarised in the last post. As for 2013, well that is a story we cannot tell yet, but we will tell it as soon as it reveals itself to us. If the past is anything to go by, there will be surprises (some good and some bad), there will be many, many things to learn, much to do and many wonderful people to meet (in person and over the web). Life is certainly a rich tapestry!

2012. Not the end of the world, but the start of a new journey

For us 2012 became the year we got fully into Helpx and started a new journey. The Helpx website links hosts with travellers who would like the opportunity to stay and work with local people and gain practical experience and cultural exchange in return for free board.

Alex & Karen

As Tenderbreak is a large rural property and as we are still building its key infrastructure, there is a list of jobs “a mile long”. We also try to grow as much of our own food as possible, so there are continual tasks associated with this process, from preparing and planting the crop, right through to harvesting and storage.

Sarah weeding the garlic

 

Now that we are in our sixties, sometimes our bodies have the odd objection to the ideas in our minds, so we end up with the occasional ache or pain to slow us down. The perfect solution is to welcome Helpers who have the energy, enthusiasm and interest to help us out. In return we provide free board, share our knowledge and skills and hopefully give them an enjoyable experience on their travels.

Jeff shifting mud bricks

This year we have had a total of 14 helpers from seven different countries. Every one of them are lovely people with whom it was a joy to share our lives. And they have all been instrumental in helping us do many important tasks that would have been much more difficult and slow-going, if we had to do them all by ourselves. We look forward to hosting many more Helpx visitors during 2013.

Jodie, Valencia & Tia

2012 was not all fun and games though. There were a few issues that caused us pain. Andrew was “out of action” for several weeks when he injured himself, and then there was some minor (but expensive) damage to the car. However the event that caused us the greatest pain (and still does) was the loss of our dear dog Blue (who starred in many photos in this blog). Although his passing happened in August, it has been too painful to do a post in memory of our friend. Perhaps we’ll do one in the new year when our hearts have healed a bit more.

Laura using human energy to clean the rugs