Keep Your Water & Wastewater Systems Running Smoothly

See the answer in the Servicing section above. In short, yes – but only a competent, British Water-accredited technician can lawfully carry out the work.

Yes. WCI works with several UKAS-accredited laboratories. Our service engineers can collect effluent samples and arrange for laboratory analysis to demonstrate that your system is meeting the conditions of its Environment Agency permit.

Yes. Under Building Regulations, a trial hole must be excavated alongside the percolation test to determine the depth of the seasonal groundwater table. This information is required to ensure any drainage field designed and installed at your property meets Building Regulations and the relevant British Standards.

A percolation test determines how quickly water drains through the soil on your land. This data is required to calculate whether a British Standard drainage field can be adequately designed and installed at your property. If the soil drains too slowly (common in heavy clay soils) or too quickly (common in sandy soils), a conventional drainage field may not be viable. A percolation test will confirm what options are available to you.

WCI can carry out a compliance survey and issue a formal report confirming whether your system meets the General Binding Rules or the conditions of its Environment Agency permit. Where defects or non-compliances are identified, the report will include a costed plan for repair or replacement. This survey is frequently requested during property sales and conveyancing.

Foul odours from a private drainage system are usually caused by one of the following: an underperforming system; poor ventilation of the drainage pipework; a dry water trap (flush your toilets and run your taps to refill them); a broken pipe or seal; or a failed air admittance valve. WCI can carry out a smell investigation using dye, CCTV and smoke testing to identify the source of the odour and recommend a remediation plan.

Yes. Contact us with details of what has been installed and we will provide a quote for commissioning and ongoing servicing.

Some systems – including the GRAF Solido range – have a holiday mode setting that can reduce energy consumption during absences of up to four weeks. If you plan to be away for longer, consider having the system emptied before you leave and switching it off to prevent the bacterial colony from dying or the contents from freezing. Not all systems have a holiday mode, so check with us if you are unsure.

It depends on the make and model. Some systems have a blower that runs continuously; others operate intermittently. If you are unsure whether your system is behaving as it should, call us and we can advise. Pumps that move water to a higher level should only activate when the water level inside the tank rises high enough to trigger them – a pump running all the time is usually a sign of a problem.

For domestic systems, typically every one to three years, though the exact frequency depends on the size of the system, the number of occupants and how well the system is maintained. Commercial systems may need emptying every two to six months. When WCI services your system, we will take a sludge reading and advise you on whether emptying is required.

The rule is simple: only the three Ps – pee, paper and poo. Everything else should go in the bin. Wet wipes, sanitary products, cotton buds, nappies and cooking fats should never enter the foul drainage system. When choosing cleaning products, opt for low-phosphate or phosphate-free formulations, use them sparingly, and spread laundry washing throughout the week rather than doing multiple loads in a single day. Wipe greasy or oily pans with kitchen roll and bin it before washing – this prevents fats from entering and clogging the system.

These two components are often confused. A blower (also called a compressor or aerator) is usually housed in a green kiosk above ground. It runs continuously, pumping air down into the sewage treatment plant to feed the aerobic bacteria that break down sewage. You will hear it as a low hum or buzz.

A pump is almost always located inside the tank, submerged in the water. Its job is to move treated water from one part of the system to another when gravity cannot do the work – for example, lifting clean effluent up to a discharge point on higher ground. Most pumped systems include a high-level alarm that will sound or flash if the pump fails. Unlike the blower, a pump should only run intermittently; a pump running continuously is using unnecessary electricity and will wear out prematurely.

Commercial systems may also include irrigation pumps, sludge return pumps and more. If you are unsure what is installed at your property, let us know when you book your first service and our engineers will identify everything during the visit.

The Environment Agency’s General Binding Rules state that a sewage treatment plant must be serviced and maintained by a competent person. This means technicians who have completed the British Water Accredited Service Technician training. All WCI Service Engineers are fully trained in-house and accredited by British Water. A list of accredited service providers is available at britishwater.co.uk.

A standard domestic system is typically serviced in around one hour on site. Commercial units generally take a couple of hours, though this can increase where the system requires a two-person team, confined-space entry, complex controls or multiple heavy lids. Any additional time requirements will be identified in our free pre-service inspection and factored into the quote.

The total cost of a service is labour plus materials plus VAT. Labour starts from £130 + VAT and varies depending on the distance from our office. Material costs vary from system to system – if you can provide the make and model of your air blower (for example, a JDK 100), we can give you a fixed cost for the service before we attend.

A full service report is issued after every visit. Checks carried out include:

Health and safety – including structural integrity of the tank and access covers.
Air blower operation – including inspection and replacement of diaphragms, carbon vanes, pistons and filters as required.

Electrical checks – including control panels, air blowers, submersible pumps, alarms and beacons.
On-site effluent testing – to check the quality of water being discharged. Tests can include pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, phosphate and temperature.

Laboratory analysis – where required, WCI can collect samples for testing at a UKAS-accredited laboratory to demonstrate compliance with the General Binding Rules or an Environment Agency permit.

Most manufacturers recommend that domestic package sewage treatment plants are serviced annually. During a service, the engineer will assess – among other things – sludge levels within the tank and will advise whether the system needs emptying. Commercial systems require a bespoke servicing regime and may need attention anywhere from once a month to every six months, depending on the size, complexity and required treatment quality of the system.

Yes. We have a service engineer on call every day of the year. Call 01984 623 404 and your call will be directed to the engineer on duty. Please leave a message if they cannot answer immediately – they will call you back as soon as possible. When you call, have the following to hand: your name and full site address, details of your system (make, model and age if known), and a description of the problem – for example, whether an alarm is sounding, water is backing up, or the blower is making unusual noises. Photos of the system, a note of the water level in the tank, or a short audio recording of any unusual sounds can also be very helpful.

For domestic sewage treatment plants, pumping stations and rainwater harvesting systems, we typically cover Somerset, Devon, Dorset and Wiltshire. For commercial systems we operate nationwide, from North Wales to the South Coast and Cornwall. If you are just outside these areas, call us – we may still be able to help.

We service all makes and models of sewage treatment plant, pumping station and rainwater harvesting system. Manufacturers we regularly work with include GRAF, Marsh, Biodigester, WSc (formerly WPL/WCS), Premiertech Aqua, Klargester, Tricel, HABA, Entec, Acorn, Biorock, Titan, August, KEE, Harlequin, Xylem and TT Pumps – plus the occasional rare plant whose origins are unknown. If you are unsure whether we can service your system, just give us a call.