Alternative Septic Systems For Small Lots

Alternative septic systems for small lots are in demand for many home owners throughout New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. The limitations of a small leachfield on their property often prompts people to seek alternative small lot septic systems to safely, effectively and affordably treat their waste water.

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Factors That Limit Leachfield Size

A few of the most common items that can limit a property’s available leach field space include: tight property boundaries on a small lot; required setbacks to a well, water body, or property line; large mature trees that inhibit space-clearing for a leach field; existing landscaping considerations; and inadequate soil elevation issues.

Any of these space-limiting factors will compel home or property owners to ask questions and seek an alternative septic tank solution, since the smaller available leachfield space typically cannot support a traditional septic system.

For example, a small, heavily-wooded lot often contains several mature trees. For customers with waterfront properties, the Shoreline Protection Act requires a tree survey that assigns points based on the height and circumference of each tree, and limits the number of points you can use to cut down trees. This information is important for small lot space clearing service, since the points-limit often determines the size of the leach field space.

Another area example of a small lot, small leachfield footprint challenge is the 4-ft setback to the water table required by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services unless you use an alternative technology. For traditional septic systems – and some alternative small lot septic systems as well – this can necessitate the creation of soil-mounding to raise up the leachfield.

People Often Seek Guidance On Alternative Compact Septic Systems:

• When customers wish to buy or build on a small lot with tight setbacks, and their real estate agent suggests the need for an alternative septic system that allows for a small leach field.
• When people wish to add bedrooms that will expand their home’s footprint – thus shrinking the property’s available leach field area – so they ask their designer for a wastewater treatment system that will perform well in the new smaller-footprint drainfield. Norweco Singulair® is the ideal solution, since the system’s 75% leach field reduction waiver typically facilitates use of the existing drainfield.
• When people wish to add bedrooms to an existing residence, without adding to the home’s footprint. In this case, the benefit of the Norweco system’s 75% reduction waiver typically ensures that no modification of the existing leach field is needed. For example, a septic system design for a small lot with a 4-bedroom home requires 1,000 sq ft of leach field (250 sq.ft per bedroom). So if two more bedrooms are added, the system would require 1,500 sq ft of leach field. The waiver reduces that requirement to only 375 sq ft (a 75% reduction) – making the existing drainfield more than sufficient – but the key point is that no costly leach field modification is required.

Your property’s value – and the health of your home and family – depends on selecting an efficient, value-engineered wastewater treatment system designed for a small leachfield footprint.

Advantages of Norweco Singulair^® as a Small Leachfield Waste Water Treatment Alternative

75% Reduction in Leachfield Footprint: A Norweco Singulair septic tank has a smaller footprint because of its smaller concrete tank dimensions. This footprint is vitally important for properties with small lots and tight setbacks. A further advantage is the proven wastewater treatment technology that has earned the system a general waiver for a 75% leachfield footprint reduction. Unlike a site-specific waiver that requires individual approval, this valuable general waiver applies to any site that meets standard requirements. This leachfield footprint reduction allows people to build homes and create successful alternative septic systems on small lots that cannot support a traditional larger-sized septic system.

Norweco Accommodates Ledge Considerations for up to 4-bedroom homes: Ledge considerations are very common near waterfront areas such as the lakefronts and seacoasts throughout New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. The Singulair is an ideal septic system alternative for these areas, since the required system height is only six feet for up to a 4-bedroom system (including the tank and fill), allowing for successful ledge applications.

Valuable Soil Credit: Norweco Singulair is the only ATU (Aerobic Treatment Unit) that has earned the valuable 2-ft. Soil Credit. Typically, this credit shortens the system’s required distance from the water table by half. In comparison, traditional septic tank installation using pipe & stone or concrete chambers requires a distance of four feet from the water table – which adds expense and time of more material, and sometimes a pump because a higher field cannot be gravity-fed.

Self-contained Value-engineered Performance: The minimal key components work together to ensure efficient flow equalization, and minimize leachfield footprint. The system’s one mechanical component is an aerator that runs only 12 hours per day, every 30 minutes. The aerator and bio-kinetic filter provide consistent flow equalization, to ensure full treatment of all wastewater that leaves the tank.

Everything Serviced At Grade: At-grade servicing keeps system maintenance costs down for a homeowner, since it eliminates the need for permitted, confined-space entry into the tank, and does not require specialized servicing equipment. Also, since all components are installed outside, a service technician typically does not need access to the house.

Energy-efficient: The Singulair is a low-maintenance, energy-efficient and affordable septic system alternative. Norweco’s patented design works to quietly, efficiently and automatically treat all waste water, and returns only harmless effluent to the environment in just 48 hours.

Certified to Perform: Norweco Wastewater Treatment systems are crafted by licensed distributors to the rigorous standards of the public health and safety agency, NSF International (National Sanitation Foundation).

Ease of Installation and Maintenance: The team at A.J. Foss, Inc. in Farmington, NH holds the area license to manufacture, install and service Norweco Singulair Wastewater Treatment Systems and Norweco Service Pro Control Centers in New Hampshire, Maine, and Northern Massachusetts. Using proprietary precast forms, the factory-trained Foss team serves as a licensed distributor, installer and service professional.

The alternative wastewater treatment that Norweco Singulair provides is available as a complete package from A.J. Foss. Everything is included – from delivery and tank-setting, to installation and system start-up, to regular servicing for the first two years, with cost-effective service contracts available thereafter.

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About the Author: Jon Cardinal

My father started the Andrew J. Foss, Inc. precast concrete company in 1963 at the age of 19. My precast education started at a very young age. He taught me everything I know about creating quality precast concrete products, from septic tanks to concrete headwalls. He also taught me to succeed in business you need to offer an exceptional product and treat your customers as you would expect to be treated. Now, as an owner of the company along with my brother Matthew, we've taken everything we've learned from our father to start the next generation of our family-owned precast concrete company.