How do I size an effluent waste tank?

How do I size an effluent waste tank

How do I size an effluent waste tank that is right for the size of my construction site or outdoor event?

This blog is part two of a series of mini-blogs where Jon Trelfa - Plastic Solutions (Aldridge) Ltd helps you to answer this question.

This blog is designed to appeal to building contractors, event organisers and wet-waste, and even glamping and caravanning sites too.  

Do I need a big tank or little tank?  

We get this question all a time.

If you are setting up a construction site with no primary sewage access, that has a welfare facility, you need to capture all the effluent in a waste holding tank. Likewise too for any outdoor off-grid event or fair.  

Sizing this waste tank is critical, so, you have the right tank to capture and hold the right volume of effluent for the right duration.  

It is important to remember, to also allow for a safety reserve as your tanker removal company might not get to you straight away if your waste sanitation tank is close to being full.

Key waste and toilet facts!

We all go to the loo about 6-8 times a day. Alcohol and coffee consumption may even increase this too. You may even have a shower facility too. Washing up and simple drink making and cooking facilities require additional water as well. That means that the wastewater from these activities needs capturing and holding.

Even for a construction site or an off-grid event, people expect some level of home-from-home essentials when it comes to using ‘the facilities.

In an average everyday home environment, each person uses around say 35-gallons a day (roughly 150-litres) a day. That is the worst case scenario, assuming that they are staying in all day, and using water for washing machines, and dishwashers. For a family, the wastewater adds up roughly to 150-gallons per day.  

However, in a site or an outdoor event context, people tend to use less water. Here’s a couple of case studies that illustrate the appropriate holding tank sizes for waste produced over a weekend outdoor event and for holding sewage waste for a welfare unit at a construction site.

Case study 1

Say you are holding a caravan club 3-day event with a capacity for 400 caravans. That works out to approximately 1,500 people. (Based on a real and typical event).

From the table above, with some contingency that works out at say 40,000-gallons of wastewater to be held and collected per day (22-gallons x 1,500). That is a considerable amount of waste by the way.

The sanitation solution works out at:

Using 40 of our giant effluent tanks - our Tuff-Tank TT-1000 gallon tanks. We are naturally very proud of our range of Tuff-tanks as they are a feat of engineering. They are light-weight plastic, flat in configuration, with a low carbon footprint. They last for decades, easily man-handle-able and specifically designed for holding sewage.  

Say, 30 of these tanks located around the site would collect waste from nearby caravans.  

Also, a tractor with a 2,000-gallon collection capacity needs to roam the site removing waste from these tanks continuously. It transfers this to say 10 x TT-1000 tanks in a holding area. That makes it more convenient for the waste removal tanker to collect and remove effluent from the site at a more convenient and less disruptive location.

Waste removal tankers are generally around 4,000-gallon capacity. So, in this case, requires 10 round-trip collections throughout the day.

Case study 2

Say you are building main-contractor and you have a busy site with around 30-60 staff at average and peak points in the contract, including sub-contractors. You have a welfare cabin with a block of toilets and washing facilities.

From the table above, each person produces 55-litres (12 -gallons) of wastewater. So at 30 people that works out to 360-gallons per day. That is roughly 1000-gallons every three days. At peak times in the contract (the end few months of the contract) that figure doubles to 2,000-gallons over the same period.

The sanitation solution works out at either:

2 x Tuff-Tank TT-1000 gallon tanks with removal every three days. Alternatively,

1 x Tuff-Tank TT-750 gallon tank with removal every day.

So, there you have it – there is an art to selecting a waste sewage tank after all.  At Plastic Solutions (Aldridge) Ltd, we’ll take that problem away from you. We’ll happily help you select whatever the right sized tank is for your specific need.  Whether that’s for a large or small event, glamping or caravanning venue, or a construction site. Whatever size or venue, we can help you get your investment just right.  

Simply give us a call.

We've got Tankology!

Plastic Solutions (Aldridge Ltd) are market leaders in innovative and environmentally-friendly plastic effluent waste tanks, portable urinals, toilets, spares for the portable sanitation industry and much more

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Sincerely,
Jon Trelfa
The plastic waste tanks and sanitation system experts

0800 334 5742

https://www.plasticsol.com