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EPA Sketch of an aerobic septic tank design using an aspirated mixer in the treatment tankHOOT Aerobic Septic Systems

Packaged Onsite Septic System Designs

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about the different types of septic systems, onsite wastewater disposal systems used for private onsite wastewater and graywater treatment & disposal

Packaged onsite septic systems for difficult sites or cluster septic systems for community wastewater treatment.

This septic system article series lists and describes all of the types of septic systems, including both conventional septic tank and drainfield systems and alternative septic system designs for difficult building sites such as wet sites, steep sites, rocky sites, limited space, bad soils with no percolation or sandy soils with too fast percolation, and other difficult site conditions.

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HOOT Aerobic Septic System Troubleshooting

Hoot aerobic systemFirst a note on packaged septic systems range in capacity from sizes suitable for single family residences (750-1500 gallon septic tanks) to commercial applications such as camps, hotels, hospitals, having to process hundreds of thousands of gallons or more of wastewater daily.

Larger packaged septic designs typically use cascaded or in-series septic tanks and additional treatment phases to control the effluent output qualities by trapping trash, removing scum and froth, re-cycling activated sewage sludge, and additional steps of filtration, disinfection (chlorination and then de-chlorination of the effluent before disposal), and finally post-aeration and de-watering of sludge for separate disposal.

Check with your local building department and local septic engineers. Some aerobic treatment units or ATUs may also meet this specification. Some example suppliers of packaged onsite wastewater treatment systems are listed below.

HOOT AEROBIC SEPTIC SYSTEMS including ATUs, blowers, controls, disinfection systems, and wastewater treatment monitoring systems.

HOOT has aerobic treatment septic system dealers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and other areas. Quoting from the company's website (web search 07/09/2010). Image courtesy of Hoot Systems LLC.

The HOOT Aerobic Treatment System is a complete five-stage, one piece wastewater treatment system. This feature-packed aerobic treatment system operates like a small municipal treatment plant.

The efficient five-stage HOOT treatment system is designed with these components (numbers correspond to numbers on the illustration at above-left)

1. Pretreatment tank where influent enters.

2. Aeration chamber where oxygen is pumped into the waste water.

3. Clarifier chamber where the clear, odorless effluent rises.

4. Chlorinator where the clear effluent passes through for disinfection.*

5. Holding tank for disinfected* effluent ready for discharge.

6. Extremely quiet, efficient aerator and pump.

7. Unique solid-state HOOT Control Center monitors and controls the system.

8. Discharge Pump

HOOT System packaged residential scale wastewater treatment system - top performing, highest level of treatment

HOOT-BNR System adds biological nitrogen reduction to the basic system above.

LA HOOT System, improved version of Louisiana HOOT, high treatment, lower cost

Louisiana HOOT System, original design

Commercial HOOT systems where daily flow exceeds 2000 gpd, capable of handling flows in multiple of 300,000 gpd

HOOT ATU models and Aerobic System Installation, Maintenance, Repair Manuals

Author: Daniel Friedman, Massachusetts Title 5 Licensed Septic System Inspector, & New York State H.I. License # 16000005303 (inception to 2008).

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Hoot aerobic sprinkler lines moved, now not working

We recently had our sprinkler lines moved. They were not placed correctly during installation. Now the sprinklers are not coming on and a small trickle of water is coming out constantly.

I opened the air line On the motor to force the sprinklers on but nothing happened. We have a Hoot aerobic system. What could be the problem?

This Q&A were posted originally

at AEROBIC ATU SEPTIC PROBLEM FAQs - On 2020-04-11 by Michele Larcade

Reply by (mod) - Hoot aerobic septic sprinklers not working

MIchelle

It would be safer and faster to get a Hoot Aerobic Septic technician on-site. Contact information for Hoot is given

at HOOT AEROBIC SEPTIC TROUBLESHOOTING. [above on this page]

I expect the technician would

  • start at the effluent pumping chamber, confirming that the effluent level is high enough that the pump should be turned on, then
  • check that the float control works, then
  • check that the pump works - check its pressure, output, flow to assure that the pump isn't damaged, its impeller broken, or that the effluent inlet screen or filter is not blocked

Then, If we're pumping effluent to the sprinkler distribution system but it's not sprinkling out at the aerobic sprinkler heads

Check for

  • a valve closed or
  • a blockage or break in the effluent distribution pipe to the drainfield / sprinkler area, or
  • jammed, defective, damaged sprinkler heads.

Operating manuals for Hoot Aerobics are given above on this page.

Be sure to read in that manual starting on page 6 the importance of filling the aeration chamber (center tank) to within a foot of the top before starting the pump.

Watch out: If you re-started your system with the chamber level empty or too low, the aerator may not work properly due to lack of adequate backpressure.

The instructions say to stop the system, fill the tank, and re-start it.


Rain floods our Hoot aerobic system septic tank

We have a large Hoot aerobic system when we get heavy rains the pump out tank fills and prevents use of toilets, during the rain event I can see water flowing in at a high rate (compare to normal operation of just a trickle entering) - On 2020-01-30 by John L

Reply by (mod) -

John

You describe a serious septic tank problem, tank flooding that in turn overloads the septic system.

Direct runoff away and find and fix the leaks into the tank.

Detailed help is found

at FLOODED SEPTIC SYSTEMS, REPAIR

and SEPTIC DESIGN for FLOOD DAMAGE RESISTANCE

Question: Hoot septic system troubleshooting - no lights, won't spray

HOOT 500 no lights after spraying & will not spray again until I cycle power - 2019/11/06 Mike Taylor said

Reply by (mod)

Mike

That sounds to me as if there is an overcurrent that's tripping off the circuit breaker for the electrical circuit supplying the control panel and pump for your Hoot Aerobic 500 system.

An electrical over-current can be caused by a short-circuited wire anywhere: at the control, at the pump, en route between house and control or panel or pump, OR it can be caused by a short within a control OR by a pump motor that is seizing and thus drawing high electrical current.

So I'd start by

1. re-set the controller by holding down the silence alarm button for 16 seconds or a bit longer (powering off and on ought to do the same thing)

then

2. Continue by looking for an electrical problem with the equipment itself. Or remove the pump motor for testing and replacement.

If you don't have one, the manual for your system - including some troubleshooting suggestions and contact info for support from HOOT can be downloaded free as a PDF from these links

See the company's contact information and more detail at

Or see HOOT AEROBIC SEPTIC SYSTEMS, ATUs

Daniel

 

Hoot system alarm not going off but effluent ponding on ground

Small puddle of water on yard no smell usually after multiple water uses hoot system alarm not going off? - On 2018-03-19 by Steve

Reply by (mod) -

Right, Steve. If the effluent is pooling on the ground surface there may be no back-up in the system itself, so no alarm is set off. Still you may need to extend the effluent distribution system to avoid overloading one section of your dispersal area.

First check that there is no surface runoff or groundwater source that is saturating the effluent dispersion area.


HOOT aerobic - Hoot aerobic system air pump stops - roots in the tank lid

SKETCH of a typical aerobic treatment unit tank, aerator, chamberOur aerobic system (Hoot) was installed in 1998 and overall it has performed perfectly. I've had to replace the air pump about every 5 years and when it fails - it just stops.

Over the last 6 months we have been getting a slight smell that we've never had before.

I started investigating and I found that roots had grown into the conical lid in the middle tank.

This is the tank with the air pump pipes.

I removed as much of the roots as I could, and cut off the rest so the lid seats perfectly.

We had all three tanks pumped. The smell returned when the tanks returned to normal levels.

The pump is still working (and the green light is on). Looking in the tank I don't see bubbles surfacing.

Should I see bubbles or some agitation in the water surface?

I don't know:

1. Is the air pump producing enough volume?

2. How can I tell if the diffusers at the end of the pipe are clogged?

3. Can I use my air compressor and force air into the pipe to unclog the diffuser?

Thanks for any help.
Ed - On 2017-02-22 by Ed -

Reply by (mod) - Hoot Aerobic System Aerator Troubleshooting instructions

Ed,

Glad to hear you had nearly a decade of good Hoot Aerobic system performance; studies I've read say that the No. 1 cause of aerobic system failure is the lack of maintenance.

I too would expect to see agitation and bubbles in the aeration chamber when the pump is running.

You may need to pull the aerator to check for clogging. But first I'd check that the compressor is not just running its motor, but that it's outputting air into the manifold.

Here is an example operating manual for Hoot Aerobic Septics (6MB PDF) that may be helpful.

Be sure to read in that manual starting on page 6 the importance of filling the aeration chamber (center tank) to within a foot of the top before starting the pump. If you re-started your system with the chamber level empty or too low, the aerator may not work properly due to lack of adequate backpressure.

The instructions say to stop the system, fill the tank, and re-start it. See this manual or check directly with the company's product support team.

Hoot Troy air units are hiblows

all Hoot Troy air units are hiblows you should point that out so people know - On 2016-12-13 by Adam -

Reply by (mod) HiBlow septic pump information - aerator pumps, aerobic septic system equipment

HIBLOW Aerobic septic aerator pump cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com

Above, the HIBLOW Duo Series Duo 80.

Thanks Adam. For other readers, HIBLOW USA is a provider of linear diaphragm blowers, compressors, and vacuum pumps such as found on some aerobic septic systems.



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