Maintenance

There is so much to tell about the maintenance of helophyte filters...

Maintenance

The maintenance of a constructed wetland can be divided into two aspects:

• The technical maintenance
• The “green” maintenance

Technical maintenance is limited to checking the operation of the pump and pressure pipes in the filter from time to time, cleaning the level regulator and checks of sludge and floating layers in the wells. This can be arranged by annual maintenance. For a private system, this usually takes between two and four hours of work.

Furthermore, the septic tank should be drained (on average once every seven to ten years), as well as the grease separator (although it is more difficult to indicate the frequency of this). These are also matters that we can arrange for you, of course in a responsible manner.

It is advisable to check the condition of the plants from time to time (but of course that goes without saying). As a rule, they give a good indication of the condition of your filter.

Regarding green maintenance, weed should be done from time to time to give the young reed plants the opportunity to develop as soon as possible. Incidentally, this is quite easy because the young weeds do not root as firmly in the gravel layer on the constructed wetland. Mowing the reed bed does not necessarily have to be done more than once every one or two years. What is important: the correct mowing period is in early spring. Before the young shoots of the reed plants emerge again, but not so early that heavy night frost can still occur. As a rule, the right period is mid-March to early April (in the moderate climate of the Northern hemisphere).

Instruction manual

We mentioned it before; ECOFYT is mainly specialized in customization. In that context it is also interesting to mention that we provide a manual for every project, in which the system and maintenance are clearly described. Our manuals are therefore just as custom-made as our constructed wetlands: specifically written or adapted for your situation. Not because the technical maintenance is so complicated, we believe that the client is entitled to all necessary information.

The above items are also mentioned in detail in this manual. With advice on which resources are better to use and which you can (continue to) use. That is certainly not easy, a constructed wetland has proven to be a robust system; you don't have to turn your lifestyle upside down, because your water is now purified at home.

Analysis

Finally, it is possible that the water quality manager (usually the water board or purification board) wishes to periodically check the operation of the filter. This is done by analyzing the purified water. It is certainly not the case that this is always required, rather sporadically or with more special waste water flows. And then, it may be that this is desired annually, but we have also seen that a water board with that initial requirement, after a few years said: "Never mind, it is going so well…."