Maintenance
Maintaining your BioCycle System
The successful performance of a BioCycle Plant depends on the presence of a healthy population of bacteria. There are anaerobic bacteria in the primary chamber and aerobic bacteria in the secondary chamber. These bacteria feed on the wastes in your BioCycle Plant, and therefore must be cared for and protected from die off.
The most important thing for households to remember is that they should avoid putting any non-biological substances or antibacterial products into the BioCycle Plant. These will kill the bacteria and/or prevent them from doing their job. Here are some simple guidelines to follow:
- Cleaning products should be citrus based and/or labeled as suitable for AWTS
- DO NOT use anti-bacterial or bleach based (chemical) soaps
- Try doing the laundry throughout the week as opposed to all in one day, to prevent overloading the system
- The BioCycle plant works best when there is a general balance in the ratio between blackwater and greywater
- Use bleach sparingly or use oxygen bleach
- DO NOT drain the contents of a pool, hot tub, or backwash from water softeners into your BioCycle plant
- When cleaning paint brushes and rollers, DO NOT pour the remains down the sink into your BioCycle plant
- Avoid using garborators- bear in mind the BioCycle is not a composter
- If you plan to be away, it is recommended that you leave your BioCycle plant running, as the continuous recirculating effluent will ensure that the system is operational and ready for use at any time.
- If start up during cold weather is required, the BioCycle will need to be infused with warm water and nutrients to boost bacterial activity. A sudden treatment demand placed on a cold, inactive system is not recommended.
The BioCycle plant is a miniaturized sewage treatment plant that treats all household effluent (black and gray water) into clear odourless effluent that can be used for irrigation purposes. The BioCycle plant uses several different types of Bacteria for treatment purposes, those being Anaerobic and Aerobic (both suspended and fixed) bacteria. These bacteria are the same bacteria used within Septic systems and modern Municipal Treatment plants and as such need to be cared for and protected from die off or being killed off. Die off generally occurs as a direct result of cleaning products that are used within the residence or facility being serviced. As a general rule of thumb, use citrus based or plant based cleaning products. In most cases these types of cleaning products will do a superior job of cleaning than equivalent chemical based cleaning products.