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How it works
Failed septic systems usually occur because soil in the disposal field gets clogged up with slime from anaerobic (unoxygenated) bacteria, courtesy of your digestive system. The protective coating of these bacteria helps them do what they need to do in your gut, but ultimately ruins the average septic system. Once the bacteria migrate in large colonies from the tank to the disposal field, they produce a mucus-like layer of slime (called biomat) that clogs the pores of the soil so air cannot circulate.
Adding to the problem, over time the bacteria create vast quantities of nitrate (a toxic element when produced in volume) which can eventually seep into the local water table.
The SludgeHammer Answer
Until now, there have only been two very costly solutions available when the above scenario occurs — you could either repair or replace your system. Most people simply pumped the waste from the septic tank (thus eliminating clogs) and started a new disposal field. Today, there’s a much cheaper option – avoid the situation entirely by installing an affordable preventive device called the SludgeHammer to help with long-term wastewater management.
Through a simple process, the SludgeHammer system can be installed into any existing septic system. There, it begins immediately aerating and circulating the waste within the septic tank. Because oxygen is lethal to anaerobic bacteria, SludgeHammer’s aeration process kills off all the bacteria.
As the oxygen circulates, it creates the perfect environment for SludgeHammer’s proprietary blend bacteria to kick in to gear. In contrast to anaerobic bacteria, these microbes don’t pose a threat to septic tanks or create biomat slime, because their job is simply to break down organic matter.
The SludgeHammer unit contains 150 square feet of surface area on which the bacteria can form colonies. After it’s placed in the chamber and the liquid in the tank begins circulating through the unit, its microbes begin digesting the organic waste and turning it into clear water. The unit makes disposal field clogs nearly impossible.
The next step is to break up the biomat in the disposal field. As the clear waste flows into the field, SludgeHammer microbes go with it and begin digesting the slime. The good bacteria strips oxygen away from any existing nitrite before it can be turned into the more toxic form of nitrate, creating nitrogen gas through the process (which can be released into the atmosphere). Once the disposal field is revitalized, it can once again process clear effluent coming from the septic tank.
The SludgeHammer bacteria can work indefinitely as long as they are provided oxygen and waste.
SludgeHammer Adaptability
The SludgeHammer system can customize itself to meet any needs. It’s a living system that grows as it has resources and decreases when resources are limited. Its technology has been adapted for marine uses, breaking down organic matter into clear water which is then either reintroduced into the local water table or repurposed for irrigation.
Low Maintenance and Easy to Install
All SludgeHammer systems designed for residential use fit into existing septic systems. No new tanks or retrofits are necessary—just a small air pump and the SludgeHammer system to let nature do what it does best.
Certification
SludgeHammer has passed the rigorous testing to gain IAPMO certification. To do so, its technology had to prove it could restore leach systems clogged by biomat at a rate of at least 2.5 times that of aerobic treatment alone. SludgeHammer also meets the NSF 40 Standard as a Class 1 Advanced Treatment Unit. This rigorous testing included keeping the system at its maximum standards for six months while also inducing stress from high capacity periods such as wash days and power outages. All through these trials, SludgeHammer still maintained high levels of wastewater treatment.
SludgeHammer Residential
Although septic systems naturally fail over time, SludgeHammer provides the best long-term, environmentally-conscious solution for homeowners on the market today, making your septic system virtually maintenance-free (aside from needing an occasional boost in bacteria). Its specially designed aeration pumps will not wear out.
Septic System and Leach Field Remediation
SludgeHammer systems installed into residences with already clogged traditional septic systems have effectively cleaned up and remediated their old systems. Instead of needing to entirely rebuild a septic system, installing a SludgeHammer unit allows homeowners to revitalize their septic systems at minimal costs.
SludgeHammer Commercial & Industrial
Designed to meet any wastewater needs, SludgeHammer’s scalable technology can produce effluent so clean on five-story floating hotels that it can be reintroduced into local water tables within three days. Hands down, SludgeHammer can meet any customer’s needs.
Water Reclamation
In the process of clearing up and reclaiming clogged and inefficient septic systems, SludgeHammer also creates reusable water perfect for irrigation. New Mexico’s SludgeHammer distributor, Water Management Associates, is one of the leading proponents of water capture and reuse in the country. Richard Jennings, founder of WMA, is known for building systems in New Mexico that allow homeowners to capture much of the rare, precious rainfall for landscape purposes. When he discovered SludgeHammer technology, he began including wastewater in his water budgets. Now homeowners in this parched area have even more options to preserve their drought-threatened landscaping. Water reclamation is an extremely important contribution from SludgeHammer technology in our increasingly water-threatened world.
Restaurants
The Walloon Lake Inn in Northern Michigan had a failing septic system and leach fields caused by years of restaurant grease and waste build-up. To make matters worse, the leach field was only a few steps from the Walloon Lake shoreline. Proprietor and chef David Beier needed a solution that could reclaim the leach field and not damage the local environment. The eco-friendly SludgeHammer system put his septic system in working order in a matter of days, and within three months (during the Inn’s busy season) had cleaned through five years of grease.
Lombardi’s Delicatessen in Northern California is a successful business that saw the growth of its sales paralleled by a strain on its leach fields. Even after adding several new leach fields, the problem persisted until the county ordered them to correct the situation. A SludgeHammer system was installed, allowing the leach fields to recover in less than a month and keeping all monitoring wells dry.
