What is a
GreenLeach Filter?
It is an environmentally friendly leaching system product that is very effective in allowing liquid discharged from a septic tank or sewage treatment system to be adsorbed and dispersed into soil. When effluent is discharged to the center core, the liquid leaving the core and sidewalls of the numerous fins passes through a filter fabric. This fabric provides a stable platform for the biological mat to quickly form, thus providing added effluent treatment through the mat and the fabric.
How is the product
shaped & why?
GreenLeach Filter is designed as a linear leaching system consisting of a 12” gravel filled center core that runs the length of the trench and 4” wide gravel filled leaching fingers extending off both sides. The fingers are 25” long with 4” of porous sand backfill placed on the outside of the fabric in between each finger. Cardboard is used as a temporary form to hold the fabric-covered fingers in place until construction is completed. The cardboard will degrade in time with moisture and effluent application, leaving the gravel in contact with the filter fabric and sand. The product was designed in this manner to maximize the area for growth of a biological mat (bio mat) while still maintaining an aerobic atmosphere in the sand backfill placed on the outside of the fingers. The resultant product permits more leaching area to be installed in a smaller area, thus saving on system installation.
Why use so many
plastic finger spacers
on top?
Product stability during installation is a critical factor. The patented spacer and disposable gravel chute system hold the core and fingers rigid during the entire gravel placement and sand backfill process. The leaching fingers do not deform thereby allowing easy spreading of �” gravel to the finger ends and likewise, sand between the fingers. The spreaders can be removed when the product stabilized with gravel in place and some sand spread in between the fingers. The chute is easily removed upon completion of gravel placement.
Can all GLF units be
used beneath parking
lots?
The GreenLeach Filter units fall into the same category as standard gravel trenches which have been used beneath parking lots for decades so the answer is a definite YES! The 4” diameter PVC pipe is totally encased by the stone. Gravel placed inside the form does not compact at all and sand used to backfill the fingers is compacted as part of the installation. Once properly installed, nothing will settle and the 4” diameter PVC distribution pipe remains stable. The distribution pipe will be subjected to heavier than normal loads so use of heavy duty perforated ASTM D3034 SDR 35 pipe is recommended. The CT Public Health Code requires a minimum of 2” of gravel (stone) above the pipe to totally encase the pipe in a protective stone case. The Code also requires a minimum of 6” soil cover above the stone. For parking lots, the minimum recommended cover above the top of the pipe should be increased to a total of 12” of stone, sand & gravel, processed gravel or some combination of the three. The added soil cover reduces the pressure on the distribution pipe and the added wall thickness of the SDR 35 pipe assures the channel remains round. Similar care must be given to the solid distribution pipe used between the GLF and the septic tank. Either specify use of ASTM D 1785 Schedule 40 if no bedding (stone) is to be provided or use the SDR 35 bedded in stone as described above including the 12” stone/soil cover. No cast iron or ductile iron pipe can be used after the septic tank. If small diameter pressure distribution pipe is placed in stone on top of the GLF, there is less concern for crushing due to the increased strength and wall thickness of the small (1-2”) diameter water pressure pipe. Based upon years of experience with all leaching systems, the standard 2” stone cover and 6-8” of additional process cover would be adequate to protect the pipe.
In environmentally sensitive areas, it may be advisable to add the extra filtering benefit by placement of filter fabric beneath the trench. All new septic systems constructed in soils allow a higher rate of pollutants to escape the system until formation of a stable biological mat (bio mat). The fabric will help form a mat more quickly but will result in a slight reduction in credited effective area (0.4 SF/LF) based upon the CT DPH rating criteria. The 6” depth of select sand fill required beneath every GreenLeach system constructed also provides efficient filtration prior to effluent reaching the natural soils.
Can filter fabric be
placed beneath the
GreenLeach Filter?
What are some
physical differences
between the GreenLeach
filter and some other
common leaching
systems?
All leaching systems allow effluent to leach into the surrounding soils using various media and methods. Many hollow chambered structures use direct soil application, may use gravel backfill, employ filter fabric covering or have slotted/perforated sidewalls to facilitate liquid transfer to the soil. Common gravel trenches use clean gravel to provide voids for effluent storage and are constructed with gravel directly contacting the soil on the bottom and sides. Some specialty products use styrene or rubber tire chips to imitate gravel. The GreenLeach Filter is slightly different in that it uses 4 inch wide filter fabric covered fingers that are specifically backfilled on the outside with washed concrete sand (or naturally sandy, permeable soils) and the inch gravel placed on the inside of the fingers provides structure to keep the fabric in place, prevents the fingers from collapsing during construction, protects the distribution pipe and distributes surface loads placed on the system. The gravel provides internal liquid storage to assist with peak flow storage and distribution.
Why do the CT ratings
and actual soil contact
areas shown above
differ?
The CT State Health Department uses a mathematical formula to give credit to all types of leaching products and takes into consideration the bottom and vertical leaching interfaces as well as the type of effluent-soil contact (direct as with chamber bottoms, gravel, fabric, etc.). They also include a safety factor which is why the “wetted perimeter” of a gravel trench with a 3’ wide bottom and 12” below the invert actually has 6 square feet of contact area yet is rated at only 3 square feet per linear foot.
If the State, County or Local Health Department regulations called for installation of 2 rows, 85 feet long (170’ total) of a hollow plastic chambered system, 16” high, 34” wide, then replacement by the GreenLeach Filter would substantially reduce the length of trench installation depending upon the height of GLF used. Using the GLF 18-62 (18” high), about 41 feet of product would be necessary to provide the same soil contact area. In CT where safety factors are incorporated in product ratings and variables are used for various soil interface types, the leaching product rating formula would equate the 150’ plastic chamber system to about 60.3 feet thereby significantly reducing the area required for system installation. This is a critical factor for repairs on small lots or on properties that may contain only pockets of suitable soil. If site conditions were not restricted by groundwater, ledge rock, hydraulic limitations or impervious soil conditions, use of the GLF 36-62 could further reduce trench lengths down to 33 feet of product using the conservative CT rating system. The GLF does require more labor during installation but the rewards are very obvious.