Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
Home    Educational Materials Training Centers Short
Courses
Terminology Manufacturers NSF Approved Products Links
Contact

Graywater System Composting Toilet Incinerating Toilet Grease Trap Pump Tank Alternative Collection System Holding Tank Selecting and Permitting Operation and Maintenance Groundwater Abandoned Wells Final Treatment and Dispersal Disinfection Advanced Pretreatment Components Pretreatment Components Collection & Storage Wastewater Source (Homeowner) Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems


Pump Tank

Pump tanks are concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene containers that collect wastewater to be pressure-dosed to the next component. Pump tanks are a component of several types of onsite wastewater treatment technologies, including low-pressure dosing, subsurface drip distribution, media filters, and spray systems.

These systems can be dosed with timer controls, that dose a set amount of effluent at specific time intervals, or they can be demand dosed, which dose the effluent when a certain volume is collected in the tank.

The pump tank collects wastewater until it is dosed into the next component in the onsite wastewater treatment system. The tank must be watertight to prevent wastewater from seeping out and groundwater from entering. It must be big enough to hold the amount of wastewater distributed during dosing. It also must be able to store a minimum amount of wastewater for the pump to operate properly, and to store a certain amount of wastewater after a high-water alarm is triggered.

Most residential pump tanks have a 500 gallon capacity. However, larger tanks (such as a 1,000-gallon tank) can be used to provide about 2 days of flow storage after a high-water alarm is triggered.




Related Resources

Operation and Maintenance ChecklistOperation and Maintenance Checklist


Operation and Maintenance ChecklistOperation and Maintenance Checklist: Demand-Dosed System

Operation and Maintenance ChecklistOperation and Maintenance Checklist: Time-Dosed System

 

Pump TankPump Tank

L-5346
L-5346S (in español)

 

Find a licensed installer through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Order publications through the Texas Cooperative Extension Bookstore.