ABCO Dewatering Truck Adds More Solids, Reduces Transport Costs

The mobile dewatering truck from ABCO Industries Ltd. removes about 75 to 85 percent of liquids from septic tank waste.
ABCO Dewatering Truck Adds More Solids, Reduces Transport Costs

The mobile dewatering truck from ABCO Industries Ltd. removes about 75 to 85 percent of liquids from septic tank waste. The result is increased productivity, fewer trips to treatment facilities and lower fuel and disposal costs.

“A regular vacuum truck can clean two or three tanks before it requires unloading,” says Graham Gerhardt, manager of ABCO’s Environmental Engineering Group. “Our mobile dewatering truck can do five times as many jobs before you need to unload it. This reduces fuel as well as disposal costs, because you’re not paying to discharge water, plus you reduce the wear-and-tear on the truck through reduced mileage.”

According to an ABCO test, the dewatering truck gathered 39 tons of solids from 102 septic tanks, compared to 509 tons of mixed solids and liquids collected by a conventional truck from the same number of tanks. In addition, the dewatering truck traveled 398 miles to service those tanks, while the conventional truck traveled 4,474 miles. Gerhardt contends the dewatering truck can reduce servicing costs by 50 percent.

As waste enters the truck, a computer-controlled system injects a polymer that conditions the waste before dewatering. A weatherproof, touch-screen panel enables the operator to select polymer mixes for different kinds of waste, as well as operate other truck functions, Gerhardt says.

The solids usually separate by the time the waste is completely loaded. Then a series of paddles push the waste through a filter that captures the solids and allows liquids to pass through. A pump sends liquids back into the septic tank through the vacuum hose, while solids collect in a holding tank. Depending on the waste conditions, the dewatering process generally doesn’t take much longer than a conventional tank cleaning, he says.

Customers can spec their own tandem-axle truck and choose features, such as pumps. The truck has a 3,170-gallon steel tank, a hydraulic sliding bulkhead that dumps the waste, a high-pressure waterjetter, a hot-water hand-wash station, and heated cabinets that allow cold-weather operation. The truck also can be used for conventional vacuuming and jetting operations, he says.

While the dewatering truck costs more than a conventional vacuum truck, operators can recoup the additional expense relatively quickly, Gerhardt says. 866/634-8821; www.abco.ca.



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