Excessive discharge of solids can be disastrous for a drainfield. Those solids can cause it to plug and lose efficiency in treatment and dispersal of the normal liquid flow, and if the problem persists, the drainfield may need to be replaced.

“The purpose of an effluent filter is more to exclude larger, troublesome solids than it is to polish effluent by removal of fine suspended solids, which can be the culprit of clogging, along with hair and lint,” says Robert Rebori, president of BioMicrobics. “If nuisance clogging occurs, the filter is likely to be removed and no useful purpose will be achieved.”

To combat that issue, BioMicrobics offers the SaniTEE, an efficient nonclog screen that deflects solids back into the tank while simultaneously attenuating surge flow. The product’s simplicity is perhaps its calling card. If it needs cleaning, the installer merely lifts the handle up and pushes down to dislodge any debris. It does not need to be removed to be cleaned with a hose, nor does the tank need to be fully pumped down.

“It was a clever invention that was developed more than 20 years ago to solve the problem of having to haul out effluent filters and wash them with the owner’s garden hose,” Rebori says. “The testing was done with every building in an entire town and maintained by the town’s three maintenance people, including pumpouts.” The maintenance team reported the SaniTEE was easy to install, performed well and there were no sewage backups.

The SaniTEE fits in a standard 4-inch septic tank outlet tee (for new builds or retrofitted). It is easily cleaned with the clean-in-place swab handle with a Buna-N disc fastened to a PVC pole. Move the swab handle up and down to pass the swab through the center several times. No running water is required. Solids touching the vertical surface of the screen tend to slough off, falling back into the septic tank, not held captive within any kind of housing. In this way, the SaniTEE is somewhat self-cleaning.

In general, the 4-inch SaniTEE should be used on conventional and advanced systems producing residential- to commercial-strength wastewater and having flows of 5,000 gpd or less, with sustained peak flows of 30 gpm or less. Larger 8- and 16-inch versions are available for larger flows. 800-753-3278; www.biomicrobics.com.