The EnviroFin passive onsite wastewater treatment and dispersal system from Presby Environmental is designed for residential and commercial applications. The 50-pound system offers the same advantages as the Advanced Enviro-Septic product but is easier to ship and can be installed in even tighter spaces.

“They’re fitting into lots and create solutions for sites that previously were either very expensive or just not able to build on at all,” says Lee Rashkin, vice president of Presby Environmental. “A three-bedroom house can fit into a 93.5-square-foot area. It’s really revolutionary. And, for the first time ever, we can ship somebody their septic system in the mail.”

Effluent leaves the septic tank and enters the system, which consists of a center fin distribution unit and eight treatment fins filled with randomly oriented green plastic fibers and a perforated pipe acting as an air duct. The effluent fills the FDU until it enters the treatment fin through perforations around the unit. The unit is buried in System Sand, a C-33 concrete sand, and is installed with differential vents for airflow.

“It’s not only a septic system, but it’s a treatment system. You’re getting treatment and dispersal in the same footprint,” Rashkin says. “The pipes that we use, the green fibers, the geotextile and the system sand — they all have progressively smaller orifices. As the effluent moves through the smaller orifices, the membranes strip away the suspended solids, allowing the bacteria to collect on the membranes’ surface area and digest the effluent. Because we surround it with that C-33 very coarse concrete sand, you’re able to get oxygen to the outside of those membranes; you’re keeping both sides of your membranes aerobic the same way membrane filters do.”

The system has no mechanical parts, does not need chemicals or have energy requirements. The product has passed and exceeded the NSF 40 protocol, according to Rashkin.

“A lot of what our industry struggles with in regards to treatment is the maintenance component,” Rashkin says. “We have online training and certification courses to make sure they know how to install it correctly. Above and beyond that, there’s no special technical skills needed to use this system, so it’s ideal for people who don’t want to have those burdensome maintenance contracts.’’ 800/473-5298; www.presbyeco.com.