FAQ’s
We have created a complimentary website where we have listed all the questions we have been asked.
The FAQ’s can be found at
If there are any questions we have missed do not hesitate to complete the form on that website.
A typical question might be:
Do Reed-beds Freeze in Cold Winters?
In 28 years of designing and building reed-bed systems we have never heard that any of our reed-bed systems have frozen and stopped working. Whilst, of course, there is always that possibility the risk can be minimised by appropriate design and thoughtful engineering. Our highest system for a single house on the edge of the tree line on the top of the Pennines continued to work through 90 days of frost one winter.
Reed-bed systems are used successfully on the Continent throughout France, Germany, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and other countries where cold winter temperatures are often much lower than in Britain and last longer.
The contents of septic tanks are at or slightly above ground temperature at around 13 degrees C. Fresh warm wastewater from the property keeps the temperature up. When dosed onto the reed-beds the warmth of the settled effluent from the septic tank keep the distribution pipes free of ice and will melt any ice forming on the surface of the bed. Other design features help to ensure freezing does not occur.
