What is an Aerobic Treatment Unit?
To try to describe it as simply as possible, an ATU is a second tank or compartment to your treatment tank (septic tank), that has a blower or some form of agitator that injects air into the sewage to promote bacterial growth. Basically, there is little to no oxygen in your primary treatment tank, so very few bacteria can grow and live there. Hence you get that “septic odor” when you open the tanks up, as your primary treatment tank is anaerobic. Using some form of blower unit, be it a small air compressor, ventilation blower, bubbler, or agitator, we increase the oxygen content of the sewage to allow more bacteria colonies to grow. The active bacteria then feed on the sewage and digest it, releasing water and carbon dioxide as a waste product. A properly operating Aerobic Treatment Unit should never be giving off a “septic” odor, but smell more like a damp basement. These systems should be looked at by a qualified maintenance technician at least twice a year, and in some instances qua
