Treatment plant questions

Queensland councils require home treatment plants to be serviced regularly by a licensed service technician. For most systems this means every three months. Our annual agreement covers four services a year.

The same checklist every visit. We inspect the air blower and clean or replace its filter, test the pump, alarm and float switches, replenish the chlorine tablets, measure the sludge levels in the tanks, test the treated effluent for pH, chlorine and clarity, and inspect the irrigation area and sprinklers. Then we lodge your Form 11 with council and send you a copy.

A Form 11 is the service report submitted to your council after each service. We complete and lodge it on your behalf after every visit, and send you a copy.

No. We contact you before each service falls due to arrange a suitable day. We need only safe access to the plant and the irrigation area: gates unlocked, dogs secured, and the lids and control box clear of garden beds, mulch, pavers and furniture.

A standalone service is $100. The annual service agreement is $340 a year, paid upfront, for four scheduled services, which is $60 less than four standalone services. Chlorine and Form 11 lodgement are included either way.

It includes four scheduled services over 12 months, chlorine tablets at every service, your Form 11 lodged with council after every service (with a copy sent to you), alarm, pump, blower and irrigation checks, routine water tests, and a reminder before each service falls due. It does not include repairs, replacement parts or additional work (we explain what is needed and get your approval first), callouts outside your scheduled services, pump-outs and desludging, electrical work that needs a licensed electrician, or damage caused by misuse, flooding or power surges.

No. Before the agreement ends we send you a renewal offer with next year’s price, and you are under no obligation to accept it.

The agreement covers the treatment plant at your address, so the remaining services stay with the property for the new owner and are not refunded.

Our first 50 annual agreements lock in $340 a year. We won’t raise your price while you renew on time, even if our standard price goes up, and it moves with you if you move house. The full terms are on the Founding Fifty page.

You can pay by card on this website for the annual agreement and pre-purchase inspections (secure checkout by Stripe, and we never see or store your card details), or by bank transfer against our invoice. Annual agreements and inspections are paid before the work is completed, and repairs and parts are paid before work begins. We will still contact you to confirm the details and book a time.

No GST is added to our prices.

Callouts are $110 on weekdays, $160 on weekends and $220 on public holidays, plus any parts. Labour is $80 an hour. We tell you the price on the phone before we come, and we get your approval before any extra repairs or parts.

First, confirm that the power to the plant is on. For a high water alarm, check that the irrigation pump is plugged in and its hose is not kinked, and reduce water use. For an air alarm, check that the blower is running: occasionally the small hose to the pressure switch comes loose. If the alarm continues, call us on 0495 096 532. You may silence the buzzer, but please do not ignore the warning light. There is more in our alarm guide.

It can be. A plant can overflow within hours to days if the problem is left. If the plant is overflowing or has a strong odour, please call us on 0495 096 532 rather than sending an enquiry.

Yes. We diagnose and repair air blowers, irrigation pumps, alarms and floats, irrigation and pipework, and chlorinator faults. We carry common replacement irrigation pumps and air blowers, along with PVC fittings, so many repairs can be completed on the first visit. If we need a part we do not carry, we tell you what it is, what it costs and how long it will take before ordering anything. See repairs.

We check the sludge levels at every service, tell you when a pump-out is due and can arrange one for you. Pump-outs are not included in the service price.

We service Taylex, Fuji Clean, Biocycle, Septech, Bioseptic, Aqua-Nova, Envirocycle, Biotreat, Supertreat, Krystel Kleer and most other home treatment plants. If you are unsure which system you have, tell us what is printed on the lid or the control box. See all the systems we service.

The plant relies on beneficial bacteria, so what goes down the drain matters. Our guide covers what is safe to flush and pour down the drain, and what harms the system.

No. A standard building and pest inspection does not assess the treatment plant or the irrigation area, so problems often come to light only after you have moved in. Our pre-purchase inspection covers the plant and irrigation area.

$295, a fixed price everywhere we work. The written report with photos arrives by email within 2 business days. The report is released once the inspection fee has been paid.

We work across South East Queensland, including the Darling Downs: Ipswich, Toowoomba, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Scenic Rim and Somerset, and the areas in between. Pre-purchase inspections also cover Brisbane, Redlands, the Gold Coast and Moreton Bay (see inspections). Type your suburb into the checker on the service areas page to see whether we cover it.

Yes. Effluent Works holds QBCC Licence PD52825 and ABN 59 439 131 767.

Call us on 0495 096 532 or send an enquiry with your address and the type of treatment plant you have. We will call you back, work out what you need and quote it before any work is booked.