Description

The 1,000 gallon HDPE septic tank is the practical answer for on-site wastewater treatment at rural and remote properties where there is no sewer to connect to. It is a rotationally moulded polyethylene vessel with two compartments and a double wall body, and it has largely replaced the precast concrete tank for domestic work for one simple reason: a concrete tank of this size needs a crane, and this one does not. Listed at $1,450.

Septic Tank Specifications

Capacity: 1,000 gallons
Material: rotationally moulded high density polyethylene (HDPE)
Construction: double wall, seamless one-piece moulding
Compartments: two
Groundwater stability: stable to the centre of the body
Installation: below ground only
Maintenance: low; easy to clean and pump out
Price: $1,450

Why Two Compartments

The first compartment does the settling: solids drop out and grease floats, leaving a middle layer of clarified liquid. The second gives that liquid a second, quieter chance to settle anything the first stage carried over, so what reaches the drain field is as clean as a passive system can make it. Single-compartment tanks pass more solids downstream, and solids in a drain field are what eventually kills it — a replacement job that costs many times what the tank did.

Why Seamless Matters

Rotational moulding produces the tank as one continuous piece with no joints, seams or welds. There is nothing to split under ground movement, nothing to leak at a joint, and nothing to corrode. Concrete tanks crack; steel tanks rust; a one-piece polyethylene body does neither, which is why it is generally specified in aggressive soil.

Installation Rules That Are Not Optional

Never under a driveway. Installing a plastic tank beneath a driveway or anywhere with heavy vehicle traffic is specifically prohibited and voids the manufacturer’s warranty. The tank is not designed to carry wheel loads.
Never above ground. These tanks rely on backfill support. Used above ground the body will distort. If you need above-ground storage, buy a tank built for it.
Bed and backfill with pea gravel. A sand and gravel mixture of the type sold as pea gravel is the recommended bedding and backfill material — it flows into place around the curved body and supports it evenly without point loads.

Sizing

A 1,000 gallon tank is the common specification for a typical three-bedroom household, but local health department rules set the minimum and they vary widely by jurisdiction. Check the requirement before you order — undersizing is not something you can correct later without digging the tank back out.

Freight

Light enough to ship and place without a crane; freight is quoted to your delivery ZIP code. Contact us for availability. For commercial kitchen wastewater see the 4,000 gallon grease trap.