Sanifos makes Glamping possible at Galley Hill Farm

Galley Hill is not your normal farm. Situated on the edge of the rolling Lincolnshire Wolds, an 'Area of Natural Beauty', it is run by Sandra and Ian Scaman who not only run the farm, but have a successful 'Pick Your Own' business and a caravan site with 10 pitches in a stunning woodland grove adjacent to the family farmhouse.

The busy caravan site encompasses a block with shower and WC's and has recently expanded from 5 to 10 pitches to satisfy demand from new and repeat customers. Waste from the house and the toilet block is discharged to a septic tank that was recently upgraded due to new regulations that came into effect in 2020. A separate chemical disposal point was also installed for the caravan site.

Whilst chatting to customers, the couple noted comments from visitors who loved the woodland setting, but either had no caravan or preferred self-contained accommodation. With a view to expanding and adding a new dimension to the business, the couple attended the Glamping Show in 2019 to explore some options. As well as a number of pod manufacturers, they visited the Saniflo stand at the show to discuss waste discharge options. The proposed space on site for the pods would not have sufficient gravity fall to reach the septic tank which was some 70m away and thus required a pump to discharge the waste.

After some delay, due to the disruption of lockdown and the pandemic, the couple opted for two sizeable glamping pods complete with bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living room. A Sanifos 610 underground lifting station was specified after a visit to the site by a Saniflo representative to assess the requirement. With plans for more units going forwards, the Sanifos 610 was recommended thanks to ample capacity and additional connection points.

A clearing behind the farmhouse was prepared which included concrete bases for the pods, a large pit for siting the Sanifos and trench for the main connection pipe. A small shed was erected to house the electrics and alarm for the Sanifos. The pods were dropped into place and the waste connections installed from the borehole water supply - which has its own water filtration system.

During the installation a call to the Technical Team about a fault in the electrics resulted in a further visit by a Saniflo engineer. According to Ian the service was exceptional;

"Saniflo has supported us every step of the way and they respond very quickly to any issues. Within a couple of days of a call to the office-based technical team, an exceptionally knowledgeable and helpful engineer attended site to diagnose and fix the issue."

The Sanifos 610 has a 612-litre tank and is offered with a choice of one or two pumps. Galley Hill Farm specified the twin pump model to ensure continuity of service. The pumps work alternately to ensure even wear of the motors, but in the event of one pump failing, the other will activate to ensure it keeps working. It is supplied with a smart control box which is an interactive, intelligent station monitoring system and integrates an alarm for early warning of any problems.

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