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Your guide to everything about septic tanks
A septic tank is part of a
small-scale sewage treatment system often referred to
as a septic system. Septic systems consist of the tank itself and leach
field.
Depending upon regional terminology, the leach fields may be referred to
as a drain field, or seepage field. Through out the rest of this article
we will refer to
this part of the septic system as a leach field.
Wastewater enters the tank where the solids settle and the scum floats.
Anaerobic
digestion occurs on the settled solids, reducing them. Excess liquid
drains from
the relatively clear portion of the tank into the leach field where the
remaining
impurities naturally decompose. A piping network, often constructed in a
stone
filled trench, distributes the wastewater throughout the field with
multiple drainage
holes in the network. Wastewater is eliminated through percolation into
the soil,
and eventually taken up through the root system of plants or added to
the groundwater.
The size of the leach field is
proportional to the volume of wastewater and inversely proportional to
the porosity of the leach field. The entire septic system normally
operates by gravity. However, in some areas where the system would be
located higher than the plumbing system, a lift pump is needed.
An Imhoff tank is a two stage septic system. In this system, the sludge
is digested
in a separate tank. This avoids mixing sludge, or digested waste with
incoming
sewage. Some systems go another step farther by having a second stage
where the effluent from the anaerobic first stage is aerated, before
draining into the leach
field.
Waste that does not decomposed by anaerobic digestion eventually has to
be removed from the septic tank, if not, the septic tank fills up and
wastewater discharges directly into the leach field. Not only is this is
bad for the environment, but could prove costly as well. If the sludge
overflows the septic tank and runs into
the leach field, it may damage the leach field piping requiring
expensive repairs.
How often the septic tank has to be pumped out depends on the volume of
the tank relative to the input of solids, the amount of indigestible
solids, and the ambient temperature (as anaerobic digestion occurs more
efficiently at higher temperatures).
Users of septic tank systems must be careful not to put excessive waste
(e.g. through a kitchen food disposal unit) or non-biodegradable waste
through their sewers. Excessive waste overloads the system design
capacity, requiring them to be pumped out more frequently. Likewise,
users of septic systems should limit water usage to the maximum extent,
to avoid exceeding the capacity of the leach field. This will cause
improper dispersing of the water portion of the waste.
Common and most frequently
asked septic questions:
Septic tank care
About bio solids
About Bio filters
About Methane filters
Septic tank smell removal
sewer gas filters for septic systems
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