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for your information:
A
SEPTIC SYSTEM is
an onsite and natural method of treating and disposing of household
wastes for those property owners who
are not part of a municipal wastewater system.
It works by allowing waste water to separate into layers for
treatment while being held in the septic tank.
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The
typical septic system is an absorption system and is made up
of 3 parts:
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1) The septic tank where the treatment of wastes
begins,
2) The drain field where the treated effluent is dispersed, and
3) The surrounding soil where the effluent is absorbed, treated and evaporated. |
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| 1)
THE SEPTIC TANK |
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The septic tank is a watertight concrete box
about 9 feet long and 5 feet tall. It is buried in the ground outside
the home where the sanitary line from the house brings the wastewater
from the home to the tank. While typically designed with a 1000 gallon
liquid capacity, the size of a tank is determined by the
number of bedrooms in the home.
In the tank, the waste is allowed to settle into
3 layers:
- At the top is
a scum layer composed of the oils and soap residue
that floats to the top.
- In the middle
is the effluent which will enter the drain field.
- At the bottom,
solids that have settled to the bottom of
the tank are digested by the bacteria and enzymes,
which are present in all septic systems , transforming
at least 50% of these solids to liquids and gases.
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When properly set the inlet side of the septic tank
is higher than the outlet side, so whatever amount of waste enters the
tank, the same amount must leave the tank. Tthe tank inlet has baffles
which slow down and disperse the inflow of waste and keep the tank from
becoming turbulent, and at the outlet another baffle prevents solids from
leaving the septic tank and entering and clogging the absorption field.
The remaining sludge settles out to the
bottom of the tank and must be pumped out periodically. If this
sludge layer is allowed to build up and enter the absorption field
it will clog the field and cause a system failure.As a rule of
thumb, pumping every 3-5 years is generally recommended, depending
on the amount of waste going into the tank.
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| 2)
THE ABSORPTION FIELD |
A
typical absorption field or drain field consists of 2 to 5
trenches excavated in the subsoil. Conventionally the trenches
are 3 feet wide, 2 to 3 feet deep, and 9 feet apart. In each
trench, a layer of washed gravel or stone is placed around
a 4 inch perforated distribution pipe. The gravel is topped
in a barrier material , so when the soil is placed on top,
the soil stays out of the gravel and the pipe.
In many systems a distribution box or flow divider helps move wastewater
from the septic tank effluent layer to each trench in the drain field. |
| 3)
THE SOIL |
| The substrata and soils
surrounding the trenches allows the effluent to be putrefied
by the surrounding gravel beds..and slowly absorbed and evaporated
through the surround soil and substrata, where microbes break
down the wastes into harmless materials. |
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| EVALUATING
SEPTIC PROBLEMS |
Whether installing or upgrading your septic
system the integrity and knowledge of the company you choose to
work with is
paramount to the performance of your septic system and to the health and well
being of your family and the
environment. If a septic system is designed, installed and maintained properly
it will provide years of trouble free service. The difficulty in evaluating a
septic system failure is that any one of or any combination of these parts or
factors of the system can be the cause of failure. There are often no diagrams
as to the installation of the system. In addition, the waste coming from your
house' sanitary line is made up of human wastes, paper, materials from the garbage
disposal, soaps and cleaning chemicals and other substances.The antiseptic and
anti-bacterial chemicals and cleaners added to the mix can kill off the beneficial
enzymes and bacteria required for the septic tank to break down wastes. All organic
wastes are broken down by bacteria and enzymes. The human body does not produce
sufficient enzymes and bacteria to break down all the wastes in the system and
so the use of addition additives is required. Bio
Clean is the product we recommend to maintain
your septic balance. Follow the above link for more information on this product. |
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| causes
of SYSTEM FAILURES: |
- Improper leveling and setting of the
septic tank can cause an overflowing tank.
- The absorption field is too small for
the amount of effluent entering it.
- Heavy rains can saturate the absorption
field, preventing the drain field from functioning.
- A water leak has over saturated the system.
- Drain field pipe laid with too much fall
will cause all the effluent to run to the end of the trenches,
saturating the soil there and allowing effluent to rise to the ground
surface.
- Improper gravel placement or size in
the trenches has impeded the perforations in the drain field pipes.
- Sludge build up in the septic tank overdue
for pumping out, will eventually flow out into the drain field
pipes,
clogging them and
contaminating the soil.
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Proper attention to detail is essential in
designing the trenches and laying the pipes in the absorption/
drain field portion of your septic system. Failure of a septic
system is a danger to anyone living in the area as septic wastes
contain water borne microorganisms and blood borne pathogens including
Hepatitis, Amoebic Dysentery, Infectious Jaundice, Tetanus, Typhoid
and Paratyphoid fevers.
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| ALTERNATIVE
SYSTEMS |
When site conditions are not appropriate for
a conventional system, other systems,
such as Low Pressure Distribution Systems or Mound Systems and Surface Sprinkler
Systems are sometimes used. |
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