In many rural areas and small towns with lower populations and houses spread far apart, city sewer systems are virtually non-existent. Therefore, people install septic tanks, which are actually a private form of wastewater treatment. A septic tank is a big tank capable of holding a thousand gallons of water, made of concrete, steel or plastic that is placed underground.
Sewer water from your home flows through pipes exiting the house into the tank at one end, where it becomes separated with scum floating to the top and heavier solids sinking to the bottom. As new water enters the tank, the separated water is discharged out into the drain field where it leaches into the soil. While the discharged water contains some bacteria and chemicals (mainly nitrogen and phosphorous), it is free of solids and useful for fertilizer. Septic tank pumping is necessary every 3 to 5 years to remove the accumulated solid material.
Because of the breakdown of organic material in the wastewater, gases are produced that need to be trapped from flowing back into the house. Special “P-trap” pipes help with this process and the gases are then vented vertically out of a pipe protruding through the roof. In the drain field, the discharged water is exited and filtered through perforated pipes set in gravel trenches. How well the soil absorbs the discharged water determines the necessary size of the drain field. A septic system is normally powered by nothing other than gravity; water follows down from the house, down from the septic tank, down into the drain field, making it a completely passive system.
If you have any concerns about the effectiveness of your home’s system, your local septic professional can inspect and service your septic system to ensure that all is working safely and properly.
