The vast majority of homes in the U.S. use either a septic system or a sewer line to dispose of household wastewater. Although both systems are meant to handle the same task, they go about it in a very different way.
A sewer line is just a big drain pipe that runs between your home and the municipal sewer main. Other than clearing clogs caused by tree roots or a build-up of material in the sewer lines, most sewer lines will last indefinitely without any maintenance. Unless it has a clog or is partially collapsed, a sewer line can handle just about any volume of waste water that your home can produce.
This is not the case with a septic system. Septic systems rely on a septic tank to collect the wastewater that flows from your home. Mixed in with this wastewater is solid material that needs to be separated from the fluid before the fluid (called effluent) flows out to the drain field where it percolates into the soil. If the effluent has too much solid material still suspended in it when it goes to the drain field, the drain field will become clogged and will slowly lose capacity.
A septic system has to be properly sized in order to be able to handle the volume of wastewater from your home. If you add additional living space onto your home, you have to be careful to ensure that the septic system can handle the additional load. In addition, a septic system needs regular maintenance to stay in good working condition. A septic system should be inspected by a trained sewer-septic professional every other year and septic tank pumping should be done as needed, generally about every three to five years.
