Maintenance For Your Septic Tank System
To keep your household septic tank system working properly, as a homeowner should pump out their tank to send it to be pumped out by a professional once every two years. That will ensure that the tank stays clear of sediment and other accumulations. Without this maintenance, the septic system can deteriorate, which may lead to pollution in groundwater or surface water sources, human health risks, containment problems with gas emissions, and expensive repairs in addition to clogging nearby drainage systems with effluent (waste matter).
The main reason why homeowners often neglect their ecological septic tanks is because it is a highly time-consuming task that can also be dangerous. People usually try to cut corners when it comes to maintenance using an alternative approach. Therefore, homeowners need to learn how to maintain a septic tank system properly so they do not face any problems with it later in the future.
The first step to taking care of your septic system will be to inspect your tank’s filter media and the drain field on the top of it. You must use a septic cleaner to make sure that the filter is prepared and flowing correctly. The filter provides a good place for waste to get filtered and a location to get rid of solid waste. After opening the drain valve, you must assess how fast and smoothly your septic tank pump takes out wastewater. When you decide there is a problem, it’s time to get help; in this case, it is best to ask a professional for assistance. The professional should know how much is a septic holding tank and all about septic systems to be in a better position of helping you.
Most households use a septic tank to drain dirty water from different activities such as flushing the toilet, doing laundry, cleaning utensils, and bathing. When you have a household septic tank that operates appropriately, everything is just a lot less tidy and hygienic.
It is important to know all about septic systems to avoid eventualities that arise from installing poor ecological septic tanks, signs that your septic system is malfunctioning, and you need to do a septic system repair due to poor maintenance.
You can make different types of household septic tank systems, such as a stage 1 septic system that works with the sewerage being treated inside the septic tank only before being released to drain in the field where further treatment will occur naturally. While the type 2 stage septic system works with the treatment of the sewerage being treated within the septic tank, in comparison to the type 1 septic system, a further aerobic secondary treatment process takes place before the sewerage is discharged to a drain field.
Additionally, an above ground septic field system is used to treat sewerage where the conditions are not favorable for a convention septic system because of the increased danger of the system collapsing. Choosing the best septic system is crucial because a wrong choice can be a costly mistake. Therefore, consult the experts to make an informed choice.
Sewage disposal is universal among buildings; in fact, even the ancient Romans and the Harappan civilization near present-day India had primitive plumbing systems in their buildings, and today, sewage disposal is more efficient and leak-resistant than ever. Buildings and homes in a city or town will usually be connected to a public utility for disposing of sewage, but for about one in four American homes today, more often the rural ones, a septic tank may be used instead, and septic cleaning and septic pumping should be done every so often so that this system can stay clean and in good working order. A clogged or damaged septic system may quickly result in backed up toilets or other issues in the home, so the owner of a septic tank should be diligent about septic tank treatment as needed, and if so, their sewage disposal will continue to work smoothly. How do these systems work, and what can be done if there are problems with the septic tank or the pipes connected to it?
How A Septic Tank Works
This is an alternative method to public sewage disposal when such public services are impractical in a certain area. Instead, a home will make use of a septic tank, and septic systems are self-contained. Once used water from the toilets, sinks, bath tubs, and more flow from pipes and into the tank, the work begins. Here in the septic tank, many species of benign bacteria will start breaking down solids in the waste water, and this results in solids settling at the bottom (they will never leave the tank), and fats and oils floating to the top, with the cleanest part of the water in the middle. Generally, a septic tank will be big enough to contain two days’ worth of waste water, since it takes about that long for solids to settle out.
Now, the relatively clean water fill flow deeper into the system, and pass through a filter found on the tank as the water enters new pipes. At this point, the water will blow along pipes that have nozzles or holes in them, and the water will leak out of these pipes and into loosely compacted gravel, soil, and more bacteria colonies, and all this acts as a natural filtration system for the water emerging from the pipes. This water can soak back into the natural environment in what is called the drainage field, and now the process is complete.
Care for Septic Tanks and Systems
This system may need routine maintenance and care so that it can continue to function at its best. For one thing, the septic tank will have to be cleared out every so often, since there is no way to dispose of the sludge otherwise. A long measuring stick, sometimes called a “sludge judge,” will be used to determine the sludge’s level, and once a tank is one third to half full, it is time to call in professional crews to clear it out. These crews will dig up the tank and use a truck’s pumps to draw out all the sludge, and the tank is now empty and ready for more work.
Owners of a septic tank should also check the filter found on the tank, and if this filter is clogged, water may not pass through to the pipes, and if it is damaged, dirty water fan flow through and compromise the system. An owner should not simply remove a clogged filter, however; it should be cleaned off, repaired, or replaced as needed, then put back so that it can keep filtering water. What is more, vehicles should never be allowed to flow across the drainage field, since the weight of vehicles will compress the soil enough so that the gravel and dirt block the water from flowing, and this can cause issues for the system. Meanwhile, the pipes may become clogged or coated with grime over time, and crews can be hired to dig them up and blast them clean with pressurized water, or repair or replace damaged pipes. A homeowner should also be careful to not allow solids like cigarette butts or diapers into the system, since they don’t break down the way regular waste water solids will.
