Understanding Septic Tanks
If you're buying property in an urban or suburban setting, chances are good that the home is connected to a municipal sewage system. If, however, you're looking at purchasing a home on acreage or in a rural setting, waste may be handled through a septic tank. Proper care and maintenance is key to keeping your household sewage disposal system running properly, and with a bit of knowledge, you can avoid the expense and hassle of a poorly functioning septic system.
Septic Systems: A Common Waste Handling Strategy
Septic systems rely on bacteria to digest organic solid waste while fluid waste is gradually leached into porous surrounding soil. Homeowners who use septic tanks are completely responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of these sewage systems, and most states have laws requiring that the systems be maintained in order to protect human and environmental health.
Septic systems include a pipe that connects the home plumbing to a septic tank. In the septic tank, wastes are separated by gravity. Solids (also called sludge) settle to the bottom of the tank. Oils and grease float to the top. The remaining wastewater exits into a drain field where microbes in the soil remove most remaining contaminants.
Types of Septic Systems
There are a variety of septic systems for a range of soil types, and they vary widely in terms of cost, complexity, and maintenance requirements. All systems start with a tank for holding solid waste and grease and end with some sort of drainfield for liquid effluent, but these drainfields can look very different depending on soil composition and depth. A percolation test, which determines how much water the soil can filter, will probably be needed by property owners wishing to install a new septic system.
There are typically four common septic system types:
Gravity drainfields. These rely on gravity to carry liquid waste through a series of pipes, situated below the tank, where it is allowed to leach into permeable soil. When the pipes are located above the tank, a pump is required to move waste uphill.
Pressure distribution drainfields. These include a pump, which puts fluid waste into the system intermittently, using pressure to fill all sections of piping evenly. This type of system is better for systems where the soil depth and quality is insufficient to handle gravity-fed waste.
Sand filter systems. These use added sand, usually held in a box of concrete or plastic, as a pre-soil filtering step and are useful when soil is not of the right depth or type for absorbing unfiltered fluid waste. These systems include a pump and pipes, laid in gravel above the sand, to distribute the waste across the length and breadth of the filter.
Mound systems. These are another option for sites with insufficient topsoil, and include a mound of sand, gravel, and pressurized piping above or, occasionally, beneath the ground surface. Sewage is filtered through this man-made hill before it enters the soil below.
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