When buying a new house you may come across the possibility of having
your very own personal sewage treatment plant which we commonly call a
septic tank system. The following was extracted from the National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC) Web Page on Septic Tank Systems . The NSFC is sponsored by the National Environmental Services Center and is funded
through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"A septic system is a highly efficient, self contained, underground
wastewater treatment system. Because septic systems treat and dispose
of household wastewater onsite, they are often more economical than
centralized sewer systems in rural areas where lot sizes are larger and
houses are spaced widely apart. Septic systems are also simple in
design, which make them generally less expensive to install and
maintain. And by using natural processes to treat the wastewater
onsite, usually in a homeowner's backyard, septic systems don't require
the installation of miles of sewer lines, making them
less disruptive to the environment."
"A septic system consists of two main parts - a septic tank and a drain
field. The septic tank is a watertight box, usually made of concrete or
fiberglass, with an inlet and outlet pipe. Wastewater flows from the
home to the septic tank through the sewer pipe. The septic tank treats
the wastewater naturally by holding it in the tank long enough for
solids and liquids to separate. The wastewater forms three layers
inside the tank. Solids lighter than water (such as greases and oils)
float to the top forming a layer of scum. Solids heavier than water
settle at the bottom of the tank forming a
layer of sludge. This leaves a middle layer of partially clarified
wastewater. "
"The layers of sludge and scum remain in the septic tank where bacteria
found naturally in the wastewater work to break the solids down. The
sludge and scum that cannot be broken down are retained in the tank
until the tank is pumped. The layer of clarified liquid flows from the
septic tank to the drain field or to a distribution device, which helps
to uniformly distribute the wastewater in the drain field. A standard
drain field (also known as a leach field, disposal field, or a soil
absorption system) is a series of trenches or a bed lined with gravel
or course sand and buried one to three
feet below the ground surface. Perforated pipes or drain tiles run
through the trenches to distribute the wastewater. The drain field
treats the wastewater by allowing it to slowly trickle from the pipes
out into the gravel and down through the soil. The gravel and soil act
as biological filters."
Remember the commercial on RidX. This product is designed to help
the biological process by adding anaerobic bacteria which will speed
the digestive process in the septic tank. In the 17 years I have
been selling homes in this area, I have not known of a problem with a
septic tank in a home I have sold. Eventually the tank will have
to be pumped but this may not be required for up to 10 years depending
on your care and usage.
The following are some do's and don'ts.
DO:
Insure the septic tank is properly installed by a qualified
licensed technician using an approved plan registered with the
county health department. During the installation of a septic
tank the county health department determines the drainage of the soil
through a perk test and based upon the size of the home and drainage of
the soil, determines the size of the tank and the length and kind of
the drain field.
Have your septic tank inspected by the county health department prior
to buying a home. If you are obtaining a more formal inspection
by a licensed technician, you might as well have the tank pumped at the
same time since the major cost of excavating the dirt/sod and pulling
the top has already been paid.
Keep water drained (especially from the house) away from the septic
tank and drain field to prevent the soil from becoming overly saturated.
Conserve water by avoiding too long showers and space water usage as evenly as possible through out the week.
DO NOT:
AND never drive over the drain field or septic tank
with cars, trucks or other heavy equipment. The concrete can
crack and the drain field pipes can be crushed.
Plant trees or shrubbery in the drain field area as the roots can get into the lines and plug them.
Cover the drain field with hard surfaces, such as concrete or asphalt.
Grass is the best cover, because if will help prevent erosion and help
remove excess water.
Build a swimming pool near your drain field.
Use a garbage disposal.
Dump non biodegradable items such as: hair combings, coffee
grounds, dental floss, disposable diaper, kitty litter, sanitary
napkins, tampons, cigarette butts, condoms, gauze bandages, fat,
grease, or oil, paper towels or plastics of any type.
AND never dump chemicals such as paint thinner,
pesticides, photographic solutions, prescription drugs, excessive
amounts of cleaners, or detergents, or other hazardous substances which
would interfere with the biological process of digesting solids in the
septic tank.
AND it is recommended that the following 3 brochures by NSFC be downloaded and printed. (link requires adobe acrobat reader and are pdf files.)
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