Septic systems are reliable, but they can be affected by what you put down the drains. Hygiene products, paint, bleach, hair, cat litter, and other items can clog the system or cause sewage to flow back into the home.
A septic tank is a buried, watertight container that receives all household wastewater. Waste separates into three layers: scum, sludge, and effluent. Check out https://www.septictankarmadale.com.au/.
Bacteria
As water waste flows through your pipes, a bacteria-laden liquid forms. The bacteria breaks down the organic material and turns it into gasses and other inorganic materials. During this process, the wastewater takes on a sludge-like consistency.
Septic tanks are underground containers made of concrete, fiberglass, or polyethylene. They have an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe transports the wastewater into the tank, where it is kept for a period long enough to separate solid and liquid waste. A lid covers the tank, and a vent pipe releases gases. These gases are often referred to as “sewage” odors and can travel throughout your home.
After the septic tank has held the waste for some time, it settles into three layers. Scum floats on the top, oil and grease sink to the bottom as sludge, and the rest of the waste forms an effluent. The wastewater that reaches the bottom of the tank is then pumped through an outlet into a drain field area (also known as a leach field). Here, the septic system’s natural filtering process continues.
Keeping your septic tank healthy is important for your home’s plumbing and environment. To do this, you must avoid flushing non-biodegradable items like cigarette butts, cotton swabs, diapers, and feminine hygiene products into your septic system. These items can clog your toilets, drains, and septic system. They can also kill the bacteria that break down sludge.
In addition, it is important to have your septic tank pumped regularly. This will keep it from overflowing and leaking sewage into your home.
A septic system isn’t an option for everyone, however. Some areas have sandy or clay soil that cannot support a septic system. In these cases, pathogenic bacteria can make their way to surface waters or nearby recreational sites. A septic system can also contaminate wells and groundwater if the septic tank isn’t maintained correctly. Therefore, it’s vital to understand the ins and outs of septic tanks before you install one in your home. It’s also important to stay up-to-date with your local septic regulations.
Sludge
If you own or plan to buy a home with a septic system, you must know about how sludge affects the health of your septic tank. If you do, then you can be more careful about what you flush down your drains. You can ask your seller to have a septic tank inspection before you buy so that you can make a contingent offer on the property based on a clean test result.
As the wastewater from toilets, showers, and sinks exits the house, it converges in a single pipe that runs to the septic tank buried outdoors. Inside the tank, density differences automatically separate the sewage waste into three layers. Fats and oils float to the top, while solids like soil, grit, and unconsumed food particles settle to the bottom and form a sludge layer. In the middle is a comparatively clear liquid layer called effluent, which is the wastewater that the bacteria have partially digested.
Septic tanks are widely used in homes and rural areas because they provide a cost-effective solution to wastewater management. However, they can also lead to environmental pollution due to bacterial leaks into groundwater and surface water. The problem is especially significant in shallow, sandy, and limestone soil regions where pathogenic bacteria move easily through the soil to enter groundwater or surface water.
A septic tank that isn’t pumped regularly is more likely to develop a sludge layer that reduces the effective volume of the tank, which in turn limits its ability to separate liquids from solid waste. When this happens, the septic tank can’t adequately process wastewater and solids to protect nearby groundwater and surface water.
If you pump your septic tank often enough, then the bacteria inside will digest the sludge and keep it to a minimum. The sludge that does accumulate is mostly organic material—including dead organisms—that the bacteria consume through anaerobic digestion, producing gases in the process. This helps to neutralize the odors produced by the septic system. In some cases, the sludge can be spread on fields for fertilizer—a practice that can help farmers save money and protect waterways in their local area.
Sewage
While septic tanks are a necessary part of life in rural areas, where homes are too widely spaced for centralized sewer systems, they do not treat wastewater completely. Without the addition of bacteria, raw sewage can enter groundwater and surface water, killing fish and other organisms and making the environment unusable. To ensure that septic systems do not release pathogenic contaminants into soil and surface water, they need to be pumped regularly.
As bacteria digest the waste in a septic tank, the solid waste settles to the bottom of the container and becomes a sludge layer. The lighter solids, such as fats and soaps, rise to the top of the tank and form a scum layer. The scum and sludge layers in a septic tank are separated by a layer of liquid that occupies about one-third of the total volume of the tank.
The bacterial ecosystem breaks down the septage into its components, including carbon dioxide, water, and methane. These gases are released through a vent in the septic tank’s lid, which has a mushroom shape and can be fitted with a charcoal filter to reduce odors. These gases must be released to prevent pressure build-up in the septic tank that could stop or reverse the flow of water.
A septic tank’s capacity determines how often it needs to be pumped. The more solid waste thrown down household drains, the faster the tank fills and needs to be pumped. The frequency of pumping also depends on how careful people are about not throwing excess fats, rinds, and other garbage down drains.
If a septic tank does not get pumped regularly, the sludge layer may clog the inlet and outlet tees, blocking flow into and out of the tank. This can cause sewage to back up through the house drains, and it can also clog the absorption field.
The septic tank’s job is to separate the solid and liquid parts of wastewater. The liquid part is pumped into a septic system’s drain field, where natural filtration takes place in sandy and limestone soil. The solids are deposited in a leach field. The drain fields are often located in recreational areas, and they can allow bacteria and pathogens to enter nearby surface waters and groundwater.
Drain Fields
A septic system’s drain fields prevent pollution through a natural treatment process. Wastewater infiltrates the soil and is further digested and cleansed by microorganisms that reduce levels of harmful bacteria, viruses, toxins, and other contaminants.
When wastewater leaves your home, it enters a perforated pipe that runs underground to your drain field. This field is a shallow trench filled with clean stone or gravel that further treats wastewater before it exits the septic tank into the ground. This helps protect the environment, especially in areas without public sewer systems or central sewage treatment plants.
Keeping your drain fields healthy can help prevent costly repairs and replacements to your septic tank. To keep them in good working order, never flush cooking oil, grease, chemical drain openers, chemical paints and solvents, cigarette butts, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, cat litter, paper towels, or other organic chemicals. These items clog drain pipes and inhibit the action of productive bacteria, resulting in a poorly functioning septic system.
Another way to keep your septic tanks and drain fields in good health is through regular pumping and inspections by professionals. Keeping your family, pets, and guests away from the tank and absorption field can also help prevent damage.
If you notice a foul odor in your home or yard, this may indicate that the septic tank is overflowing. This occurs when a clog in the ventilation pipe traps gasses that cannot escape. These gasses are comprised of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide and can be quite dangerous to your family’s health and well-being.
You may also notice wet, soggy spots or puddles in the yard near your septic tank. This can occur when the drain field is oversaturated with wastewater. Heavy rains, sudden snow melt, and high winter water tables can interfere with the flow of wastewater through the septic tank inlet and absorption field.
A professional can evaluate your septic tank, drain field, and leach line for signs of problems. It is recommended that you have a professional inspect your system twice a year. This includes a full visual and physical inspection of the tank and absorption field. Regular septic tank cleaning, maintenance, and inspection can reduce the risk of serious, costly complications.