Chiefland, Florida Realtor

The Workings of a Septic Tank

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 on site, 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 on site, usually in a home owner'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 20 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. Pumping is eventually required when non biological items like plastic are introduced into the septic tank.

Remember that while you have a septic tank system if you owned a house connected to a municipal sewage treatment plant you would have a monthly bill to pay for that system. which is usually a part of your water bill.

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. I was told that the building code would require a second septic tank to receive the solid material from the 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. (all are pdf files.)

* So . . . now you own a septic system

* The care and feeding of your septic system

* Groundwater protection and your septic system

An article by Jim VanErmen