Most of the people would have been aware of the term septic tank but are not aware what this means. It really is quite common in rural areas to have homes separated by large distance which renders it very expensive to connect to the mains sewage system. Generally these people install their very own sewage treatment plant which is also referred to as a septic tank. A septic tank is a large steel or concrete tank that’s buried within your yard and has an enormous capacity of holding up to 1,000 gallons of water. The septic tank is created with the simplest flow system where the waste water enters the tank at one end and leaves it at the other end.
A septic tank can be logically divided into three layers. Scum layer would be the first layer where anything that floats on water is accumulated. The lower layer of septic tank is also called as sludge layer and comprises of anything that is heavy is at the bottom of the septic tank. One can find fairly clean water in the midst of the tank that’s devoid of all of the solid waste, though you can find chemicals in addition to other bacteria which can be still there in this element of the tank. The flow of waste water is directed by way of a number of sewer pipes into the septic tank.
Another major thing that one must know about septic tank is that these tanks produce different type of natural gases. These gases really smell bad and because of this reasons, the are made with P-Traps created to hold gases from coming back into your house. These P-Traps hold water which controls gases from coming out of your septic tank and enter your home. The complete cycle of your septic tank works in a way where new water enters the tank and displaces water already within the tank. The water is directed from the septic tank into the drain field.
Let us have a look at the drain field in your septic tank. Drain field is constructed with perforated pipes which are buried deep in trenches that are filled with gravel. Once the water flows through the septic tank and reaches the drain field, it is slowly absorbed as well as filtered by the ground of the drain field. How large these fields varies from the kind of sand and also their size varies according to the capacity of the ground to hold water. Any place having hard clay, with very slow and fewer water absorbing, would have fairly bigger drain fields in those septic tanks.
You most likely are pondering what powers the septic tank, the answer is simple: Gravity. The overall process of a septic tank is controlled by gravity itself and the system is better called as a passive system. The flow of water is from the house to tank and then from tank to the drain field which all controlled by gravity. The moisture as well as nutrients from the drain field often results into greener grass over the septic tank.
Want to find out more about septic tanks, then visit Jason Restall’s site on how to choose the best septic tank for your needs.