How do Septic Tanks Work?
When it comes to any building, it is important to have a good plumbing system. More importantly, it is good to have an efficient way to get rid of waste that travels trough those pipes. If that sewage or wastewater is not properly removed, there are three main things that will happen. First and foremost, it stinks! Secondly, they contain harmful bacteria. Finally, they contain solids and chemicals that affect the environment. There are three main things about wastewater that make it something you don't want to release into the environment.
There are two types of ways to get rid of wastewater or sewage: a septic tank and an urban wastewater system. I will first talk about the septic tank. A private sewage treatment plan (septic tank) would be ideal for houses that are spaced so far apart it would be too expensive to have a sewer system. A septic tank is simply a big concrete or steel tank that is buried in the yard. The tank might hold 1,000 gallons (4,000 liters) of water.
A septic tank naturally produces gases caused by bacteria breaking down the organic material in the wastewater. These gases don't smell good. In order to block the gases from flowing back into the house, sinks therefore have loops of pipe called P-traps that hold water in the lower loop while gases flow up a vent pipe. As new water enters the tank, it displaces the water that's already there. This water flows out of the septic tank and into a drain field. A drain field is made of perforated pipes buried in trenches filled with gravel. A typical drain field pipe is 4 inches in diameter and is buried in a trench that is 4 to 6 feet deep and 2 feet wide. The gravel fills the bottom 2 to 3 feet of the trench and dirt covers the gravel.
The water is slowly absorbed and filtered by the ground in the drain field. The size of the drain field is determined by how well the ground absorbs water. In places where the ground is hard clay that absorbs...