About Your Septic System
Your Septic System is a "natural" biodegrading and filtering system that, with a little help from you will serve your family for many many years. The heart of the system is shown in the diagram below. Your home's waste is drained into the septic tank where it is naturally divided by gravity into four layers: Gas, Scum, Liquid, and Sludge. The gas is slowly and harmlessly released into the air, the scum (solids that are lighter than water) is gradually absorbed by natural bacteria, the liquid effluent (mostly water) is directed to your absorption field where it is naturally filtered into clean water by the ground before it reaches the water table, and the sludge (those solids that are heavier than water) settle to the bottom of the tank. Up to 50% of the sludge is consumed by natural bacteria, but the other half sits on the bottom, building up over time. It is critcally important to the proper function of your system to NEVER allow the sludge level to reach the discharge height in your tank. If this happens, your absorption field will quickly clog, causing a failure of the system and, likely the need to install a new one. The best way to prevent this is to have a regular maintenance schedule, based on the number of people living in the house, that provides for the pumping out of the accumulated sludge BEFORE it ever gets to be a danger to your system. |
