How Does a Septic System Work

Recently, I encountered a strange problem. One of my neighbors, who is just like my grandfather to me, dropped in at my place. He wanted to talk to someone about the septic tank system problems in our area. Me being totally clueless about the functioning of a septic system, I keyed in the words to help the poor 'old fella'.

So I thought, I might as well elucidate for the benefit of others like me who have no idea of how do septic systems work.

It is often heard by us about septic tanks. They are the most important parts of a septic system. Septic tanks are very common in places where there is no linkage to the main sewage pipes provided by the local governing body.

So how does this septic tank fit in the larger scheme of things? To know that we need to check out how does a septic system work, here is a brief description of the workings of a septic system.

Operation of a Septic System
There are two sections of a septic system, to begin with. One of it is where there is an entrance of waste from a house or any other building. Then, in the first tank the waste is degenerated into natural bacteria secreted from human beings. When this waste is broken down, it flows to the next section through a filter. Now here, since it has been broken down, what remains is just waste water. Following this process, the waste water is sent to a treatment facility or there are systems which cause the water to seep through a line up of sand, gravel and other filtering material to release the water in the ground again. This was a very simplistic explanation of how does a septic system work, where there is connection of the main sewage pipes with the waste water treatment plants.

Septic Tank comes into the picture when there is no connection of the sewage pipes and waste water treatment facility. A septic tank generally has a capacity of 1000 and 2000 gallons. They are connected to an inlet waste water pipe and a septic drain field (used to remove contaminants and impurities emerging from a septic tank) on both ends, respectively. A contemporary septic tank has two chambers, divided by a wall and openings located midway between the tank's floor and roof.
So then, the waste water gets through the first chamber of the tank, which permits the scum to float and solids to settle. The mechanism is so amazing that, the settled solids are anaerobically dissolved, which reduces the amount of solids. This is very important because if that does not happen, the tank can overflow after a certain period of time.

After the solids are taken care of, the liquids are a cake walk. The liquid component then flow to the second chamber. Here, some more settlement of components take place. The extra liquid drains from the outlet to the septic drain field. The rest of the contaminants and impurities are trapped and gotten rid off in the soil. Here, again the excess water content seeps down in the soil, that ultimately adds to the groundwater level.

However, this is assuming that the total amount of waste is decomposed, which is not the case. Waste, which is not broken down by anaerobically, has to be removed from the septic tank. If this is not done, the septic tank fills up, which leads to the flow of un decomposable waste water straight to the drainage field. This is extremely harmful for the environment, in addition to the sludge overflow. The sludge overflow can result in a blockage of septic drain field piping or hamper the porosity of the soil.

Hence, a septic system which has a septic tank requires periodical septic tank care and maintenance through pumping of the tank and inspection. A well maintained septic system of tanks can prevent a lot of environmental problems and can last long.

That was my attempt to know how does a septic system work and after knowing, to explain it to you. If you thought it was helpful, it will be an absolute pleasure!