How Does Your Septic Tank Work?
A septic tank is an excellent way to handle wastewater if you don't live where you can connect to a municipal wastewater system. That wastewater has to go somewhere, and you can't dump blackwater in your backyard without treating it because it will contaminate everything. Not only does the septic tank gather the wastewater generated in your house, but it also starts to treat the water so that it can eventually go into the leech field and filter into the soil. So, how does a septic tank work?
Dual Chambers
A septic tank is made up of two chambers. The first chamber is where the water first enters the system. It enters lower down on one side, and the baffle that leads to the other chamber is higher up on the other. It needs to be that way so the water doesn't go straight into the other tank. The first tank has anaerobic bacteria in it. The bacteria munch away at the solids in the wastewater. They produce sludge that falls into the bottom of the tank. After a while, the water in the first tank will move into the second chamber of the tank to get filtered and processed. When it is done in that chamber, the water will go through the drain pipes out into the drain field or leech field and slowly filter through the soil.
Pumping
Eventually, the sludge produced by the bacteria and the solid waste will build up enough so that there is not enough room for more wastewater to enter the tank. After all, your septic tank has a finite amount of space, and when it is full, there is just no way to get more space. Depending on how big your tank is, how much use it gets, and how many people live in your house, it can take several years before this happens. When it happens, you need to call a septic repair company to pump out your tank. They will bring out a tank truck with a huge vacuum hose to stick in the tank and suck everything out. You will be left with an empty tank that you can start filling up again.
If you have problems with your septic tank, you need to talk to a residential septic tank repair company. They will come and diagnose your problems and tell you what needs to be done. You need to get things handled as soon as possible because the longer you wait, the harder it will be to deal with any problems.