Plumber >> Service And Repair >> Well and Septic Tanks

Wells and Septic Tanks

If you live in a home with a well and a septic system, you have one of the finest examples of recycling that man has yet devised. The wastewater from the home is discharged to the septic system, where filtering through the soil purifies the water. Much of this water flows downward through the soil and bedrock, where it becomes a source of well water for you and/or your neighbors.

Septic systems and wells require very little attention, but there are significant differences between these systems and city sewers and water. Septic systems and wells require some basic maintenance to ensure continued adequate functioning and to avoid costly, unnecessary repairs.

The modern septic tank retains and stores solid matter that is flushed from the house while allowing the liquid portion of the waste to pass through to the leaching field. A certain amount of solid digestion takes place inside of the septic tank, which helps control the rapid buildup of solid matter. The solids in a septic tank can be divided into three categories: those that float on the water, such as grease; those that settle to the bottom, such as paper and ground garbage; and those that are suspended in the liquid, such as partially digested solids.

Because of modern living patterns and the resulting waste disposal habits, a septic tank should be
pumped out every three years, or more often if a garbage disposal is utilized in he house. A septic
tank will fill with solids if it is not pumped out, and the solids will then flow out of the tank with
the liquid. This will shorten the useful life of the leaching fields by physically clogging the soil
pores. A licensed septic tank cleaner can pump out a septic tank and inspect the baffles at the
same time. An inspection of the baffles in the tank is extremely important and very cost effective,
because the function of the baffles is to retain the floating solid layer in the tank. These baffles
should be checked each time the tank is pumped because they may deteriorate as a result of the
biological activity in the tank. The cost of replacing a defective baffle is far less than the cost of
replacing a leaching system that has been ruined.

 

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