There is no doubt that building septic tank systems are an essential part of constructing a home, especially if you live in the rural area, where you do not have access to the centralized sewage systems of the city. Irrespective of whether you live in the countryside or city your household will produce a certain amount of sewage daily whether its from kitchen sinks, laundry, or bathrooms. This necessitates the need for treating this huge amount of wastewater so that it does not pose a danger to our environment. This is precisely why the septic systems are built. Have you ever wondered how your septic tank can treat this much wastewater day after day?
For understanding this, you need to know how does a Haymarket, VA, septic tank work. A typical septic tank system is designed to have two major sections. The first section is the septic tank itself that is often made out of fiberglass, polyethylene or concrete. In addition to the septic tank, the system also has a drain field which helps to distribute the wastewater treated by the septic tank through porous pipes into the soil.
How Does a Haymarket, VA, Septic Tank Work?
If you look at the design of a septic tank, you can see that a septic tank is divided into two chambers. The first chamber is connected to the main drainage pipe of your home. Once the wastewater reaches there, the solids present in it gets settled down at the bottom of the chamber. This solid part of the wastewater is called sludge. Similarly, the greasy and oily part of the sewage forms a top layer in the first chamber of the septic tank, and it is called scum. The liquid part present in the wastewater, the effluent, will remain between the scum and sludge.
There is a T shaped outlet in the wall which separate the two chambers of a septic tank which makes sure that only the effluent can exit the first chamber of the septic tank and enter the second. The scum and sludge formed there will remain in the first chamber itself.
The effluent is further let to settle down in the second chamber and whatever liquid portion of the wastewater is still left, will be let out to the drain field through porous pipes. The function of the drain field is to absorb and dispense the wastewater slowly into the soil.
However, make sure not to overpower the capacity of your drain field by forcing it to handle excess wastewater. If this happens, it can lead to backups in your sinks and toilets. If you are looking for a septic tank service provider, who is well experienced and trustworthy, remember that SES Mid Atlantic is only a call away.