What's A Septic Tank?
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by: JasonRestall | Total views: 27 | Word Count: 511
Most people would have been aware of the term septic tank but do not understand what it means. It's quite common in rural areas to have homes separated by large distance which renders it very expensive to connect to the mains sewage system. Generally these people install their own sewage treatment plant which is also referred to as a septic tank. A septic tank is a big steel or concrete tank that is buried within your garden and has a vast capacity of holding up to 1,000 gallons of water. The septic tank is designed with the simplest flow system where the waste water enters the tank at one end and leaves it at the other end.
A septic tank can be logically divided into three layers. Scum layer would be the first layer where anything that floats on water is accumulated. The lower layer of septic tank is also called as sludge layer and comprises of anything that is heavy is at the bottom of the septic tank. One can find fairly clean water in the midst of the tank that's devoid of all of the solid waste, though you can find chemicals in addition to other bacteria which can be still there in this element of the tank. The flow of waste water is directed by way of a number of sewer pipes into the septic tank.
Another major thing that you must know about septic tank is that these tanks produce different type of natural gases. These gases really smell bad and because of this reasons, the are designed with P-Traps created to hold gases from coming back straight into the house. These P-Traps hold water which controls gases from coming out of the septic tank and enter your house. The overall cycle of your septic tank works in a way where new water enters the tank and displaces water already inside the tank. The water is directed from the septic tank into the drain field.
Let us have a look at the drain field in your septic tank. Drain field is built with perforated pipes which can be buried deep in trenches that are packed with gravel. Once the water exits the septic tank and reaches the drain field, its slowly absorbed as well as filtered by the ground of the drain field. The dimensions of these fields varies from the sort of sand and their size varies according to the capacity of the ground to retain water. Any place having hard clay, with very slow and fewer water absorbing, would have fairly bigger drain fields in those septic tanks.
You most likely are thinking what powers the septic tank, the answer is simple: Gravity. The overall strategy of a septic tank is controlled by gravity itself and the system is better called as a passive system. The flow of water is from the house to tank after which from tank to the drain field which all controlled by gravity. The moisture as well as nutrients from the drain field often results into greener grass on top of the septic tank.
About the Author
Want to find out more about septic tanks, then visit Jason Restall's site on how to choose the best septic tank for your needs.
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