Types of Septic Systems and how your system works…

Here at Sunset Septic, we want you to get the best septic maintenance and septic installation in Arizona. It’s important to us that you understand how your septic system works and how to keep it in top working order. In this article, we’ll discuss types of septic systems and how they work.

There are two major parts to a septic system. The first is the septic tank,  and the second is the drainfield. Let’s talk about the septic tank first.

Waste water that is created in the house then flows into the septic tank.
Once there, three layers are formed: heavier solids that sink to the bottom and form a sludge, a middle layer of waste water, and a scum of grease and lighter particles that float on top. At the inlet and outlet of the tank, baffles are installed to catch the scum and solids and prevent them from escaping.

Newer septic tanks have a concrete dividing wall in the center that makes 2 compartments in the tank. The purpose of the 2 compartments is to help keep the sludge from being forced out of the baffle into the drainfield. These newer tanks sometimes also have a manhole cover above each baffle.

Now let’s look at the drainfield. The drainfield or trench is fed by a pipe that leads from the septic tank to a distribution box. From there, the water is channeled to perforated pipes buried in gravel trenches. Waste water then seeps into the earth, with dissolved wastes and bacteria being decomposed by microorganisms present in the soil. Remaining water then goes into the ground water or evaporates into the atmosphere.

Although the trench system described above is the most common type of septic system, there are a couple of alternatives. One is the seepage pit, or dry well. In this type of septic system, waste goes into a tank with holes in the side walls, and then into surrounding gravel. Another is the sand mound system. These systems are for areas not suited for traditional septic systems. The waste water flows from the septic tank to a storage tank, and then is pumped to perforated pipes buried in a mound of sand on top of the soil. The sand helps with proper treatment of waste water in areas where the native soil may have too much clay in it for water to seep through properly, or in areas where the water table is too close to the surface.

No matter what type of septic system your home employs, we at Sunset Septic are here to help you with septic installation or septic maintenance. We hope you come back often for more articles of interest.