If your home runs on a septic system, wastewater from the house travels through the main sewer line into the septic tank. In the tank, bacteria digest organic matter and separate solid waste from the water. After that, the wastewater leaves the septic tank and is discharged to a drain field or leach field where pollutants in the wastewater are removed. The wastewater is then distributed through some perforated pipes for treatment.
- If you reside in a remote part of Australia or have a holiday home in a location that is not connected to the municipal council's sewerage system, it is highly likely that you have a septic tank installed on the property. These receptacles offer a convenient way to eliminate wastewater and are typically designed to be used for a long time. However, just as other household items, septic systems do have a shelf life, and it is prudent to know when to replace your tank before you have a septic disaster on the property.
- Having a septic treatment system in your home is essential to ensure that wastes are disposed of efficiently. For this reason, you need to be careful how you handle your septic treatment system. When using your septic treatment system, you might make some mistakes without even knowing. Mistakes, whether draining, plumbing or cleaning, are the roots of all septic tank problems. Repair of septic treatment systems is usually very costly, which is why you may want to avoid some of these mistakes.
- Having a septic tank on your property doesn't typically mean that you need to change much about how you use the sinks, tubs, and toilets in your home, as the septic tank is meant to break down solid waste and empty out treated liquid waste to a drain field. However, you shouldn't act as if having a septic tank is the same as being connected to city plumbing systems, as certain chemicals and other items may damage the tank or cause clogs more readily since they can't be easily treated by the chemicals you use in a septic tank.
- A grease trap is a plumbing device used to intercept greases and any solids before they are disposed of down a wastewater disposal system. Wastewater contains small amounts of oils, which enter into septic tanks, forming a floating scum layer. This layer is digested and broken down by microorganisms. However, when large amounts of oil are produced, maybe from food production in restaurants, they overwhelm the septic tanks. This causes untreated sewage to be released into the environment, making the environment an uncomfortable place to stay.