Are you building a home in an area that is not yet connected to the city sewer system? If so, you'll need to have a septic tank installed to handle your sewage. Here are a few things to know about septic tanks before having one installed. 

How A Septic Tank Works

Your typical septic tank is going to have two compartments. The liquids and solids go into the main compartment of the septic tank where bacteria help break the solid waste down into a liquid. The solid waste either floats to the top of the tank or settles at the bottom, which leads to a liquid in the center of the compartment. The liquid then goes into the second portion of the septic tank through a small baffle about halfway up where there is not any solid waste. The liquid waste then passes through a filter before it trickles out to the drain field.

The drain field is a series of pipes that helps disperse the water into the ground, which is filled with stone and sand. By allowing the liquid waste to trickle out of these pipes, it will have no problem being absorbed by the soil and not cause your yard to start flooding in certain places. 

When To Pump A Septic Tank

Everyone that owns a septic tank wants to know how often to have the septic tank pumped, and it may be incredibly confusing since there are so many variables. The number of people in your home and the size of the septic tank can have a huge influence on how often the tank needs to be emptied, so there is no clear answer. However, there are ways to check if your septic tank needs to be pumped.

You can use a special tool called a core sampler, which you put into the bottom of the tank to essentially see how much solid waste is in it. This essentially allows you to see a slice of what is inside the septic tank. You will be able to identify the depth of the water and the sludge. In general, a septic tank needs to be pumped when 25% of the tank's capacity is sludge. You should never have a septic tank that is filled to the top with sludge and simply no room for more solid waste.

Reach out to a septic tank installation company, such as DRM Construction, for more info about your new sewage maintenance system. 

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