What Is A Septic Tank?

In essence, a septic tank as part of a septic system, is a smaller version of a sewage treatment. It is specifically includes a storage tank and this is the main holding area for the waste and the waste water is then transferred to what is known as a soakaway. A soakaway is a system underground that is installed to carry the waste away to a larger drain field.

Septic tanks are very common in areas that have no main sewage pipes in which to carry the waste water and small material away. This usually affects rural properties or dwellings that are far away from any local sewage plant. A drain field takes up a large slice of land, so this is another reason why towns and cities often don’t have septic tank facilities. In the countryside, there will be a greater likelihood of drain fields being present, due to the lack of large scale sewage plants. 

The septic tank works by allowing the effluent (or waste water) to drain away through a large network of soakaway outlets and leaves the solid material within the holding tank. The septic tank is usually fine to leave and not worry about for a whole year and then this is the time to think about getting the tank emptied by specialists. Once it has been emptied, the tank can then be placed back and used for another year and so the process is repeated.

The basic workings of the septic tank begin with the sewage entering the inlet pipe. It is then taken to the lower part of the tank. Solids then sink to the base of the tank and the effluent exits through a separate outlet pipe. This waste water is then taken through to the drain field by means of the soakaway.

A septic tank is designed to be suitable for the property size and number of occupants. It also depends on the type of soil in the ground as to which kind of soakaway is used. The soakaway is essentially a kind of network of pipes laid in trenches that lead to a drainage field.

Septic tanks are a crucial part of sewage disposal to many properties. There are still many homes which are not linked to any major sewage plant and so these tanks become an absolutely must-have element to the running of the household.