This article will cover how calcium can Wreak havoc in a seepage pit. What can you possibly do to make your septic system even better? As a homeowner, you could find this question very challenging to answer. Because of your busy schedule, you need a proper assistant for making your septic system a lot more efficient. The main responsibility that you have is to use your drains and toilets properly. This means that you have to make sure you do the following:
- Avoid using harsh chemicals. These compounds kill the resident bacteria that degrade the solid waste particles. Without bacteria, there can never be wastewater treatment. The solid waste particles will just accumulate in the septic tank and clog everything. The clogging will definitely lead to havoc.
- Follow the pump out schedule set with your septic expert. You have to make sure that the sludge is taken out regularly to give more space to the wastewater treatment and to prevent clogging.
- Keep the non-biodegradable materials away from the drains and toilets. Grease, plastic, and paints should not make it to your septic system. These materials cannot be decomposed by the resident bacteria. As a result, they just stay in the septic tank. This leads to wastewater overflow, backups, and flooding. The non-biodegradables get pushed into the drain field, clogging the entire system.
- Install a seepage pit. A seepage pit is an efficient helper for your septic system. It is a hole in the ground that has perforations along its sides and at its bottom. The seepage pit only receives the liquid effluent from the septic tank. Both blackwater (wastewater from the toilet) and greywater (wastewater from the drains, washing machine, dishwasher, and shower) enter the pit. Here, the effluent is purified before it is returned to the surrounding environment.Like the septic system, the seepage pit is also prone to havoc and chaos. Here are some of the main causes of seepage havoc:
- Excessive water load. When you use the dishwasher and the washing machine at the same time, you introduce more water into the septic tank. Heavy rains also force water into it. As you know, the septic tank is built according to the number of household members. It has a limit. If the water load in the septic tank is too much, the solid waste particles are stirred up. Bacteria do not have the time to degrade them anymore. The particles are pushed into the seepage pit to clog its perforations.
- Invasive tree roots. The trees need a consistent source of nutrients and water. Your seepage pit is a set source for them to easily access. The roots invade the seepage pit and cause cracks. The cracks bring about leaks that prevent the raw wastewater from undergoing normal treatment. The cracks also allow the entry of the sediments that could get pushed into the seepage pit.
- Calcium sulfoaluminate or ettringite accumulation. This process starts off with the anaerobic digestion of the resident thiocillus bacteria. Hydrogen sulfide gas is the byproduct of this process. The gas gathers to the headspace above the water line of the septic tank and reacts with oxygen. The interaction results to sulfuric acid. The acid forms the white ettringite on the concrete reinforcement of the septic system—including the seepage pit.You should understand how calcium can wreak havoc in a seepage pit. This is the worst form of deterioration that you can have in your septic system. Once the concrete reinforcement is destroyed, the metal components are corroded. Rust opens up the system to sediments and rainwater, which bring chaos to the seepage pit and to the entire system.
Ask your septic expert to install an efficient aeration system that will provide more oxygen into the septic system. The oxygen will keep the hydrogen sulfide gas from gathering above the water line. Sulfuric acid will not be formed anymore. Without ettringite formation, your seepage pit and ultimately, your septic system will last for decades.