How to keep excess water away from cesspits. Anything in excess is bad. This applies to everything, whether it’s food, affection, money, and yes, even water. Excess water in the natural environment means flooding. When this happens, properties are damaged and lives are lost. The ones living in the lowlands are affected the most. If you are a homeowner, you would understand that flooding of any kind can cause damage to your home and its components. Your cesspit is a very vulnerable component of your property when it comes to excessive water. Rains and a high level of water consumption can negatively affect your cesspit. It is vital that you know how your cesspit operates first so you can keep excess water away from cesspits.
A cesspit is an old system of wastewater treatment. It is comprised of a tank that has perforations along the sides. These perforations are passageways for the pre-treated wastewater to enter the soil absorption field. It does have an inflow pipe that allows the entry of raw sewage that comes from your home. The cesspit’s tank is where the primary wastewater treatment process takes place. The solid waste materials are taken care of by anaerobic bacteria, which turn them into sludge. This sludge has to be removes regularly through established pump out schedules with your septic expert. If the sludge is always removed, more room is given for the treatment of raw sewage.
There are times when the cesspit has a layer of sludge that is just waiting to be pumped out and then suddenly, a sudden flow of excess water sets in. This could come from too much water consumption in the household or by too much rain. Either way, what happens is that the solid waste materials present in the sludge are stirred up, delaying the anaerobic bacteria’s job of breaking them down. The solid waste particulates then flow into the soil absorption system. They stay there and clog everything, retaining effluent, which drowns aerobic bacteria. The aerobic bacteria in the soil absorption system regulate the biomat that purifies the effluent before it is released back into the surrounding areas. The aerobic bacteria also break down any solid waste particle left in the clear effluent. As you can see, the cesspit needs to have a normal water load so that it could efficiently treat the wastewater that your household produces.
To keep excess water away from cesspits, you have to consider the following:
1) Conserve water
Your household should know that excessive amounts of water primarily come from the water that you use. Tub baths, running showers, and running garden hoses contribute a lot to the amount of water that enters the septic system. Conserving water could cut down the water load of your cesspit. You can do this by not taking tub baths everyday and by not letting water run continuously. Remember that your cesspit has a certain capacity or limit. If you let too much water enter it, your cesspit will overflow and you have problems with sanitation in your property.
2) Redirect your rain gutter
The rain gutter diverts the rain away from the roof area. It drains the rainwater to the ground. Some gutters are left to drain over the cesspit. This allows excessive amounts of water and sediments to enter the cesspit area. The cesspit then overflows and the solid waste particles clog the system.
3) Install grey water systems or dry wells.
These additional components in your property will help separate the grey water from the black water. Grey water is the wastewater from your drains, showers, tubs, dishwasher, and washing machine. Black water is wastewater that contains human waste or toilet waste, If grey water systems or dry wells are installed, your cesspit will not be overwhelmed by too much water load.
Talk to your septic expert about excess water in your cesspit. With proper water use and some modifications, you will eventually be able to keep excess water away from cesspits like yours.