Septic tank maintenance

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Greywater systems to limit water going into your cesspool.

Aug 28th, 2013
by Service.
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This article will cover using greywater systems to limit water going into your cesspool. Having a business or a home of your own can be a very exhausting endeavor especially if you always end up with a cesspool problem. The problem lies within the cesspool. It was designed and made to cater to your household or business establishment. Maintaining it in optimal condition requires you to observe proper waste disposal and regard for the surrounding environment. Part of this regard is to limit the water that enters the cesspool system. This means that you should be mindful of how you use your water inside the home or business. If you only have your cesspool to catch all the wastewater and grey water, then you should anticipate inevitable system failure. You should discuss using grey water systems to limit water going into your cesspools with your septic expert. Only then would you achieve peace of mind that your cesspool will not fail.

What is grey water? This is the waste liquid that comes from houses or buildings excluding the waste from toilets. It is water from the bathtub, shower, sink, or laundry area. Backwater is the waste liquid that includes waste from the toilets. If your home or building has a mixed liquid waste from showers, tubs, sinks, and toilets, these become blackwater. If you want to lessen the water load that enters your cesspool, you need to have a grey water system installed. A grey water system is a wastewater system that decreases the amount of effluent that enters a cesspool system by collecting the grey water and separating it from the blackwater. If you know that your cesspool is built with a limited capacity, you should talk to your septic expert about constructing a drywell or a grey water system in your premises.

Grey water systems are also utilized for recycling and conserving water especially in areas where there is a minimal supply of water. There are grey water systems that include the roof runoff or rainwater. In general the grey water system does not include human waste. This means that the grey water does not need to be treated like blackwater when it is disposed of within the premises. The soil bio-mat and the soil filtration processes within the property are enough to make the water clean enough to release into the surrounding environment. With this, building code requirements for disposing of grey water is less strict than those for disposing blackwater. However, other areas still require the treatment process involved in a drywell to allow property owners to dispose of grey water on the surface of the ground.

Your cesspool needs a grey water system if it has a limited water load capacity. You should prevent the water load from filling up your cesspool because it is going to stir up the solid waste materials. This delays the degradation process done by the anaerobic bacteria. When this happens, the solid waste flow through the perforations of your cesspool and block the surrounding absorption area. When the absorption area becomes filled with untreated wastewater, the aerobic bacteria die off, allowing the bio-mat to proliferate. The bio-mat clog the soil absorption area. Eventually, the cesspool fails. That is why you need to consider using an efficient grey water system for your cesspool. Doing so will enable you to save money on huge cesspool repairs and a great deal of heartbreak.

Installing a grey water system for your home or business will let you recycle or conserve water especially if you are in an area where there is a shortage of clean water. These places have certain limitations in supplying water, so it is necessary to treat and filter grey water so that it could be used for flushing toilets and watering crops and lawns. Generally, a grey water system can save about 50 gallons to 100 gallons of water in one day or perhaps even more than that. It depends on the manner and level of water usage in your home or business. Even if your home or business has access to a municipal water supply, you can still benefit from a grey water system. You could effectively recycle water in your own home or building and this could definitely help you save on your water bills.

Talk to your septic expert about the grey water system so that you could gain the benefits of having recycled grey water within your premises.

Keeping groundwater away from leach field lines

Aug 12th, 2013
by Service.
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This article will cover keeping groundwater away from leach field lines. Groundwater is generally accessed for irrigation, industrial use, and drinking. Rainfall delivers it to the ground. When it reaches the ground, it moves into the rocks and soil called aquifers. This is accessed by water companies so that they could tap into the groundwater and deliver clean water that we can use for everyday activities. It is a very important resource especially during dry seasons. Groundwater helps sustain the flow of the streams, wetlands, and other aquatic environments.

Various communities prioritize the safety of groundwater because majority of residents use it as a sources of clean drinking water. Sadly, there have been cases where groundwater has been polluted. This is because many have taken it for granted. That is why the US Environmental Protection Agency has come up with the Ground Water Rule. It was published in the Federal Register on the 8th of November, 2006. This rule aims to increase the ground water’s  level of protection against pathogens. The EPA is mainly focused on the groundwater that is very susceptible to contamination brought about by fecal material. Disease-causing bacteria thrive in fecal matter so it is crucial to protect groundwater from this type of impurity.

The established GWR applies to public water supply systems that use groundwater as their main resource. It is also applicable to any water system that is able to mix groundwater and surface water. There are systems that just directly add groundwater into their system without treating it. As a result, their consumers receive untreated groundwater. Health and sanitation are very important and with the help of the GWR, all consumers are confident that they will always get safe drinking water.

Some residents have private wells dug and built on their premises so that they could also get direct access to groundwater. As homeowners, they have to make sure that their access point is hazard-free by keeping groundwater away from leach field lines.  If you want to have a well, you have to isolate the groundwater from your leach field. Once wastewater and groundwater mix up, you won’t be able to use your clean groundwater anymore. Below are some of the things you can do to make sure that your groundwater is separated from your leach field lines:

  • Always be aware of the GWR.

If you are always aware of the GWR, you allow yourself to be educated about how important sanitation is when it comes to protecting groundwater.

  • Maintain a regular pump out schedule for your septic tank.

By doing so, you will prevent the sludge from accumulating in the tank. If the sludge is just allowed to build up, the tank will overflow with raw sewage. It will go straight into the soil and reach the groundwater.

  • Provide a secure cap for your well.

This cap will keep impurities from the surface of the well from contaminating the groundwater. It will also keep out animals that might eliminate in the well. Make sure that only you or a loved one have the key to the cap so that it will remain intact and stable even if you’re out of the house.

  • Avoid keeping toxic compounds (solvents, fertilizers)  near your well.

This should be practiced strictly to protect your groundwater. You should keep them stored away from your well or from your groundwater access point.

  • Avoid using harsh chemicals for cleaning.

Once these compounds reach the septic system, the resident bacteria will be killed off and the wastewater won’t be treated anymore. The solid waste particles will reach the leach field lines and clog them. The result would be a dreadful wastewater overflow that will seep into the ground and contaminate the groundwater.

If you have your own well or direct access to groundwater, it is best to have your drinking water tested regularly so that you can monitor its safety. Keeping groundwater away from leach field lines  will definitely make you feel more secure about the water you use and drink every day.