Basic Parts of a Septic System

While you can always count on Las Vegas Septic Service for efficient septic tank pumping in Las Vegas, NV, it’s also in your best interest to learn a bit more about how your septic system works. One way to do this is to know the basic parts that make up the system and how they interact with each other.

Here’s a rudimentary guide on the parts of your septic system and how they all work together to manage sewage waste.

Main Drain

The septic system is fed by the main drain of your house. Waste enters an underground tank. Once inside the tank, lighter waste such as soap scum rises to the top and forms a layer. Beneath this layer is effluent, and at the bottom is heavier waste. This waste is broken down by bacteria, and whatever can’t be broken down stays on the bottom as sludge. Regular septic services are important to ensure that this is always the case.

Main Chambers

The tank has two chambers. The first, larger chamber holds the scum, effluent and sludge, while the second is a receptacle for clear effluent. In this chamber, more sludge is filtered out of the effluent and settles to the bottom. The overflow effluent is then gathered into a distribution box. From there it flows into your drain field. One of the purposes of regular septic tank cleaning is to make sure sludge doesn’t accumulate to the point where it enters the distribution box then contaminates the drain field.

Drain Field

The drain field is often downslope of the septic tank and is filled with perforated pipes embedded in gravel. These pipes distribute the clear effluent throughout the gravel, and the grass planted over them allows some of the effluent to simply evaporate. The rest of the effluent percolates down into the soil to eventually become groundwater.

A system whose drainage field is upslope needs a second chamber and a sump pump to pump the effluent into the distribution box. The pump switches on when the effluent rises to a certain level. If the effluent rises too high, an alarm goes off. Because of this, the second chamber has an easily accessible opening to allow septic tank maintenance to be carried out.

Call Las Vegas Septic Service today for all of your septic system concerns.