Maintaining Your Septic Tank is Essential

The septic tank is an extremely tried and trusted way of dealing with waste. It pre-dates modern sewerage systems by many hundreds of years.

As these systems mainly take waste away to be processed somewhere else, they could be argued to be inefficient. Septic tanks do the job on site, safely and efficiently.

They have to be installed correctly, of course, and this is not possible for every situation.

As well as this, they must be maintained properly to pass state and local laws. As providers of septic tank services Toowoomba relies on, we make sure this is done to the highest standards.

Waste Processing

The term “tank” is misleading when it comes to septic tanks. This probably conjures up an image of a large vessel which gets filled with… stuff. That’s not what happens, and a septic tank is actually quite complicated.

Probably a better description would be a septic system rather than tank.

The two types of septic system are leech drain and soak water. In either case, the system will have two of each; leech drains or soak waters. This allows one of the units to dry out while the other is in use. Changing from one to the other is done by means of a diverter box.

By the time the leech drains or soak waters come into play, solid material has already been separated out. This is done in waterproof, cylindrical tanks, which are the first stage of the process.

As the solid material is heavier than water, it sinks to the bottom as sludge. Oil and fat then form a crust on top of the sludge. The resulting fluid above these is called effluent. It is this which is further processed, by leeching into the surrounding soil.

Working Parts

As part of the septic tank services Toowoomba residents and businesses use, maintenance is therefore essential. Septic systems have to be installed away from road traffic, other properties and above water tables.

They also have to be far enough away from bores and creeks, to avoid these becoming polluted.

These installation restrictions are enhanced by continued maintenance rules. Sludge build-up is the main cause of the failure of septic systems.

As a rule of thumb, a two person household should have their septic system de-sludged every eight years. For twin tank systems, the diverter should be employed once a year.

Carrying out de-sludging can only be done by licensed professionals. Blockages and technical problems can result if a maintenance regime is not carried out correctly. This could result in septic systems being condemned and possibly removed by the local authority.

More Information

For more on the septic tank services Toowoomba people rely on, talk to us at Pike’s Wastewater Services. Call us for a chat on 0428787462, or why not visit our website at https://www.pikeswastewater.com.au.