Septic System Manual

The Septic Tank Owners Manual

(Chapter 1) The Reality of Your Septic System

If you are like most, you probably had no idea on how your septic system works. You may have learned from your parents that the system should be pumped regularly, or maybe you learned that they never need pumping! There are many wives tales about putting a dead chicken in the tank every so often, or yeast cakes, "magic" bugs, etc. If you added any one of these remedies, "your septic system would last forever and it would have an infinite life expectancy"! Unfortunately, these wives tales simply aren't true!

Your septic system is a combination of a mechanical and biological system. The mechanical portions of modern systems are very durable. Materials like concrete, PVC plastic, fired clay pipe will last a long time under ground. Materials like steel and cast iron and asphalitic pipe are not very common anymore and most of these material have failed and been replaced with newer durable materials.

The biological portion of your septic system is generally robust, however it can be upset by abuse such as system overloading and dumping excess materials into the system for which it is not designed to handle such as paint materials, thinners, bleach, anti-bacterial products, and non-organic materials such as wrappers, cigarette butts, etc.

In the perfect world the biological process is 100% efficient. By this time in your life I am sure you have come to realize that we live in a less than perfect world and therefore things in our life crop up that we must deal with! This topic is no ones favorite and you have probably learned more about your septic system in the past few weeks than you wanted.

Most septic systems are taken for granted until there is a problem. The primary reason for this occurrence is the old saying "out of sight ... out of mind". Most homeowners are of the mind set that "if it works, don't fix it". While your system might not be totally "broken" it should be properly maintained, just as you do with your car and other mechanical equipment. Your septic system is working 24 hours per day and 365 days per year. Every few years you call a pumper to pump the septic tank and then the system is forgotten about. This pattern can continue for many years, however, there will come a time that your system will need serious attention and costly replacement. It is the mission of Aero-Stream® to educate homeowners about their septic system and provide sound advice and proven equipment that can significantly extend the life of their system. We are all guilty of abusing our septic system at some point in time. It may range from excessive water usage, failure to repair a leaky faucet, or dumping some hazardous solvents or liquids down the drain.

Your septic system is most likely the most expensive mechanical system on your property. It is also the most misunderstood mechanical system. The mechanical components of the system are somewhat durable; however, the bio-chemical process utilized to convert sewage to mostly clear effluent leaving the system is fragile and can be easily upset. A simple rule is, "if you cannot eat it, then it probably will be damaging or difficult for your septic system to process"! Not to say that these materials cannot ever be flushed down the drain, but if flushed too frequently you are bound to have problems! There are no miracle cures for any septic problems. Prevention and proper maintenance is the best solution. Contractors may attempt to sell you services to repair a failed absorption component. They will bring in some equipment and fracture the clogging bio-mat in the system and it may begin to work again. This process has some significant shortcomings. While the system may begin to function, this is only a temporary solution to septic tank problems. In a short period of time the fractures created in the bio-mat will begin to close and the system will fail again. Others will attempt to sell you the miracle cure bacteria additives. The fact is that some additives simply dissolve and liquefy the waste. The dissolved and liquefied waste flows into the distribution component where the solids precipitate out and promote clogging. Most professionals in the field do not believe the bacteria additives are necessary because the waste stream has adequate indigenous bacteria present. If you think about it, adding five time more detergent to the laundry washing machine does not imply that your clothes will come out any cleaner than if the adequate amount of detergent is used!

Septic System Problems?

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The Septic Tank Owners Manual

(Chapter 1) The Reality of Your Septic System