If you decide to supplement your summer cottage with a sewerage system, then this issue will be related to the choice of a type of septic tank. To date, several types of such devices are known, each of which has its own pros and cons - they should be considered when choosing. The functioning and efficiency of the entire sewerage system will depend on this.
General principle of operation
Quite often, suburban property owners wonder how a septic tank works. The design looks like a system of several chambers. The first is called a sump and receives sewage from the sewer system. Effluent is filtered at this stage or decomposed. The process depends on the type of structure.
Under the influence of bacteria, wastewater decomposes into:
- clarified water;
- gas fraction;
- ill.
Water then enters the seepage well while the vents allow the gases to escape. If you are wondering how it worksseptic tank, you should know that it has another filtration well, which has a special device. The third compartment has a drainage layer and walls in which holes are made. The water entering inside is then sent to the ground. This principle allows wastewater to decompose into components that do not harm the environment.
The principle of operation of the system is based on the use of settling processes and biological processing methods. Domestic sewage enters the sump, which must have a large volume to accommodate the waste generated over several days. So much time will be needed for heavy inclusions to be at the bottom of the chamber. If you are faced with the question of how a septic tank works, then you should know that at the next stage, water enters the tank through the drain pipes. Inside this compartment are anaerobic bacteria that contribute to the decomposition of complex organic compounds into simple fractions.
Additional Features
The activity of these microorganisms is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and heat, which are removed through the ventilation pipes. As soon as domestic wastewater leaves the tank, it is directed to the soil filter. For this, a filtering well or fields are used, which are equipped with crushed stone and sand. The method used to treat domestic wastewater affects the principle of operation and the device.
Equipment depending on this can be divided into the following types:
- with deep biological treatment;
- ssoil cleaning.
Using a soil treatment system
Quite often, summer residents wonder how a septic tank works. If we are talking about a system with soil post-treatment, then the principle of its operation is based on gravity. As practice shows, household liquid effluents consist of 99% water. The remaining percentage is harmful impurities, which require local treatment facilities to filter them.
Such equipment is characterized by a simple design and a primitive principle of operation. The septic tank is based on a container and a filtration field. The first is divided into several parts, they are connected to each other by a pipeline system.
Deep biological treatment system
If you are faced with the question of what a septic tank is and how it works, then you should consider systems with deep biological treatment in more detail. They have a slightly different principle of operation. Such structures are built according to the ALL-IN principle. The equipment has one unit, inside which there are several cameras and special equipment.
The first stage of treatment, as in the case described above, is to settle domestic liquid effluents. At this stage, they are freed from extraneous large inclusions. Water at the next stage enters the chamber, where it is exposed to bacteria. They need oxygen to survive, which is supplied by an air compressor. This allows you to speed up the process of splitting compounds into safe fractions. As a result, somevolume of activated sludge that can even be used for fertilizer.
If you wondered how a septic tank works in a private house, you should know that deep post-treatment allows you to provide biological filtration. The output is water freed by 98% of harmful impurities. Therefore, it can be used even for economic purposes, excluding costly measures aimed at constructing filtration wells and filtration fields. This offsets the significant cost of local treatment facilities.
The principle of action "Topas"
Topaz septic tank has been quite common lately. How this system works will be described below. The basis of functioning is the activity of microorganisms. Their impact allows organic compounds to be decontaminated, decomposed and processed into sludge.
At the first stage, wastewater enters the chamber, where the first stage of treatment takes place. Large fractions and pollution, as in the above case, are eliminated. At the next stage, water enters the aerotank with the help of an airlift. Sector two is the main part of the system where active bacteria are located. Here is the destruction of harmful substances that managed to overcome the first stage.
Consumers often wonder how the Topas septic tank works. As for sludge, the latter occurs during the processing of waste and acts as a binder between particles of foreign bodies. All liquid after thatenters sector 3, which is called the pyramid. At this stage, the sludge settles to the bottom, and the purified water enters sector 4. The main feature of the maintenance of such septic tanks is the need to periodically remove the sludge that accumulates in the sump. Disposal is quite simple, it does not require special knowledge.
The principle of operation of the Termit system
If you want to consider the Termit septic tank as a system for your summer cottage, you should become more familiar with the principle of its operation. The operation is based on cleaning and ground filtration of waste. Initially, sewage flows into the chamber, where some of the elements precipitate. Then the sewage passes into the second chamber, where the floating fractions and sediment are not able to get. This allows for mechanical cleaning by settling.
There are fewer heavy particles in each next chamber. If you are faced with the question of how the Termite septic tank works, then you should know that in the last chamber, some of the effluent decomposes under the influence of bacteria and rises through the filter to the surface, this approach provides 70 percent cleaning.
Purified and clarified water enters a special facility at the next stage. It is exposed to the sprinkler. At the final stage, cleaning is provided by soil filtration. Bacteria in the soil break down organic elements under the influence of oxygen. They are harmless to the environment and are 95% pure.
Operationsystems in wintertime
If you are puzzled by the question of how a septic tank works in winter before installing a treatment system, you should take a closer look at the information below. In order for the equipment to continue to function effectively, the tank, filtration fields and pipes should be buried on the soil freezing line or insulated. In this case, you will not have to worry about the correct operation of the system in winter.
The user should remember that the septic tank must be operated continuously. Otherwise, without additional insulation, it cannot be guaranteed that the sewer will not freeze. Everything can thaw only in the spring. In order to protect yourself, you can make temporary hydro- and thermal insulation of the site above the pipes, filtration fields and septic tank.
How pipes work in winter
To the question of whether the septic tank remains operational in winter or not, one should add the doubts of the owners of suburban real estate about whether the pipes continue to function at low temperatures. The system does not freeze if the pipes are deepened by 0.5 m and set at a certain angle, when the water flows by gravity. If the septic tank is used all winter, it will be replenished with sewage, the temperature of which is well above zero. Therefore, if the technology is observed, you can be sure that the pipes will function properly and will not clog with an ice plug.
Conclusion
Now you know how a septic tank works. However, if its functioning is relevant for you only in the summer, thenfor the winter the system should be mothballed. Water is completely pumped out of the tank for this, it is important to remove sediments that could cause an unpleasant odor. Before pumping, bacteria should be purchased, which are poured into the sewer two weeks before cleaning.