Facts About Your Septic System | Long Island Cesspool & Septic Services | www.NYSeptic.com

Facts About Your Septic System

If you have a septic tank or plan on installing one, it’s important to know how it works. This will help you take the right precautions to extend its life, understand what to do if something goes wrong, and take inventory of your options if you ever need to expand your system because of a home improvement project.

These single-home water treatment systems are used by one in five U.S. households and nearly half of all houses in the South clean up wastewater just as well as city municipal systems. Septic systems are better options for lower populated rural and suburban areas, where running sewer lines would be to expensive.

The typical life expectancy of a septic system is 25 to 30 years.

How septic systems work

All septic systems are made up of two main parts - a tank where solids settle to the bottom and a drainfield (also known as a leachfield) where the water disperses. The type of septic system you have should be included in the paperwork when you purchased your home. Your local health department or state environmental agency might also have backup records. If no other option is available, a plumber can help figure out what you have.

Standard system

In a conventional septic system, gravity carries wastewater from the house into the septic tank and then to the drainfield. Septic tanks are underground containers usually made of concrete, polyethylene, or fiberglass. Water sits there long enough for the contents to separate. 

The greases and oils that rise to the top are called scum and the solids that sink to the bottom are known as sludge. They both get removed by a septic pumping company every few years and carted to an approved disposal site. 

The relatively clear water in the middle flows out to the drainfield. This area is made up of perforated pipes or drain tiles buried in trenches or set on a gravel bed one to three feet underground. As water trickles out of the pipes, the soil and its microbes act as natural filters to clean the water.

Installing a standard system costs $5,000 to $10,000, depending on your zone. But it’s not an option for every lot. A three-bedroom house requires 1,000 to 1,800 square feet or more of open land that’s level with or downhill from the house to qualify for a standard system permit from the local public health department agency, depending on how your area handles such matters. And that’s only if there ia plenty of well-draining soil above the water table.

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Murphy's Cesspool & Septic Service

Email: Service@NYSeptic.com Phone: 631.758.4171 | 631.476.5484 Fax: 631.569.724.2299 Url: http://www.nyseptic.com 269 Orchard Road, Patchogue, New York, 11772 Long Island, NY 11772