Residential Septic Systems from A to Z – Royal Flush Septics

From California to Maine, and from Texas to Minnesota, more than 60 million people are being served by septic systems. A recent report shows that one in every three new homes rely on a decentralized septic system and so what looked like a temporary solution is now the norm.

Today, there are as many septic systems as there are soil types, and here in this post, we will show you each of the systems most commonly installed across the nation.

You will be able to learn about wastewater treatment, about the processes and components common to septic systems and also, about a variety of residential solutions that you may want to consider for your property.

Something that we’ve found interesting when putting this blog post together is that many people were unsure whether a septic tank should be regarded as a septic system or not.

In different words, is a septic tank the same as a septic system, and if not why?

As basic as this question may seem, it is so good that it has led us to reframe the structure of this content in a way that is both more specific and intuitive.

In short, both septic tanks and advanced treatment units (ATUs) are and aren’t septic systems. A little too confusing? 

Well, don’t worry, that is about to be solved for good. It is just a grammatical distraction that stands between you and the definitive answer. 

Since a system is a group of interacting entities that form a unified whole, saying that a septic tank is not a system is incorrect and just as false as saying that it is.

Why, because it takes more components, systems, and applications to accomplish the goal of conducting a proper and responsible wastewater treatment.

Since the goal of a septic system is to clean wastewater in compliance with environmental regulations and the respective social responsibilities, the context of a system is too big for a septic tank to fit on its own.

It is equally important to mention that a septic tank is responsible for providing an initial wastewater treatment that is critical to the overall process and for that reason, we refer to these systems as pre-treatment systems.

A septic system is then the combination of a pre-treatment system (septic tank or advanced treatment unit), a secondary treatment system, a transportation system, and a complimentary treatment system, which in this industry we know by the name of a land application system.

As small as this difference may seem, it is critical for understanding the general and specific scenarios that we will lay down for you on this blog.

Now that you are familiar with these ideas, you are more than ready to explore the type of pre-treatment units, secondary treatment systems, transportation systems, land applications, and resulting septic systems available for your consideration.

You will also notice that these systems do not only vary due to soil conditions but also sue to specific requirements, local legislation, and even weather conditions. 

Only an on-site evaluation will reveal most of the information required for a septic professional to be able to pair your property with an adequate septic system. 

On-Site Evaluation – Soil Evaluation |Royal Flush Septics

Now that you know why a site evaluation is important, what can you expect from one?

An on-site evaluation will dote the septic professional with details about the typography, the vegetation, the rainwater, the location of other water masses, the volume of wastewater generated, and specific characteristics of the soil like:

a. The texture of the soil.

b. The <a> transport rate </a> (the ability of layers to transport water)

All of this information is then submitted for examination and used to determine the design requirements and considerations relevant to the overall design and installation.

PRE-TREATMENT SEPTIC SYSTEMS

Why do we use pre-treatment units?

Not only do pre-treatment units allow secondary treatment to be more effective, but it also removes the solids and materials that the bacteria in the media filter and the soil is not capable of digesting or decomposing.

That means, that without a primary treatment, there would be particles in the wastewater that will endure and compromise the system and the safety of the environment. 

Another important reason to use pre-treatment units is that the effluent is better treated, mild, consistent and it also flows easier through the system and the soil which is crucial for performance.

Since we understand how crucial a role pre-treatment units play on the septic landscape, let’s take a look at the couple of options that we can pick from. 

Septic Tank

Unlike a dedicated septic system, a septic tank is just an enclosed and watertight container commonly of one or two compartments, capable of separating solids in the raw wastewater entering the system. 

The main objective of the septic tank is to settle the heavy solids, blow the greases and low-density substances to the top, remove inorganic matter and filter out anything that would compromise the system as a whole.

Advanced Treatment Units (ATUs)

An advanced treatment unit or aerobic treatment unit is a more rigorous and exemplary version of our previous conventional septic tank. 

The quality of the effluent of these systems is comparable to that of the municipal wastewater treatment units only on a much smaller scale.

What else is inside of an advanced treatment unit? Well, four basic processes are going on inside. A couple of which we should be able to recognize from our previous discussion on septic tanks.

The first process occurs in the permanent tank or trash tank and consists of removing the materials that microbes cannot degrade.

The second process takes place in the aeration chamber. With the help of an air pump, piping, and diffusers air is forced inside of the aeration chamber to intensify the biological principle upon which pre-treatment units are built.

In the conventional septic tank, this process also takes place but at a much slower pace given the lack of air in the system. 

A settling chamber or clarifier is the third process, and it allows microbes to settle out and includes a method to return bacteria to the aeration system.

Finally, the Land application system distributes the partially treated wastewater into the soil, where the naturally occurring microbial activity will remove the remnants in the effluent and let the water to recover its state as it leaves the land application field and settles on in the water reservoir.

Since a diverse and active population of microbes is required to break down solids in the tank, septic maintenance should be conducted in discrete periods and not as often as one could initially suppose.

SECONDARY TREATMENT SEPTIC SYSTEMS

As previously discussed, septic tanks and ATUs are not capable or even intended to provide the rigorous treatment that is expected from residents, homeowners, and homebuilders in the nation. Here, we will review the secondary treatment systems employed to fulfill those requirements.

Sand Filtration

Sand filtration systems are not too strange for us. In appearance, they are very similar to the sandbox many of us have played in as kids but if you don’t know what I am talking about, you can just think of it as a pool filled with sand instead of water. 

Not just any kind of sand though, we are speaking of a combination of sands and other materials with a specific size, array, and pattern to ease the filtering process.

The result is a tank or box with layers of solids of different sizes and nature that combined will effectively treat the remnants trapped in the effluent as it flows downwards.

A typical system consists of a septic tank (primary treatment or pre-treatment unit), a dosing tank, a sand filter (secondary treatment), and a land application system (final treatment). 

The sand filter box can be both constructed (i.e: with concrete) or excavated and lined with plastic. As for the content, we’ve already spoken about the composition of the media bed (different sands, gravel, etc) and a collection pipe intended precisely to recover the effluent after treatment.

After being transported to the land application system to receive final treatment, that effluent will then settle in the well. 

Sand filters can be constructed either above or below the ground for easier access or seamless landscape integration respectively.