Examining The Choices With A New Residential Wastewater Treatment System

By Brent Hardbass, PE


Residential wastewater treatment is a concern to many homeowners these days. If you are thinking of building a house, you may wonder if a traditional septic system is the best choice. Moreover, there are several alternatives to consider, and some of them are very efficient. Here is a look at some of the options that you have.

Most homes will need some kind of septic tank. However, after waste water leaves the tank, it can go through several different methods. In a standard system, the septic tank breaks down solids, and the solids become liquid when they pass from the tank. This liquid is also known as effluent. However, effluent still needs to be purified, and cannot simply be released into the environment.

In a standard or traditional home septic system the tank turns solids into liquid and it flows into drain fields. Drain fields are constructed by making long trenches in the ground and then filling them with gravel. Effluent flows through pipes that are perforated and this allows them to slowly feed into the entire drain field.

You may be faced with limited ground space, and there are answers to this problem. One solution involves the use of a dry well septic tank system. In a dry well system, standard septic tanks can be used. However, this system does not use any drain fields. Instead the tank is placed in a pit, and the pit is filled with gravel. Effluent rises to the top of the tank and escapes through holes at the top of the tank. It them flows into the gravel pit for filtering.

Some people may choose to deal with their solid waste issues with compost toilets. These systems require very little water to operate. There is usually no need for them to be attached to a septic tank. These toilets have limitations, but are a far cry from the old-fashioned outdoor toilets. They use an aerobic system to break down and compost waste. However, they do not address the issue of grey water from other plumbing sources.

You might wish to use an aerobic septic system for your home. This kind of system uses forced air to pump oxygen throughout the tank, and this works to break down solids. However, they can be more expensive to operate, as power is needed to pump the air. They also require maintenance every so often.

You can find a lot of advantages with a septic system that is aerobic. For example, you may live in an area that does not have ground suitable for standard septic tanks and drain fields. Also, your area may suffer with high levels of ground water. Your new aerobic system will not take up much space and will work well for small lots.

In summary, if you are building a home, you will need some kind of residential wastewater treatment system. Standard septic systems employ a septic tank and drain fields filled with gravel. Dry well systems work with a septic tank buried in a pit of gravel. Compost toilets require no tank, but have limited uses. Aerobic septic systems work well and take up very little space. However they are more expensive to operate than standard septic systems.




About the Author: