How Does A Septic Tank Work To Treat Wastewater?
Day-to-day activities in your home create wastewater. Appliances, showers, toilets and sinks all produce water that must be carried away from the house and treated before it can be released back into nature. Septic systems treat residential wastewater to remove harmful bacteria and materials as the water leaves your home. Here’s how it works: • It’s all downhill from here. Most septic systems use gravity to carry water from the home to the septic tank. Septic tanks are typically buried underground so they are lower than your houses plumbing and to restrict access to the tank. • The septic tank. Your septic tank is a large box (typically 5’x8’ or larger) that is constructed from concrete or fiberglass. The septic tank was an inlet that connects to your home and an outlet that carries treated water away from the tank. Your septic tank may have more than one chamber, connected by pipes. • I can’t breathe! Your septic tank is inhabited by a colony of beneficial anaerobic bacteria that are
