Types of Septic Systems
Published by A septic system functions as an on-site sewage treatment for a residential or commercial buildings, and there are types and configurations to meet the needs of almost any site conditions or limitations.
General Overview
A septic system utilizes a tank, divided into chambers, which collects the waste material for separation and processing. Design of these chambers cultivates anaerobic bacteria that breaks down liquid and solid waste, which then disperses as liquid effluent or “grey water” into gravel-filled trenches where it leaches into the adjacent soil. With all system types, the tank size and drainage requirements are determined by the usage.
Types
Conventional Tank and Drain Field System – This is the most common septic system in use and utilizes a concrete, polyethylene or fiberglass tank that is buried in the ground into which all of the liquid and solid waste from a home is drained, treated and then dispersed into multiple drainage fields.
Mound or Raised Bed System – This variation on a conventional septic system is the same to the buried tank, and then the effluent is carried above ground to be dispersed into drainage fields formed with dirt fill to hold the gravel. Used where property conditions prevent or limit trenching.
Aerobic System - A septic system which uses an aerobic digestion through the introduction of additional air into the decomposition process, and which can produce a secondary effluent that can be sterilized for above ground irrigation.
Greywater Separation System - Similar to the aerobic systems, the liquid effluent is separated from the solid waste material and used as a non-potable water source and for irrigation of non-edible plants and landscaping.
Disinfection System – These systems integrate a final disinfecting treatment using chemicals, like chlorine and calcium hydrochlorite, or ultraviolet disinfection to allow waste from such systems to be discharged as ground water or into rivers.
Septic Media System – These are systems using various media (i.e. sand, peat and synthetic textile) as filters to complete sewage treatment process.
Dry Well Systems – Septic systems using the dry well or seepage pit configuration replace the typical drainage field with a large rock- or gravel-filled pit through which effluent is leached into the surrounding soil.
Wetlands – a waste water treatment system designed as a man-made marsh using natural organic processes to breakdown waste and purge pollutants, as well as provide wildlife habitat and land reclamation.
Dosing System – The method of discharging effluent into the drain fields at controlled intervals is called “dosing the system” and enables the regulated discharge to be dispersed at a slower rate. All of the above septic system types can be adapted to a dosing system.
General Septic System Maintenance
The general maintenance of a septic system is little more than the periodic removal of the irreducible waste that accumulates in the septic tank, although more complex systems may require additional maintenance.
Any septic system that is appropriate to the usage, installed correctly and responsibly maintained should provide trouble-free efficiency for many, many decades.
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