A Guide to Septic Drain Fields

A Guide to Septic Drain Fields

What is a septic drain field? It's the key piece of equipment that uses bacteria to break down the solid and liquid waste in a septic tank and turn it into harmless products. At Metro Septic Pumping, we strive to keep your septic tank working efficiently, and we are a septic company specializing in septic tank pumping.

What Is a Drain Field?

A septic system consists of the septic tank and the drain field. The septic tank is where sewage is stored when you flush your toilet, and the drain field is a system of subsurface pipes that carries the liquid waste to the soil surface, where soil bacteria and plants can treat it.

Septic tanks are usually buried underground between 4 and 8 feet deep. The depth of your tank depends on the geology of your soil and how much water will be flowing through it. In areas with rocky soils, it's recommended that tanks be buried deeper than in sandy soils because rocks can clog drains more easily than sand, causing backups in your pipes.

The septic tank should point its outlet pipe downhill toward your drain field. This ensures that wastewater flows out of the septic tank easily and doesn't pool around it. If this doesn't happen naturally because of gravity or soil conditions, you might need to install a pump on the outlet pipe to push wastewater out into the drain field (called an "effluent pump").

How Does a Drain Field Work?

A septic system consists of three basic parts: the tank, the drain field, and the soakaway. The tank is where solids settle out of the water after leaving your home, and the drain field is a network of perforated pipes buried between the house and a septic tank. The soakaway is usually a gravel-filled pit in which wastewater collects to allow natural bacteria to break down organic matter before it reaches groundwater.

The purpose of a drain field is to receive treated wastewater from your septic system, store it for treatment and then discharge it back into the soil where it can be absorbed by plants or evaporate into the atmosphere. A drain field works on the same basic principle as a septic tank. Still, instead of having all of your wastewater flowing directly into a deep hole in the ground (as with an old-fashioned "pit privy"), it is separated into smaller channels which lead to underground absorption chambers where some of it can be absorbed back into the soil. At the same time, other parts will evaporate into the air as a gas into the clouds above us!

How To Protect Your Drain Field?

The septic system is an essential part of any home's plumbing system. It collects and breaks down wastewater to be safely returned to the environment, but it can also be damaged by improper use. Here are a few ways you can protect your septic system:

Only Flush What Can Flush

Many people flush items that should not go down the toilet. These include diapers, sanitary napkins, and tissues. Even though these items are biodegradable, they do not break down quickly enough for the septic tank to handle them properly. The best way to avoid damaging these items is to avoid flushing them!

Properly Dispose of Household Wastes

It's easy for household waste products to make their way into the sewer lines and cause damage if you aren't careful about how you dispose of them. Garbage disposals are notorious for sending food scraps down the drain and grease and other products that shouldn't be flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain. The best way to avoid this damage is to ensure that all solid waste goes into a garbage can or recycling bin instead of down your drains or into a storm drain.

Is There a Problem With Your Drain Field?

Many homeowners don't realize they have a problem until they start seeing signs:

• A foul smell comes from the ground near your house, indicating that sewage has leaked into the soil or groundwater.
• Pooling of water in an area of your lawn means poor drainage.
• Unusual growth or discoloration on nearby plants, indicating contamination from wastewater.

Metro Septic Pumping

At Metro Septic Pumping, we use state-of-the-art equipment, allowing us to remove a wide variety of blockages and sludge build-up efficiently and effectively from most types of septic systems.

It doesn't matter if you're in a rural area or the heart of the city. Drain fields provide an efficient way to dispose of wastewater and keep our water supplies clean. They're a critical component of your septic system, so it's essential to know how they function and how you can protect them from damage.

Because your septic tank does not have a water pump, the water within it must be actively pumped out by a septic pumping service whenever it passes the maximum capacity. If you feel that your tank has reached maximum capacity, get in touch with Metro Septic Pumping immediately. Our plumbers have experience working with all septic systems and are here to help you get your system running efficiently again.