As part of our comprehensive waste management service, we are able to offer a range of septic tank domestic cleaning services to household and business customers whose properties produce sewage and wastewater.
Septic tank domestic cleaning – how does it work?
Although sewage treatment has been around for hundreds of years, it's only been in the last fifty years or so that legislation was introduced in regards to the sizing, condition of the treatment provided, as well as for the permissions to discharge settled water to soakaway and herringbone land drainage. Septic tanks generally consist of two chambers with a dividing wall that allows solid and liquid waste to separate and be treated accordingly. The tanks are manufactured from either concrete rings, brick, glass-reinforced plastic, or polyethene. The waste produced by the property discharges (generally by gravity) into one chamber, which sees the solids either sink or float and the liquid discharged into the second chamber which allows any smaller solids to settles. The resulting liquid is then discharged into a soakaway, a filterbed or a herringbone land drain.
Thanks to naturally-occurring bacteria, that affects only the impurities in wastewater, pollution issues with septic tanks will be a rarity if materials other than those that are intended or designed to enter a septic tank aren't disposed of in the same way. If other, harmful materials are disposed of down the sink or the toilet then the drain system could experience a blockage or the makeup of the septic tank could be compromised, leading to pollutants being present in the tank.
- You should use items such as toilet fresheners, mild detergents, washing powders/liquids and fabric conditioners in moderation – doing so will not affect the natural bacteria in the tank. You should only use liquids such as bleach and disinfectants scarcely as they contain elements that can kill the 'good' bacteria that helps the septic tank to work.
- You should not flush more 'substantial' items, such as disposable nappies, sanitary products or even kitchen towels down a toilet as these have the potential to cause blockages. Other items that you shouldn't dispose of down a sink include thick liquids such as oil, fat, grease or paint. All of these items should always be disposed of as per their instructions. It's also important to note that rainwater drainage pipes, due to their collection of other materials, should never be connected to the septic tank.
How often do I need my septic tank to be cleaned?
Although the vast majority of people abide by these guidelines, to be able to run effectively, septic tanks will need to be cleaned to ensure that no major issues arise. In the majority of cases, septic tanks will only need to be cleaned out once or twice a year because after the good bacteria breaks down most of the organic waste, the only waste that is left are manufactured items, such as toilet paper. As long as there is a healthy amount of the good bacteria present within the tank and not heavily contaminated with harmful substances, the tank will just look after itself. However, if there has been a number of years between cleans the waste will become toxic to itself and produce pungent smells – which is the classic identifier of the fact that the tank needs cleaning.