When in a country house or summer cottage, we want to enjoy the same comforts as in a city apartment. This especially applies to living conditions – a warm bath or a toilet with sewage. Installing a septic tank can help solve the problem of wastewater discharge and treatment from the house. Let's take a closer look at how to do this.
A septic tank is a multi-chamber container through which wastewater flows, and filtration occurs naturally through sedimentation. The reservoir is usually assembled from reinforced concrete rings of different diameters, connected by pipes.
How to Install a Septic Tank – What's Important to Know
One drawback of such a setup is the difficulty in ensuring absolute hermetic sealing for all tanks. Alternatively, you can purchase a polypropylene or other polymer reservoir for the septic tank, which is more resistant to aggressive bacteria and won't degrade.
To install a septic tank, you need to dig a hole slightly larger than the tank itself. It's crucial to level the bottom of the pit. Then, place the reservoir and secure it from the sides by filling the gaps with styrofoam or sand. If the tank is plastic, it should be filled with water during installation to prevent it from being pushed up by the soil, as it will become heavier once it starts filling with waste later on.
Now, lead the sewer pipes into the reservoir so that the entrance to the first chamber is directly beneath the lid.
The first chamber must be particularly durable and hermetically sealed, as thick sludge accumulates here. The water, however, rises and flows into the second chamber, where it settles again and moves on to the next reservoir.
In the third section/reservoir, the concentration of waste is the lowest; practically clean water reaches it. Nevertheless, there is still sediment, as in the previous sections. Then, the clean water can move to the fourth section, which is slightly deeper than the others. The point is that this chamber doesn't require a bottom, and the water entering it flows directly into the soil.
As methane is released at the point of wastewater accumulation, it is important to remember that ventilation for the first section is mandatory. This can be done either directly outside the tank or by adding a ventilation riser to the sewage system.