Septic tanks were firstly introduced in the USA in 1884 because a proper sewage system was available in very few places at that time, that is why it was necessary to introduce some new system to facilitate the people and to solve their problems. A septic tank is an underground burial system with a capacity of 1500 to 2500 gallons (4500 liters to 8000 liters). These are made up of strong plastic or concrete pipes, one end of which is connected to the household waste pipe and the other to the septic drain field.
How does it work?
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States, septic tank cleaning is the responsibility of the owner of the house. This is an alternative process to the sewage system, in which the solid and liquid waste enters the tank through a pipe and then solid waste settles in the bottom of the tank where some septic bacteria (which are anaerobic) decompose the solid waste, and the liquid waste flows through the drainage pipe into the drainage field.
When septic tank cleaning is necessary?
By the way, it should be cleaned every year, but if some of the following symptoms are visible, that means urgent septic tank cleaning is required.
- Unpleasant odor:
The biggest sign of this is that you start feeling a bad smell from your sewage pipes like if you feel a foul smell from pipes while washing clothes or pots, this could mean that your septic tank is full and needs cleaning.
- Slow drainage:
One of the signs of tank filling is that the water stays still for a long time in pipes or slowly diffuses into drainage pipes.
- Blockage of drainage pipes:
When the tank is completely filled and not cleaned in time because of this the water starts flowing back to the houses and blockage occurs.
Dangers may be caused because of the septic tank:
While it has many advantages, it also has some disadvantages and can cause significant damages, if septic tank cleaning is not done in proper time, some of them are given below:
- The collapse of the walls of tank:
If the tank is old enough, its walls become weak, so avoid using heavy machinery near it as it can cause tank walls to collapse. This increases the risk of people falling into the tank because if someone walks on the walls of a weak septic tank, the tank can break and the person may get a lot of injuries due to falling. That is why when a tank is built, its boundaries must be marked so that people can stay away from this place and be safe from dangers.
- Explosion:
There are different gases present in a septic tank like methane, carbon dioxide, and many other poisonous gases. Burning a lighter or cigarette near a septic tank may cause an explosion, that is why never burn anything near the tank.
- Suffocation:
If someone falls into the septic tank, not only he will be injured, but he also has to face difficulty in breathing because of the lack of oxygen inside the septic tank.
- Infection:
We know that there is a lot of dirt and germs inside the septic tank and if unluckily someone falls into it and get injured, then there is a possibility that germs may enter into his body through the cuts, which may cause many deadly diseases. Many infections may occur due to this accident.
- Electrical shocks:
If someone is doing work with heavy machinery in the boundary line of a septic tank, so tangled wires can cause an electric shock which may be very risky. So septic tank cleaning is very necessary for a healthy life and healthy environment.
