If you decide to supplement the summer cottage with a sewage system, then this question will be related to the choice of the septic tank variety. To date, several types of such devices are known, each of which has its pros and cons - they should be considered when choosing. The functioning and effectiveness of the entire sewage system will depend on this.
General principle of work
Quite often, owners of suburban real estate wonder about how a septic tank works. The design has the appearance of a system of several cameras. The first is called a sump and receives sewage from the sewer system. The effluents are filtered at this stage or decomposed. The process depends on the type of construction.
Under the influence of bacteria, sewage decomposes into:
- clarified water;
- gas fraction;
- silt
Water then enters the filter well, while the ventilation openings allow the gases to escape. If you were wondering about how a septic tank works, you should know that it has another filtration well, which has a special device. The third compartment has a drainage layer and walls in which holes are made. Water entering inside is then sent to the ground. This principle allows sewage to decompose into components that do not harm the environment.
The principle of functioning of the system is based on the use of sedimentation processes and biological processing methods. Domestic effluents fall into the sump, which must have a large volume to accommodate the waste generated in a few days. So much time will be necessary for heavy inclusions to be at the bottom of the camera. If you have a question about how a septic tank works, then you should know that at the next stage, water enters the tank through drain pipes. Inside this compartment are anaerobic bacteria that contribute to the decomposition of organic complex compounds into simple fractions.
Extra features
The activity of these microorganisms is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and heat, which are removed through ventilation pipes. As soon as domestic wastewater leaves the tank, they are sent to the soil filter. To do this, use a filter well or fields that are equipped with crushed stone and sand. The used method of domestic wastewater treatment affects the principle of operation and the device.
Equipment, depending on this, can be divided into the following types:
- with deep biological treatment;
- with soil cleaning.
Using a soil treatment system
Quite often, gardeners wonder about how a septic tank works. If we are talking about a system with soil post-treatment, then the principle of its operation is based on gravity. As practice shows, household liquid effluents are 99% water. The remaining percentage is harmful impurities; for their filtering, local treatment facilities are required .
Such equipment is characterized by a simple design and a primitive principle of operation. The septic tank is based on the capacity and field of filtration. The first is divided into several parts, they are interconnected by a pipeline system.
Deep biological treatment system
If you have a question about what a septic tank is and how it works, then you should consider in more detail systems with deep biological treatment. They have a slightly different principle of operation. Such structures are built on the principle of ALL-IN. The equipment has one unit, inside which there are several cameras and special equipment.
The first stage of processing, as in the case described above, consists in settling household liquid effluents. At this stage, they are exempted from extraneous large inclusions. Water at the next stage enters the chamber, where it is exposed to bacteria. For their vital activity, oxygen is required, which is supplied by an air compressor. This allows you to speed up the process of splitting the compounds into safe fractions. As a result, a certain volume of activated sludge is formed, which can be used even for fertilizer.
If you wondered how a septic tank works in a private house, you should know that deep post-treatment allows you to provide biological filtration. The output is water, 98% freed from harmful impurities. Therefore, it can be used even for economic purposes, excluding costly activities aimed at arranging filtration wells and filtration fields. This eliminates the significant cost of local treatment facilities.
Principle of action "Topas"
Recently septic tank "Topaz" is quite common. How this system works will be described below. The basis of functioning is the activity of microorganisms. Their effect allows organic compounds to be disinfected, disintegrated and processed into sludge.
At the first stage, the effluents enter the chamber where the first stage of purification takes place. Coarse fractions and contaminants, as in the above case, are eliminated. At the next stage, water enters the aeration tank using airlift. Sector two is the main part of the system where active bacteria are located. Here the destruction of harmful substances that managed to overcome the first stage.
Consumers quite often wonder about how the septic tank Topas works. As for sludge, the latter occurs during waste processing and acts as a binder between the particles of foreign bodies. All the liquid then enters sector 3, which is called the pyramid. At this stage, the sludge settles to the bottom, and the treated water enters sector 4. The main feature of servicing such septic tanks is the need for periodic removal of sludge, which accumulates in the sump. Disposal is quite simple, it does not require special knowledge.
The principle of operation of the Termite system
If you want to consider the Termit septic tank as a system for your summer residence, then you should familiarize yourself with the principle of its operation. The operation is based on waste treatment and soil filtration. Initially, sewage flows into the chamber, where some of the elements precipitate. Then the sewage flows into the second chamber, where the emerging fractions and sediment are not able to get. This allows for mechanical cleaning by settling.
In each subsequent chamber, the heavy particles become smaller. If you have a question about how the Termit septic tank works, then you should know that in the last chamber, some of the effluent decomposes under the influence of bacteria and rises through the filter to the surface, this approach provides 70 percent purification.
Purified and clarified water enters the special facility at the next stage. It is exposed to irrigation. At the final stage, the cleaning is provided by soil filtration. Bacteria in the soil break down organic elements under the influence of oxygen. They turn out to be environmentally friendly and are cleaned by 95%.
Winter system operation
If before installing the treatment system you are puzzled by the question of how the septic tank works in winter, then you should familiarize yourself with the information below. In order for the equipment to continue to function efficiently, the tank, filtration fields and pipes should be buried on the freezing line of the soil or insulation should be carried out. In this case, you won’t have to worry about the correct operation of the system in winter.
The user should remember that the septic tank must be operated continuously. Otherwise, without additional insulation it cannot be guaranteed that the sewage system will not freeze. It can only thaw out in the spring. In order to protect yourself, you can make temporary hydro and thermal insulation of the site above the pipes, filtration fields and septic tank.
How pipes work in winter
To the question of whether the septic tank remains operational in the winter or not, one should add the doubts of the owners of suburban real estate about whether the pipes continue to function at low temperatures. The system will not freeze if the pipes are deepened by 0.5 m and installed at a certain angle when the water flows by gravity. If the septic tank is used all winter, then it will be replenished with sewage, the temperature of which is much higher than zero. Therefore, subject to the technology, you can be sure that the pipes will function properly and will not clog with an ice plug.
Conclusion
Now you know how a septic tank works. However, if its functioning is relevant for you only in the summer, then for the winter the system should be mothballed. For this, water is completely pumped out, it is important to remove precipitation that could cause an unpleasant odor. Before pumping, you should buy bacteria that are poured into the sewer two weeks before cleaning.