Septic Installation and Maintenance
How to Find and Hire a Septic Contractor
Contact the zoning or septic permitting department in your county. They will have a list of licensed contractors on hand.
Obtain a referral and references from people you know.
Hire an installer who can do both soil testing and septic installation if possible. This reduces the time required for septic installation. When the contractor already knows the specifics of the soil, they will need to do less research. A case could also be made to commission a design and then have several installers bid on it. In some areas, the design must be done by the permitting authority or an engineer.
While percolation tests (also known as "perc tests") are still used, the trend is toward obtaining a more detailed soil description. A soil description provides a more accurate picture of the soil's absorption rate, allowing you to design a system that is tailored to your specific location.
Determining The Correct System To Use
The soil test conducted on your property will decide whether a septic system can be installed or just a holding tank. What is the difference between the two?
Septic System: A septic tank and pipes leading to a drain field make up a conventional in-ground gravity septic system. The drain field is where the waste is cleaned and absorbed into the soil, and the septic tank may feature a filter that eliminates particles as small as 1/8-in.
Holding Tank: A holding tank is where waste water is kept and stored until it needs to be pumped out. When the time has come to pump the tank of the sewage an alarm will notify you. Disregarding the warning from the alarm is extremely hazardous. DO NOT disregard the warning from the alarm.
Advanced Treatment Systems (ATS)
Before wastewater is discharged to the soil, a tiny fraction of residences could require anything more than a septic tank. Media filters and aerobic treatment units are frequent choices for advanced pretreatment. If your land has a high water table, extremely rocky soil, or soil that is either too permeable or not permeable enough, mound systems may still be effective. Before wastewater penetrates the soil, this kind of system treats and cleanses it in an above-ground mound.
Which Tank Type Do You Need?
You require an approved tank for your septic system. The most typical material is concrete, followed by polyethylene tanks. Tanks made of twin-wall polyethylene are sturdy and expensive. Single-wall poly tanks are prone to collapsing when they are pumped out; they should only be utilized in situations when lot line restrictions are so severe that installing a new tank necessitates collapsing the old one.
Septic System Maintenance
You should keep an eye on and inspect your drain field and system. The tank must occasionally be pumped out, and filters may need to be cleaned as frequently as annually. Find out from your installer when your system should be pumped. Three manhole covers are often found on a modern septic tank: one for accessing the pump, one for accessing the filter, and one for pumping out the tank.
In Case Something Goes Wrong
An alarm notifies you of the issue if a pump-containing system experiences a difficulty. Don't just call any septic company for repair if the alarm goes off. Call the installer or the business that has been maintaining the system on a regular basis. They are familiar with your system and could be able to identify the issue before they get there, saving you both time and money. A packet of information detailing system maintenance, tank specifics, soil treatment parameters, and an as-built map of the system should be given to you and the permitting authority by your installation. If the system installer or designer isn't available for repair or maintenance, this information will be crucial.
