Septic System

Have you ever thought about what happens to your excrement???? I never did either, until we started learning about septic systems. It's a pretty amazing system (actually, there are several), using simply the bacteria that shows up in what you flush down the toilet and the earth's natural drainage (although sometimes you have to help it along a bit). For those of you interested, it goes like this: There is a big tank (3000 gallon capacity, 10 foot long concrete) buried in the ground. When you flush, it goes into the tank. In the tank, the solids begin to separate from the liquids. The natural bacteria present works away at the solids, decomposing it and turning it into (we hope) compost type stuff. The liquid gets purer and purer at the top, and then reaches a point where it flows into a long pipe which connects with a smaller tank. This smaller tank has a bunch of pipes leading out to the leach field, where there is a whole network of perforated pipes. The (clean, we hope) liquid leaches out and partly sinks into the earth and partly is evaporated by the sun. Such a natural process, it's unbelievable! Of course this only happens outside of the cities where there is no city sewage system. While I was learning about this simple (yet large) system, I couldn't help looking up at all the highrises in this city and realizing how many bathrooms there are, and where the heck does IT all go? Intellectually I know, of course, it goes to the sewage treatment plants, wherever they all may be, but when you really think about the pure volume of waste that flows through all the pipes it's quite alarming- think of all that stuff flowing through the walls of all the buildings and in networks all throughout the city. It's a friggin miracle a city this big can handle it all without thouroughly bursting with stink.


This is the edge of the big tank, with it's pipe leading out. Unfortunately we weren't here to catch the lowering of the tank into the ground. It must have been something, with Art working BY HIMSELF, if I'm not mistaken. The man is amazing.


Art digging the leach field trenches.


Muscle Man


The second tank with the pipes leading to the perforated pipes that make up the leach field.






The dump truck that brought the gravel. This get's put under and around the pipes to help drain. We need extra help because of all the clay in the soil, so Art also had to build up the leach field with extra good soil.


The building inspector came to inspect, it passed, he filled it all up, and voila, our very own sewage treatment plant. A tip for future septic owners- use of a lot of bleach and antibacterial type detergents can lead to septic failure because it kills the natural bacteria that helps decompose everything.