Frequently Asked Questions on Septic Systems in Englewood, FL

Septic systems are considered to be on-site systems designed to safely dispose of biological sanitary waste. "Gray water", such as laundry waste, is part of the waste system, but it may not result in what is referred to as "biological" waste.

Basically a septic system provides a "holding tank" where natural bacterial action decomposes human waste products into environmentally acceptable components - the major end-components being water, mixed with some other components that are not readily consumed by the bacterial action, gases, and undigested solids. The end products, except the undigested solids, are then discharged to the on-site environment.

The things that are most obvious are the things seen every day - the sinks, toilets, and pipes in a normal house. What is not visible is the underground septic system and the ground itself, both which greatly impact the systems performance. The individual parts of the system are the septic tank, a distribution box, and a leach field. Bacterial action takes place in the septic tank where the end products are mainly water, gases, sludge, undigested material that sinks to the bottom of the tank, and scum, undisgested material that floats to the top of the tank. The septic tank contains baffles that prevent any scum and sludge. The gases that are generated vent to the atmosphere via the plumbing vent system. From the septic tank, the segregated and relatively clear liquid flows into a small distribution box where it is then metered out to several perforated pipes. These perforated pipes then deliver the liquid to a large soil surface area, called a leach or absorption field, for absorption. The soil also acts as a filter to remove any small amounts of solids that may be carried along with the liquid. The sludge in the bottom of the tank must be periodically pumped out and disposed properly.

The septic tank is buried in the ground, usually a minimum of 10 feet from the house. The top of the tank is usually about one foot below the soil surface so it can be opened for inspection and pumping. If you do not know where the tank is located, the first step is to locate where the house sewer pipe leaves the house. In a house with a basement, this is where the pipe passes through the wall. Locating the exit point may be more difficult for a house with no basement. If the pipe exit can be found, the tank normally begins about 10 feet from the house outside wall and in line with the house sewer pipe. If the soil is not frozen, you can usually find the tank by pushing a slender metal rod into the ground until it hits the buried tank. YBe careful when probing for the tank and avoid hammering the metal rod into the ground - you could break a sewer pipe. The distribution box is much smaller than the septic tank and is usual found about 20 feet from the house. It too is usually only about one foot below the ground. Again, you can probe the soil carefully to locate the distribution box with a slender metal rod.

From the distribution box, several pipes direct liquid to a series of pipes in trenches called laterals. The pipes in the trenches have holes in them to allow the liquid to be evenly distributed within the trench. To keep the pipes from being blocked with soil and to provide a space for water to be stored while it is being absorbed by the soil, the pipes are laid in a bed of crushed stone. Above the stone is a soil filter (usually one or two layers of what is called untreated building paper). Above the soil filter is top soil in which grass is planted.

Equally important is where the components should not be. If there are wells, either yours or a neighbor's, the leach field must be a minimum of 100 feet from the location of the well. In some areas, the well is not allowed to be down-slope from the leach field. If there is a stream or pond, the leach field must also be a minimum of 100 feet from the mean high water mark. Normally, no part of the system should be within 10 feet of a property line. In some areas and in unusual conditions, minimum distances may be greater than those noted here. In addition, no part of the system should be under a porch or driveway and you should not drive heavy vehicles (including automobiles) over the system lest the system be damaged.

Conventional septic systems are not entirely care free. The undigested solids (sludge) in the bottom of the septic tank should be pumped out every two to four years. If the sludge is not removed periodically, it will carry over into the leach field and cause the field to fail. A well designed system can handle a reasonable amount of normal household chemicals such as drain cleaners, laundry detergent and bleach, however excessive usage can be detrimental. You should avoid putting in chemicals that are toxic to the bacteria, such as paint thinner, solvents, insecticides, etc. Cooking fats and grease should also be avoided. If a garbage disposal is used, more frequent tank pumping may be needed.

If the liquid effluent cannot soak into the soil surrounding the leach field, sewage may back up into the system and overflow into the house or puddle on the surface of the ground. There are several possible causes for this problem.

• Poor Soil Conditions, Faulty Design or Installation
• Soil Clogging
• High Water Table
• Roots
• Physical Damage

You can expect a conventional septic system to last about 30 years. Some systems last much longer and some systems can fail earlier for reasons like those noted above. Other things can also affect the life of a septic system. For example, a system may have been providing satisfactory service for a previous owner for many years, only to fail shortly after you have bought the house. If the previous owners were a working couple with no children, the system was probably not heavily used; if yours is a family of six, the added load could push a marginal system over the edge and into failure.

Sewage backup into the home is one possible sign of a failing system. However, backup can also be caused by a blockage somewhere between the house and the septic tank (this is relatively easy to fix). Another possible sign of failure is a smell of sewage outside the house. If this smell is more noticeable after a lot of water has been put into the system this may be an indication that the leach field is failing. The smell may also be accompanied by a "spongy" feeling in some areas of the leach field, near the distribution box, or near the septic tank. The "spongy" feel may be caused by water and waste being pushed to or near ground level. If ponding water is also seen, this is called "breakthrough" and is an almost positive indication of failure of one or more parts of the system. This smell, however, can also originate at the plumbing vent. In either case, further investigation is warranted. If you see such signs, a dye test may confirm your suspicions. A home inspector, a licensed professional engineer, or a septic system contractor can usually perform this test for you.

There are two major factors involved in adding a new system or repairing/replacing an existing one. The first is the cost; the second is the inconvenience of possibly not being able to use the existing system while a replacement is being installed. Repair or replacement cost will obviously depend on what has to be repaired and/or replaced. Englewood Environmental will gladly provide you with a quote for your unique situation. Please Click Here to request a quote

Septic systems are designed to dispose of household biological waste. The amount of waste to be handled depends on a number of factors. Among these are the number of people living in the house and their lifestyle. After many years of experience, a major guideline in determining the size and capability of a septic system has been correlated to the number of bedrooms in a house. The number of bedrooms typically determines the number of people generating and the amount of waste handled. If your family is growing and a new bedroom is needed, then the load on the system is also increased. If the septic system capability does not keep up with the increased demand, system failure may occur.

Septic tanks are sized according to the amount of liquid waste they must process. This is typically done by counting the number of bedrooms.

Determining the required size of a leach field is a bit more complicated. The first thing to consider is the type of soil in which the leach field will be constructed. We need to know how fast the water can be absorbed. This is called the percolation rate and is expressed as the time it takes for water in a hole to decrease in level by one inch (minutes/inch). We must also know whether seasonal changes in the natural level of groundwater will interfere with the operation of the system. Judgments regarding the soil conditions and percolation rates are best left to a professional.

Gray water is usually water from a laundry system, the effluent from a sump pump, the foundation footing drains, roof runoff, and shower drains. This water does not contain human waste products and does not need to be digested like human waste. The disposal requirements for this are less strict than those for human waste. If there is a space problem, it may be possible to segregate gray waste from human waste and minimize the size needed for control of the human waste.