Sewage System maintenance 030915

Sewage System Maintenance Hints, tips and advice on maintaining your sewage system.

Septic Tank and System Maintenance Hints, tips and advice on maintaining your sewage system As an owner of a septic tank and private sewage system you have a legal responsibility to maintain your septic system so it is in good working order. By ensuring you look after your tank and maintain a good working order for your system you will not only be protecting the environment but also your families health and a well maintained tank required emptying less often and is less likely to fail.

Your septic tank can usually be found down hill from your property with a metal or concrete lid (which maybe under overgrown vegetation). However your tank may not be on your land and may also be shared with other nearby properties. If you have trouble locating your tank your title deeds may point out the location.

A septic tank is used when dwellings are not connected to the public sewage system. Waste water from the house enters the tank, heavier solids fall to the bottom (sludge) and lighter solids float to the top (scum). Helpful bacteria break down waste that remains in the effluent layer and this treated waste leaves the septic tank to a soakaway or directly into a source of surface water.

Regular checks should be made to ensure you tank stays in a good working order.

1) Are drains slower to drain or toilets backing up? This could be a sign that the pipes are blocked, soakaway is clogged or

the tank is full.

2)The tank cover should be accessible and well fitting, there should be no smell coming from the septic tank.

3) If the soakaway area is showing signs of prolific grass growth, standing water or odour, it has become clogged and the tank requires emptying.

4) The water discharged from the tank should be pale, with little or no smell. If the discharge water is smelly, dark or has solids in it then the sewage system is failing.

5) Roots of trees and shrubs can damage the tank. Keep them away from the whole system.

A build up of sludge is the most common cause of problems and therefore the septic tanks requires de-sludgeing on a regular basis to ensure it continues to work correctly and efficiently.

All tanks require to be emptied but there are a number of thing you can do to reduce the frequency. Ensure you are using the correct size of tank for the number of people and water usage it is servicing. Follow the tips in this booklet to ensure you use your system correctly and try to reduce the amount of water that goes through the system.

All septic tanks must be registered with SEPA. For more information or to check if your septic tank is registered please contact SEPA.

How your sept

Waste water produced in your house ows through the inlet pipe into the septic tank.

Depending on the amount of water used in the system, the size of tank and what you put down the drain (and ultimately what goes into the septic tank) all determine how well the system works and how often it will need emptied and serviced.

Waste water, euent, sewage solids and fats are retained in the tank.

A septic tank is a living, working ecosystem in which friendly bacteria digest the waste creating safe euent to the soakaway.

DO

Locate your septic tank, the soakaway and where it

DON’T

NEVER flush anything other than human waste and toilet

discharges

Make regular checks of the septic system

paper down the toilet. Kitchen towels, sanitary items, cotton

Ensure lids are secure and intact

buds, condoms and nappies should be bagged and binned

Empty your tank when necessary

Avoid using toilet cleaner and other household cleaners

the tank and cause a rapid build up of sludge.

as they can easily block drains. They will not break down in

Never dispose of grease or oil (even cooking oil) down any

that do not specify that they are suitable for use with septic drain. Pour into a container and dispose of in a bin. Fats will tanks. Some cleaning products (like bio washing powder)

solidify and can block drains. They are not broken down in

can upset the bacterial balance of the tank, so it does not

the tank and will cause a rapid build up of sludge.

work as efficiently.

Use a strainer in the sink to catch any food scraps as if

Never put paints, solvents or any chemicals down the toilet or drain. These chemicals will kill the friendly bacteria in the

these enter the sewage system they can cause a rapid build septic tank and will stop the system digesting waste. up of sludge and can also cause blockages in pipework.

Don’t use caustic soda or drain cleaners to clear blockages,

Use only moderate amount of environmentally friendly or try boiling water and bicarbonate of soda instead. Caustic

low phosphate household cleaners as these will have less of soda and drain cleaners will kill the friendly bacteria in the an impact on your sewage system and also the environment.

Space out activities that use water such as running the

septic tank preventing it from digesting waste.

Never connect rainwater drainage into the septic tank. Too

much water through the system will cause the liquid effluent

dishwasher or washing machine to limit the amount of

to pass through the tank before the friendly bacteria have a

water passing through the system at once.

chance to work

tic system works

Effluent (liquid) drains from the tank via the outlet pipe to the soakaway, where is gets further treatment from micro-organisms in the surrounding soil.

Some tanks will discharge directly to a surface water source such as a stream or river. The effluent created contains residues of any chemical cleaners etc that have been used in the house. Phosphates are a major pollutant of watercourses, therefore you should avoid using products which contain them.

If your system is failing, the effluent may also contain high levels of harmful bacteria which could pose a serious risk to the health of those in the household and surrounding area.

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