Drains are one of the most important aspects of your home’s plumbing. In fact, one of the most requested plumbing services in the country is sewer (or drain) cleaning. But where do your drains lead? What happens to your household plumbing waste when you wash it down the sink or flush it down the toilet?
The answer may make you want to take better care of your drains and sewers. Here’s what we’ve learned about where your plumbing waste really goes:
How Your Septic Tank Works
In a septic tank system, waste flows through your home’s drainage pipes into a tank where solid waste is separated from liquid waste, forming sludge and scum.
The liquid waste, or wastewater, then passes through a filter and out to a drain field, where the water is naturally treated by the soil, eventually returning to groundwater.
It is essential with a septic tank system to make sure your drain field doesn’t become overloaded with too much wastewater at a time.
If this happens, it could cause the sewage to rise to the surface, leading to backups in your sinks and toilets.
Water Leaving Your House Goes to a Sewage Treatment Plant
If you live in a more urban area, your drain pipes are likely connected to a sewer main (usually running along the center of your street) which carries all your waste to a sewage treatment plant.
It is at this plant that waste is treated one, two, or three times until it can be returned to the city’s clean water supply.
The primary treatment removes solid waste from the water, much like a septic tank does- solids sink to become sludge, and grease and oil float to form scum. The water is then passed through a filter, and the solids remain in the tank to be disposed of.
If the wastewater undergoes secondary treatment, it enters an aeration tank. Here, oxygen-breathing bacteria is introduced and consumes all (or most) of the bacteria and nutrients still in the wastewater. The water then flows into a settling tank where the living bacteria settles out.
At this point, the water should be 90% free of all bacteria. If it continues on to tertiary treatment, water will be infused with chemicals like chlorine to kill any remaining bacteria, as well as remove things like phosphorus and nitrogen.
Other Disposal Methods
If your home doesn’t have a septic tank but also isn’t connected to a public sewer system, you may have a cesspool where your sewage drains.
A cesspool functions very similarly to a septic tank, in that it separates solid waste from liquid waste. They differ in that cesspools don’t use drain fields, as the wastewater filters through the brick or cement block lining of the pit.
Cesspools are significantly more affordable than septic tanks to install, but they also require more maintenance to clean and pose a health risk as the wastewater can contaminate the surrounding groundwater.
To learn more about your home’s specific drainage system, and to inquire about sewer and drain cleaning, call the expert drain cleaners at Cellino Plumbing, Heating & Cooling! To speak to a professional in Buffalo today, call (716) 822-7551.
