Fletcher Plumbing is one of the only locally companies that has a N.W.A.T. certified technician on staff. When we starting performing more and more septic tank installations, leach field replacements and tank pumping we found it necessary to advance our education in the septic industry. With the addition of our 3800 gallon septic pumping truck we have found this additional education has become a real asset and necessity to be able to properly service our customers.
In the counties we service there are several types of septic systems being used and installed every day.
One of the most common is the basic gravity system which consists of a single 1200 – 1500 gallon septic tank, an incoming line to tank from the house and a outgoing line from the tank to distribution box that leads to the leach fields.
The tank acts as a storage vessel to separate the solid waste from the liquid and allow the microorganisms to eat and break down the solid waste into liquid form to send out the exit to the leach field.
The leach fields in these systems are typically a solid pipe (tight line), that leads to a intersection box (distribution box). The distribution box distributes the effluent water into multiple fields of pipes with holes that are laid into trenches. The trenches are filled with drain rock above and below the leach pipes allowing effluent to drain into the ground. There are other types of leach systems that can be used but all have the same function of allowing the effluent to leach into the ground.
Advanced systems are commonly found in our counties due to our soil conditions, they are Pressure Dose, Sand Filtration, and Advan Tex. These systems are engineered to fit specific soil and demand conditions. Below are examples of advanced systems.
We have listed tips for maintaining your septic system.
Tips for Maintaining Your Septic System
- Do not put too much water into the septic system; typical water use is about 50 gallons per day for each person in the family.
- Do not add materials (chemicals, sanitary napkins, applicators, and so on) other than domestic wastewater.
- Restrict the use of your garbage disposal.
- Do not pour grease or cooking oils down the sink drain.
- Make a diagram showing the location of your tank drainfield and repair area.
- Install a watertight concrete riser over the septic tank to simplify access.
- Periodically have the solids pumped out of the septic tank.
- Maintain adequate vegetative cover over the drainfield.
- Keep surface waters away from the tank and drainfield.
- Keep automobiles and heavy equipment off the system.
- Do not plan any building additions, pools, driveways, or other construction work near the septic system or the repair area.
