Septic Systems

Underground Probiotic Factories

What’s the poop?

We all do it. Remember the book, Everybody Poops? Well, once we flush, where does it go? For 26 million households in the US, their poop goes into a septic system. In addition to the poop, water from the sinks, showers, and washing machines also enter the septic system. The sink and toilet are considered black water because they have waste. The bathroom sinks, bathtub, and washing machine have greywater. Greywater does not contain solids like food or poop.

If you don’t have a septic system, your house or apartment is connected to a sewer system. The wastes from your home travel in the sewer lines (beneath the streets) to a treatment plant where all sorts of equipment encourage microbes to grow and digest the wastes. Eventually, the wastes are removed, and the water is disinfected and then discharged into a river or the ground. Wastewater treatment plants have many regulations they must comply with. However, few wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove more than human waste. Most cannot remove detergents, pharmaceuticals, or other chemicals or solids that go down the drain. Therefore, even if your home is on a sewer system, you should put the same materials down the drain.

What is a septic system?

For the 26 million people with septic systems in the United States, these are mini wastewater treatment systems at your home, usually underground in your backyard. These septic systems are much lower-tech than a municipal wastewater treatment plant but

are just as efficient if treated correctly. The water inside your house flows from drains (sinks, toilets, tubs, and washing machines) into one main pipe. From the house, the line drops into a tank.

Cesspools

Very old systems are called cesspools. A cesspool is a pit with a sandy bottom, and the pit's walls are lined with bricks or blocks stacked to level the soil's surface. They are then capped with a lid. Microbes in the wastes slowly digest all the solids, and the liquid drains out the cracks in the stacked blocks and down through the sand bottom. Old-time outhouses use a similar method but are not connected to a bathroom or drains in the house. A cesspool will last a long time as long as it is treated correctly. However, many states have laws that a new septic system must be installed if selling the home.

Holding Tanks

If the system doesn’t go further than the tank, it is known as a holding system. Once the tank fills, it must be pumped out. Little digestion goes on in this tank if it is filled too quickly. These systems can be used in areas with poor drainages, such as rocky surfaces.

Leaching Systems

Another type of system has a leach field. This start from the waste pipe coming from the house. There is a primary tank and a leaching field. The primary tank is where solids settle to the bottom of the tank, and lighter materials float to the top. The liquid in the middle is known as supernatant. It should have no solids because this liquid will flow into the leaching field. A leach field is a large area below the soil surface where liquid from the septic tank drains through pipes. The pipes have holes (facing down) where the liquid can slowly drain over a layer of gravel. The liquid trickles down through the gravel, then the sand, then through the soil. This is effectively a filtering and gravity system that uses biology, requiring little to no air to function.

Aerobic Systems

The final system has a series of tanks and a drainage system. The primary tank is where solids settle to the bottom of the tank, and lighter materials float to the top. The liquid in the middle flows into the next tank. Air is pumped into this second tank, making it an aerobic system. The aeration is supposed to improve digestion and reduce solids and odors, making the discharged liquids safer to dispose of. These systems usually do not have large drain fields as the leaching type. In most cases, they cost more to install and run (they are electric) and are regularly dosed with microbes to improve performance. All of the ones I have seen are under contract with the company that installed them, preventing the use of better-performing microbes.

Grease Traps

For commercial sites, a grease trap is great for kitchens. A grease trap is connected to the drain pipe. Connected to the pipe is a tank that allows the wastewater to settle. Since grease is less dense than water, it floats. A pipe on the discharge side is set lower than the top level. This allows water to drain out, but not the grease. For cleanout, a local company will usually come by and collect the grease and turn it into biofuel.

How Does A Septic System Work?

Simply, biology. Microbes do the work of digesting the wastes. Where do the microbes come from? Well…us. About 1/3 of the solid weight of our feces is microbes. Urine is sterile…unless you have an infection. Some also come from foods in the kitchen sink. This is why it is important not to put things down the drain that kill microbes. Several items found in the home can kill them. These items include antibiotics (ones we take and soaps), most cleaning products (Chlorine and other cleaning products), and pharmaceuticals. Cleaning products contain antibiotic compounds to prevent spoilage. Excessive use of these materials will cause die-off in a septic system.

What Goes In A Septic System?

Only wastes that come out of a human & water from showers, sinks, and washers. Nothing else should go in there. Antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals can damage the biology in the tanks and cause them to fail, not to mention that the pharmaceuticals could make it into groundwater. Avoid excessive amounts of food waste in a septic system, mainly using in-sink grinders that will add a lot of raw organics to your system. This can overload the system. Also, avoid adding grease and avoid the use of antibiotic soaps.

What Happens If My System Fails?

It backs up into your house. Imagine raw sewage soaking your floors and carpets. Another sign of failure is when your backyard turns into a stinking swamp. This is a sign of the leach field failing. Another issue with failing systems is root intrusion. Tree roots, seeking nutrients, will follow the failing system and grow inside your pipes.

How do I Prevent Septic System Failures?

Prevention is the operative word here. Don’t throw other items in the toilet than your waste. Change to natural soaps instead of antibiotic soaps. Use hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners instead of chlorine or other antibacterial products. And have your system pumped every two to three years? If a pumper tells you your system is clean, you can have it cleaned out less often. But don’t let it go for a decade without any service.

You can add probiotics to the system every so often. Don’t add baker’s yeast. It requires 110ºF to 115ºF to activate (look at the package). It won’t do anything but create gum in your system. Use a live, active probiotic culture, most likely a liquid. You can dose it every other month with 1 gallon per 1,000 gallons of total system capacity.

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I hope this helps set your mind at ease if you have a septic system. They can be easy to maintain and last for decades. Take care of them. Have it serviced and care for it just like you would anything else.

Please check out my book: Probiotic Oral Health, available on Amazon.

Aside from writing, I also do consulting in Agriculture, Bioremediation, and Wastewater. For appointments, please visit my website: ProbioticsHealTheWorld.com