How Sewer and Septic Systems Work in Your House

Sarah Lavinski
DIY Plumbing
Published in
3 min readApr 1, 2019

Sewer and septic system plays a vital role in people’s daily lives. How they work really depend on how they are designed. Both a sewer and a septic system are mostly built of concrete, clay, or steel. There are two main types of sewer systems: the sanitary and the wastewater system. They both carry out water and other waste materials out of homes and buildings to either a septic tank or a water treatment facility. These two sewer networks depend on sewer lines to keep the progress of the wastewater moving to a disposal system.

Let’s tackle more about how sewer systems and septic tanks work for homes.

Basically, the way that sewer systems and septic systems works depend on how an engineer or an architect designed it. They would also depend on the topography of the location.

The sewer pipes should be properly situated in a slope position to allow wastewater to move freely and continuously, while septic tanks is usually buried to the ground for a more stable position.

How Does a Well-Designed Sewer and Septic Systems Benefit Your Family?

A well-designed sewer and septic system help keep you and your family away from harmful elements like bacteria and molds from invading your home.

They would typically direct wastewater and other elements that carry these elements to the septic tank where they are deposited.

Inside a septic tank, there are three layers. These are the scum layer, which contains all materials that floats; the middle layer which clear water containing chemicals like nitrogen or bacteria.

These would often be free of any solid materials and would act as a fertilizer for the drain field. The last layer, which is called the sludge layer, is where all solid materials lie to the bottom of a septic tank.

Wastewater is disposed to septic tanks through a free flowing motion. Water would flow continuously to fill the septic tank, then clear water is displaced which would then flow out through the end of it and drains into an area that is big enough to absorb and hold water. The walls in the tank would then prevent scum or sludge from getting out in the drain field.

Gases are produced by bacteria in the septic tank after they break down any organic material that the wastewater have. These gases need and should not escape through sinks, because they do have a very bad smell. In order to prevent them from invading your home, P-traps are installed.

These sewer pipes hold water which forbids these gases from finding its way into your home. When a septic tank is flooded, these gases together with other waste materials are released, that is why ensuring that blockages in your sewerage system are extremely important, this is where Long Beach Plumbing can help you through our professional plumbing services.

Long Beach Plumbing: Professional Plumbing Services

Long Beach Plumbing offers a variety of plumbing services. We have the professionals who are well-trained, efficient, and skilled in sewer and septic tank problems. We are a dedicated groups of plumbers are the most desirable personnel to handle any type of work regarding sewer and septic tank issues.

Right from the beginning of your call with us, your problem is being resolved by giving you an assessment on how big the problem is. We can even give you a free quote on how much you’ll be spending to get the problem fixed.

The service we offer are 24/7 so whether it’s an emergency sewer and septic system issue, you can get in touch with us anytime.

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