Think about your morning routine: you get out of bed, use the toilet, hop in the shower, brush your teeth, and put on clothes. Every single part of your routine uses or has used plumbing at some point. Your sheets and clothes must be washed regularly, the shower and sink create wastewater and the toilet… well, you know what that does.
Where does it all go and how do we never run out of water? It’s wild to think about the amount of water that we waste, but if everyone wasted like that wouldn’t it run out?
Thankfully, we can answer all of these questions pretty easily–but to answer the last question: we won’t run out of water but we must continue to recycle it in order to have safe, potable water. We are going to explain how household plumbing waste is treated through the sewage system and the overall process it goes through! Keep reading for more information!
Septic Tanks Can be Fragile
If you grew up in a household that utilized a septic tank, you might remember your mother being adamant about not throwing too much toilet paper or feminine products in the toilet. There is a reason for that, and you will probably understand it after you read how a septic tank works:
- Waste and water are removed from your home via sewage pipes, landing in the septic tank.
- While in the tank, solids sink to the bottom while fats and oils rise float to the top, leaving relatively clear water in the middle.
- As new sewage is added, the clear water is displaced into a drain field that consists of perforated pipes buried in trenches.
- The water leaches out and is cleaned by the soil of any nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Surrounding plants are fertilized by these nutrients and the water is safely returned to the water cycle to be reused.
The sludge and scum that is left occasionally have to be pumped out, but a good portion of it degrades over time. However, this is precisely the reason your mother didn’t want you kids flushing stuff that didn’t belong.
Sewage Systems – Easy as 1, 2, 3
Similarly to septic tanks, wastewater is drained from your house via sewage lines.
Instead of going to your own septic tank, it ends up at the sewage treatment center.
At this sewage treatment center, the wastewater can be treated up to three times:
- Wastewater enters what is basically a giant septic tank to form sludge and scum; the relatively clear water is either chlorinated or sent to stage 2.
- The water is treated with bacteria that eats away up to 90% of contaminants. It is then either chlorinated or sent to stage 3.
- Chemicals are used to kill any contaminants that may be left and filter beds may be used.
At any point after the first stage, the water can be returned to the water cycle to be reused again and again.
Several Other Options
Septic tanks and sewage systems aren’t the only two ways to treat wastewater. Plumbing waste can be treated in a multitude of ways, but they all relate back to 4 basic means.
The four basic ways to treat sewage is physically by using screens or filter; chemically by using chlorine and ozone; biologically by using bacteria to compost; and sludge treatment which uses something like a centrifuge to separate solids from liquids.
If you are interested in looking at more eco-friendly ways to handle your wastewater or need a drain cleaning to help your pipes flow efficiently, give All Clear Plumbing a call today!
