In this video, we’ll explain what the differences are between a cesspool, a septic tank, and a sewage treatment plant. When it comes to building a property, one thing you’ll need to consider is where is my waste going to go? In most cases, you can just simply connect to the main sewer network. However, this may be too expensive to do, or the sewer is too far away for you to connect to. In these cases, you’ll need to consider how you’re going to deal with your waste on site. You have three options to choose from a cesspool, a septic tank, and a sewage treatment plant. Cesspool is simply just a holding tank. There’s only one pipe connection fitted, and that is the inlet of the tank, which means that all the waste coming from the property is retained within the tank and there is no treatment of the waste.
Over time, the sewage will build up in the tank and will need to be emptied by sewage disposal tanker. Every other month or so, depending on how big the cesspool is and how many people are using it. A septic tank is a step up from a cesspool. A septic tank, unlike a cesspool, will have two pipe connections. One will be the inlet and the other will be the outlet, and the tank will have a partition wall, which is known as a baffle. The baffle’s job is to retain the suspended solids in the tank within the primary chamber, leaving the effluent or the more liquid waste to flow into the secondary chamber. The effluent is then discharged out of the septic tank into a soakaway, which will be made of perforated pipe laid out on a gravel bed. Like a cesspool, a septic tank will need to be emptied by a disposal tanker, however, as some of the effluent is being discharged, you won’t have to empty a septic tank as often. A sewage treatment plant, like a septic tank, has an inlet and an outlet point, and is made up of two chambers. The primary chamber will store the incoming waste from the property before it moves over to the secondary chamber. The secondary chamber is where the actual treatment happens. With most systems a sewage treatment plant will break down the solids by introducing oxygen into the system, which help to keep the natural bacteria alive inside the tank, and the bacteria break down the solids at an increased rate. The treated sewage is then discharged out of the tank into a soakaway, or if permitted to a watercourse, as the quality of the effluent is good enough to safely enter a watercourse without polluting or damaging the local environment or ecosystem.
Again, with a sewage treamtnet plant, you will need to have it emptied. However, as the level of treatment is greater and the level of suspended solids is much lower, you will need to empty a sewage treatment plant around every 18 months or so. With more and more people choosing to build their dream home out in the countryside and cities becoming more and more crowded, the demand for off main sewage treatment systems will keep rising, and it’s important for people to know what systems are out there and which system is best for them.
