Septic Tanks

Maintenance Is A Legal Requirement for Septics

Septic tanks are a popular and practical method of dealing waste in many parts of Queensland. If properly designed and installed, they are perfectly safe, and also environmentally friendly.

Of course, this technology needs to pass some rigorous health and safety standards to gain approval and certification. One of these is appropriate access.

You can install your own septic tank, but it must be open for inspection as required. As experts in septic tanks Toowoomba home and business owners rely on, we help you maintain your tank correctly.

Working Parts

Septic tanks come in two designs, depending on how many people will use them. Although the word “tank” suggests something that just contains things, in fact septic tanks are working pieces of machinery. If installed incorrectly or poorly maintained, they won’t work properly. If this happens, there are some very serious health and safety issues to worry about.

For use by ten people or less, septic tanks come ready-made. They are two large diameter cylinders, connected by a pipe. For more than ten people, septic tanks are rectangular, and have to be made on site.

In both cases, the principles behind their work are the same. Rectangular tanks have a separating wall, or baffle, inside. In either case, the second chamber has to be twice the size of the first.

Maintenance Issues

Septic tanks work by breaking down waste matter using bacteria. This process forms a scum blanket on top, and sludge at the bottom. Effluent is pumped from the second chamber, to be collected in a drain, or lagoon. The sludge has to be removed periodically, as it builds up and affects the breakdown process.

To maintain the septic tanks Toowoomba people use, sump pumps sometimes need replacing. These are the final stage of the process, and are sometimes needed to pump out the effluent. Although gravity usually does this work, sometimes a pump will be needed. Changing conditions around the tank such as a raised soakaway can bring this about.

While septic tanks usually operate perfectly efficiently, you still have to be prepared for the worse. That is why maintenance and inspection are legal requirements. The local authority has to be sure that your system is working properly, to comply with its own standards. As it has the final responsibility of dealing with effluent and sludge, it can close down any system it sees as dangerous.

With sensible maintenance and the right access arrangements, septic tanks are sustainable, permanent waste solutions. Out of sight, out of mind, however, is not an option with these systems. Maintenance schedules must be adhered to.