Septic tank maintenance

February 7th, 2013:

Are leach field aerators beneficial?

Are leach field aerators beneficial to the septic tank and drain field? This has been a question that has plagued home owners for some time. The time came when you wanted to marry again. You have been divorced for ten years already so you thought it was about time for you to give marriage another try. There was a woman you had a serious relationship with for almost seven years then and she had a son. When you were married, her son clearly needed the guidance of a father and he really wanted you to be that person in his life. A few months after the honeymoon, your stepson bought a house. He planned to prepare it for his family-to-be. The day the construction started, you were there. You wanted to help your stepson realize his dream home. It was a tedious six months but when the house was finally finished, the most vital element that should be designed, built, and installed properly was at hand. Your stepson didn’t have any idea what you were talking about so you explained everything to him. Your wife smiled as she watched the two of you bond in the yard.

You told him that the septic system was the main reason why your household remains disease-free and odor-free. It is your personal wastewater treatment plant because you can’t have any access to the town’s sewage system. The conventional septic system is installed under your property. This system is composed of two main parts—the septic tank and the leach field. The septic tank is the collecting vessel of the wastewater that flows out of your home. With the help of a fully functional septic tank, the wastewater can be divided into three layers as initial treatment. The first and topmost layer is the scum that is all about lightweight solid waste materials. Next is the middle clear effluent layer that’s supposed to be solid waste particle-free by the time it reaches the leach field. The third bottom layer is the sludge that contains the anaerobic bacteria that slowly breaks down the solid particles of the waste.

The leach field is the second part of the wastewater treatment system. This is where the aerobic bacteria proliferate and treat the outgoing effluent. The aerobic bacteria should dominate the leach field so that the biomat may be regulated and prevented to thicken too much. If the biomat is not regulated, then it will thicken too much until it fully blocks the leach field. Your son asked you about the aeration system. Are leach field aerations beneficial? You replied with a blunt YES. Having leach field aerators will greatly improve the performance of  your leach field and septic system in general.

With leach field aerators, the aerobic bacteria proliferate more. It starts in the tank where the growth of aerobic bacteria is encouraged alongside the anaerobic bacteria. The aerobic bacteria break down the solid particles in the waste at a much faster rate. The anaerobic bacteria usually requires enough time before it actually breaks down the solid particles of waste. When there are aerobic bacteria that work in sync with the anaerobic ones, the job of decomposition is done much faster. There are findings that presented proof of the leach field aerators. In just 4-6 weeks, you will experience a dramatic change in your leach field. You will notice that clogs will not occur that much anymore. The resulting effluent will even lose its odor by 90%.

The leach field, once aerated, will have more aerobic bacteria to help them with the breakdown of the solid particles, no matter how small they may be. Plus the degradation of the solid waste particles will be much faster than how the anaerobic bacteria do it. Usually, the solid wastes stay in the septic tank for a certain amount of time because of the decomposition process. This process becomes doubly faster when the leach field aeration takes place.

Your step son really appreciated the knowledge that you shared about leach field aerators. He definitely wanted one to be installed right away. This was his investment will last for more than a lifetime, thanks to you. The answer to the age old question are leach field aerators beneficial, is yes they are beneficial and may increase the life expectancy of a septic system.