Water and sewage sent down the drain pipes in a home goes into a sewer system or a septic system. The system that is in use for your home depends on its location. A home located in the city is connected to a municipal sewer system. Homes that are outside of a city will typically have s septic system.
Your Sewer System
Homes in Long Beach, CA are connected to a municipal sewer system. All sewage from your kitchen, bathroom, a laundry, or other drain travels through pipes located underground. These pipes are found along property or street boundaries. Material will then travel into large pipes called trunk sewers. A trunk sewer moves larger amounts of material to a treatment facility.
Material may take a few minutes to an hour or more for sewage to reach the treatment plant. Sewage in the sewer system typically travels by gravity along the length of the pipe. A pumping station is needed to transfer the material to the surface or it will continue to flow through the system.
Septic Tanks
This is a system that is typical for a residential home not located in a city. The system consists of a tank and a drain field and performs many tasks. The main task is to separate solids from waste water. Solids remain in the tank to decompose and excess waste water moves to the drain field.
Sewage from the home travels through the drain pipes into the septic tank. Heavy solids will sink to the bottom and bacteria in the tank begins to consume these solids. Materials lighter than water will move to the top layer and are consumed by bacteria. The middle layer is waste water that has been clarified. This will then flow from the tank and to the drain field. Water that is sent to the drain field will seep back into the ground to create more ground water.
Septic tanks need to be pumped periodically to prevent the build up of material. A septic tanks needs to be pumped to prevent clogged drain pipes.
Have problems or concerns with your home’s septic system? Call Mr Fix It Plumbing, your trusted Long Beach Plumber, today at (562) 988-2454.
