The System of the Septic...

WARNING!! DO NOT EAT WHILE READING! lol Here are a few shots I took of the Septic System install...at least we won't have to mow the lawn anytime soon:) The awesome thing I just found out is that once everything is done, the septic people (1 man by the name of Eddie)will bring in a load of dirt and grass seed to top things off! How exciting! We will have our very own Blog Cabin lawn! Very posh for a cabin if I do say so myself! A lovely green lawn compared to the crab grass and pine needles **sigh** Though...there is something to be said about crab grass and pine needles around a camp. They definitely add to the "campy" feel of the Blog Cabin, but when it rains...dirt, crab grass and pine needles are no so fun - no...not so much:( so, I say, "BRING ON THE GRASS SEED!" :)Here is a cute one of P digging a trench for Our Wayne to complete and bury the electrical for the septic. There is so much I have learned that I never knew about a septic system - mostly because I am not really interested in the behind the scenes of what happens after I flushie, flushie, but because my blog is not only fun, but also educational a little lesson is in order. Here we go...All conventional septic systems have a septic tank, which is usually a large buried rectangular or cylindrical container made of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene - I dunno what ours is made of, but it's green. Waste water from all plumbing fixtures drains into the septic tank. Heavy solids settle to the bottom (gross) where bacterial action produces digested sludge and gases (double gross). Lighter solids that float such as grease, oils and fats, rise to the top and form a scum layer (triple gross). Systems constructed before 1975 in King County (where ever that is lol) usually have single compartment tanks. Those built from 1975 and on are usually two compartment tanks. OK, enough about the dates and history of the septic - now about the pump tank! Because the Blog Cabin sits on a hill, our septic needs a pump tank. I opened the lid of this pump tank this past weekend and peeked in to see a bunch of different gadgets - fancy! So complex! This pump tank contains a sewage effluent pump, control floats, and a high water alarm (hence the electrical work done by Our Wayne:) The control floats are set so that a specific volume of effluent is sent to the drain field. When the effluent in the pump tank rises to the level of the "on" float the pump is activated and pumps the level of the effluent down until it reaches the "off" float setting. Should the "on" float fail to activate the pump or should the pump itself fail the level of effluent in the pump tank will continue to rise in the pump chamber. When this level reaches the alarm float an audible and visual signal will be activated - LOTS OF NOISE AND SIRENS AND STUFF! next, on to the drain field! The drain field is where liquid from the septic tank flows through pipes in your yard for final treatment by organisms in the soil. Grass and/or shallow-rooted plants are the best covers for your drain field. Ok we got the grass covered...Hmmm...note to self - buy some plants.
So - next time you flusie, flushie, you now have the behind the scenes and have the inside poop scoop on the system of the septic :)

-J