There are so many users who are a little bit confused with the septic tanks and sewage treatment plants. And this confusion is obvious because they both are almost the same when it comes to the working procedure but still, there are some noticeable differences between both of them which we will discuss in this guide.
Septic Tank: What is it and how it differs from Sewage Plant
Septic tanks are basically concealed underground and are carefully split into different multiple chambers. Wastewater firstly enters one end of the septic tank before it is going to separate into solids that is sludge and oils that are scum. The separated effluent wastewater after that leaves the septic tank through an outlet and then, goes into the drainage field. When the water completely leaves the outlet pipe it then has gone into the drainage field and the effluent is then, percolated via the ground for the purpose of removing bacteria before being spread and joining again with the watercourses.
On the other hand, a sewage treatment plant is basically a development of the design of the septic tank. As we already discussed that they both have the same responsibility of separating liquid waste from the solid water and then, discharge it into the soakaway. Sewage Treatment Plants provide an extra stage that is very important in a treatment procedure which makes the effluent discharge cleaner as well as less harmful to the environment.
This process is commonly achieved by three main stage procedure in which the first stage is as similar that of a septic tank, wastewater and sewage enters a holding chamber where the gravity parts the solids from the liquids.
The liquid after that flows into the second chamber that basically leaves the solid waste behind (further for removing by a registered waste carrier), whereas the second stage consists of the oxygen introduced into the system with the help of an air pump. It helps to motivate the aerobic bacteria growth for breaking the remaining sewage into a cleaner effluent within the tank.
The bacteria, at the final stage involved in the liquid and after that flows into the final chamber where the bacteria are doing their job properly and then make it capable to settle to the bottom so that it can recycle back into the first chamber before the clean effluent is discharged.
What is the main difference between sewage plants and septic tanks?
There are some main differences between both of the two which are mentioned below and will clear your confusion which you have with a septic tank and sewage plant.
- Sewage Plants have mechanical components that mean they actually need an electrical supply that should be permanent. In a septic tank, there are no components like this so; it doesn’t need a power supply to work
- A common septic tank has basically two “Zones” whereas there are three zones in a sewage treatment plant
- A sewage plant works for the waste treatment and a septic tank works to separate it only. It means that the wastewater leaves a sewage plant cleanly that as a septic tank leaves.
- In which, the cleaner wastewater which leaves a sewage plant and you can discharge the wastewater directly to a local watercourse. There are so many properties that have a septic tank that discharges to a local watercourse.
From January 2020 onwards, this is not legal anymore which means if you have owned property with the available drainage system, you might upgrade it just by date. Also, if you are selling a property with this system in place before 2020, you should definitely upgrade before selling it. If you are going to buy a property along with a septic tank that is discharging to a watercourse and it hasn’t yet been discussed then, it is advisable to don’t do it unless the agreement has been made about upgrading the system. These are a few things that you should keep in mind for sewage treatment systems in India. You can know more just from the experts at Clear Ion Experts.