A city resident will have access to a public sewer. A rural resident has to make preparation for a septic system installation when building a new home. If purchasing a home in a rural area with the sewer already installed, be certain before you purchase, that the sewer meets specific criteria.
The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, has set up stringent rules that must be followed. These guidelines are strict and must be followed when installing a sewage tank and lines. When done properly, your sewage tank should remain worry free for twenty years or more. Inspectors will visit your property and if the job was done incorrectly, it will have to be corrected.
We are not stating that the homeowner cannot install his own sewer, but with the strictness of guidelines, one may be further ahead using a licensed contractor to do the job. Whether replacing a system or building a new home, know the guidelines and make sure they are adhered to. Your building regulations or county health departments will give you all the needed criteria.
Concrete waste holders were used for years. Over time it was noted that the concrete would break down. Today a plastic holding tank is used. They are durable, lightweight, and extremely easy to handle. They will last far beyond the years of the conventional cement tanks.
The rules set forth by the EPA requires that the holding tank be placed a required number of feet from the home. In addition, they have to also be a specific distance away from a neighbour’s property line. It is vital that the sewage system be installed completely away from the water supply. A leech field, also known as an absorption area, must be in proportion to the size of the tank you are using. This is the place where all the waste is filtered.
The number of feet below ground that you place your tank is also regulated. Otherwise sewer gases can escape and make for a very noxious odour. The leech field and the tank are kept away from the water supply to make sure it does not become contaminated. Spillage into the drinking water can cause a lot of illness including hepatitis, dysentery, as well as nausea, diarrhea, and cramping to mention but a few.
It has often been said that the government is going too far in setting up regulations for people to follow. In some instances people may have a legitimate gripe. As for septic system installation, government regulations are done for the safety of the public. Their rules guard us against defective operation of our septic system installation.