Excelet

Septic Tanks: On-site Wastewater Treatment

Let's examine some basic concepts about the septic tank in your backyard.

Click on the tabs to navigate!!!

Why does my septic tank need to be pumped out?

Here's your septic tank buried in the backyard.
add solids to your septic tank
Click the up arrow!

from the house

to the drain field

wastewater

0
What other processes
occur in the tank?

What processes occur in the0drain field?

Sinex 2009

How long does the wastewater reside in my septic tank?

Type your tank volume in the yellow box and
set the number of people in your household.
number of people in household
Click the up arrow!
For an average household
on a daily basis:
50

gallons/person/day

from the house

to the drain field

input of waste
0
gallons/day

output to groundwater
0
gallons/day

Range of values
volume of tank =

gallons

As biosolids settle and

accumulate in the tank,
what happens to the
tank volume available

Minimum time in tank is 48 hours (2 days)

to allow suspended material to settle and
bacteria to digest waste.

detention time in tank =

for the wastewater?

0 biosolids
increase

days

This is the average time the wastewater remains in the septic tank.

Sinex 2009

How offen should your septic tank be pumped out?

STEP 1
Select your septic tank volume
in gallons
1
500

STEP 2
Number of persons in your household
0

750
900
1000
1250
1500
1750
2000
2250
2500

How many people live in your house?

Years between pumping

Biosolids production

years

gallons collected
over pumping interval

How does the volume of your septic tank influence the pump out interval?
How does the size of your household influence the pump out interval?

Sinex 2009

Tank size

Household

Size

Years
(number

between
of

pumping
persons

living

in

the

household)

(gal)
500

1
5.8

2
2.6

3
1.5

4
1

5
0.7

6
0.4

7
0.3

8
0.2

9
0.1

10

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

750
900
1000
1250
1500
1750
2000
2250
2500

9.1
11
12.4
15.6
18.9
22.1
25.4
28.6
31.9

4.2
5.2
5.9
7.5
9.1
10.7
12.4
14
15.6

2.6
3.3
3.7
4.8
5.9
6.9
8
9.1
10.2

1.8
2.3
2.6
3.4
4.2
5
5.9
6.7
7.5

1.3
1.7
2
2.6
3.3
3.9
4.5
5.2
5.9

1
1.3
1.5
2
2.6
3.1
3.7
4.2
4.8

0.7
1
1.2
1.7
2.1
2.6
3.1
3.5
4

0.6
0.8
1
1.4
1.8
2.2
2.6
3
3.5

0.4
0.7
0.8
1.2
1.5
1.9
2.2
2.6
3

0.3
0.5
0.7
1
1.3
1.6
2
2.3
2.6

data from: http://www.abe.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/f/F161.pdf click here

Ammonia or ammonium ion in your septic tank?

The graph shows how the ratio varies with pH.
pH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

(NH4+)/(NH3)
(H+)
0.1
180000000
0.01
18000000
0.001
1800000
0.0001
180000
0.00001
18000
0.000001
1800
0.0000001
180
1.00E-008
18
1.00E-009
1.8
1E-010
0.18
1E-011
0.018
1E-012
0.0018
1E-013
0.00018
1E-014
0.000018

plot pH range for septic

0 tanks

pH
-2
-2
-2
-2
-2

(NH4+)/(NH3)

(NH4+)/(NH3)
0.00001
1.00E+09
1.00E+09
0.00001
0.00001

note: logarithmic scale

plot ratio equal 0
to one

pH
1

(NH4+)/(NH3)
1.8E+08

-2
-2

1
1

10 11 12 13 14

pH

Find typical ratio in septic tanks

10
1
1
14
adjust pH to move tracer point on graph
Sinex 2009