Tuesday 22 September 2015

What’s the Difference Between a Sewer and Septic System?

While new homeowners may focus on the color of their window trim or luxurious furniture, an important aspect to understand is whether their home runs on a sewer system or a septic system. For those looking to purchase a home or just moving in, here are some basic differences between sewer systems and septic tanks that are paramount to understand and adhere to.

City Sewer

When a home is connected to a sewer system, the service of filtering waste and water is provided the city. Toilet water, bodily waste, laundry water and anything exiting a house through the plumbing system is carried through a series of pipes to a larger facility for processing and cleaning. Once the water has been treated and filtered, the water is released back to the local ecosystem as pure and healthy. The price for this service is usually controlled by the amount of water used in the home. Sewer systems also provide homeowners with: 
  • No local septic tanks.
  • Professional waste disposal.
  • Minimal maintenance on the system.
A sewer system will be used for suburbs, apartment complexes, city dwellings and most schools as well.

Septic Tanks

While sewer systems are a city service, the homeowner must maintain septic tanks. Septic tanks are buried beneath the yard of a home and generally hold 1,000 gallons of water. This tank also stores waste in the form of scum and sludge. Overtime, these waste materials are broken down through bacteria. However, the tanks must be pumped out by professionals on a routine basis.

While this may sound challenging, with the right cleaning agents and maintenance, septic tanks can be easy to maintain. To learn more about septic tank maintenance in Soquel, visit this website.

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