Why Septic Tank Siphoning Is Important?

Understanding How Your Septic Tank Works

Owners of residential houses, commercial buildings, and industrial establishments often call Malabanan, the top provider of septic tanks in the Philippines, for them to install one. Septic tanks, also known as pozo negro, are underground watertight structures used to collect wastewater coming from bathrooms, kitchen drains, laundry, factories and such. They are commonly used in rural areas without centralized sewer systems. Aside from collecting wastewater, a pozo negro also uses a combination of nature and proven technology to execute effective wastewater treatment. This is how a typical pozo negro works:

All wastewater that goes into the drains, flushes, and pipes are collected through the main drainage pipe that connects the septic tank to other fixture units.
The underground pozo negro then allows solids included in the wastewater to settle down to the bottom forming sludge, while the oil, grease, and water float to the top as scum.
With the naturally-occurring bacteria existing in the pozo negro, it digests organic matter and stores solids at the bottom while discharging the treated wastewater (effluent) into the drain field area.
The drain field is a shallow but covered excavation filled with unsaturated soil. The effluent percolates into the soil, which then naturally removes the harmful coliform bacteria and viruses it contains then functions as a fertilizer.

Here’s a visualization:

The Importance of Regularly SIphoning Your Septic Tank

Although a septic tank is an underground watertight structure that is capable of storing large amounts of wastewater, it still can be full especially due to the lack of regular siphoning and maintenance. As per Malabanan, accumulated solids of septic tanks pile up over time leaving a little or no space at all for upcoming wastewater and its treatment. Thus, issues such as pooling of water, slow drains, pressured pipes, and smelly pozo negro may arise. To prevent these situations, regular maintenance and siphoning is advised.

Malabanan states that a heavy-duty electric water pump carries out siphoning by drawing off all the wastewater and solids from a septic tank going through high-end tubes and containers attached to a certain siphoning truck. This empties the pozo negro and the collected wastewater is then transferred to Malabanan’s treatment site to be disposed of properly. Depending on the size and state of the pozo negro, siphoning must be done annually or every two years.

On the other hand, maintenance services from Malabanan include septic tank inspection, quick repairs, pipe installation, and preventive measures. To ensure that a septic tank performs at its peak efficiency, it is advised to get these services every six months.