A house consists of thousands of useful things. Some serve cosmetic goals, while others are hygiene or service minded. Let's start with the kitchen and bathroom. The fridge, cooking hood, sink, appliances, and everything else seemingly help you with your chores. You also leverage them to create a theme or ambiance in the room to avoid boredom. Likewise, your bathroom has shower stalls, bathtubs, sinks, racks, and many other things. All of them play specific roles. But you also use them to give your bathroom a charming appeal. Color coordination, textures, and energy become your focus areas. To balance them, you pick every element carefully.
Suppose yours is a tiny bathroom. You can vouch for the versatility of vessel sinks for your small bathroom because of the ability to mingle with other additions per your desire. And these choices apply to even a rural home. Now, let's move on to the outdoors. No, it's not about gardens or such things. It's about sewage management. When it comes to this, you may have various choices to consider, but septic tanks and holding tanks are the standards. How do you decide between them? You can choose wisely by comparing them.
Septic tanks collect and dispense wastewater and sewage produced by a household. These large plastic, fiberglass, or concrete containers stay inside the ground, with their capacities ranging from 1k to 4k gallons. You require these in rural homes that have no municipal waste facility. A long pipe runs through the septic tank to the house to move waste matter from one compartment to the other. The tank releases the same into the ground with the help of different pipes. The naturally-occurring microbial process purifies the waste material by breaking it down. As for oily and solid waste, one needs to rely on the pumping method to get rid of it. You can get a contractor to handle this job every few years.
On the other hand, a large holding tank collects and stores household sewage waste. These can be similar in size, material, and capacity to the septic tanks. At the same time, holding tanks connect the same way as the septic tanks. But these tanks neither help with waste distribution nor purification. Once they are full, you should get a contractor to empty them. You must choose them over septic systems in some soil conditions or locations. Or, homeowners can depend on them temporarily until the new house gets the septic system.
Those using septic tanks say these are the best ways to handle household sewage. If you build your septic system with the septic tank, you can live your modern lifestyle without relying on the municipality for waste disposal. With occasional little repairs, you can make your septic system last longer. However, these need sufficient land and a conducive environment. Fortunately, modern plumbing has made it possible to accommodate them into rural homes. While all these are the sunny side of this system, you also need to know the other part of the story. One of the main considerations can be the expensive cost.
To complete this project, you have to source soil in good quantity. The installation work can demand a budget of around USD $15k or so. If you plan to wear your DIY hat, please think again. Once installed, you will need to maintain it occasionally. Think of the need to pump out solid waste, for example. It will cost around USD $300-600 every year. Then this system also has a lifespan. Despite all the care and maintenance, it will need replacement.
The simple infrastructure of this system can be the highlight: a tank and a pipe. Hence, the chances of installation errors are relatively lower. The same reason makes them more affordable also. These tanks can install without requiring too much soil and intricate pipe installation. If you get the tank in its proper place, you can install this system yourself. While these two areas make it an attractive proposition, you may reconsider your plan after learning that these tanks require pumping every few weeks, costing around a few hundred dollars. So, the spend will quickly shoot up. Then, overflowing and leakage are common risks with them. That’s why some localities may prohibit this system.
Some homeowners wonder if they can turn holding tanks into septic tanks. Experts say you can do that provided your area code supports this. If yes, you should position your tank to connect it to your home's drainage system. The tank's other end or outlet needs a PVC pipe stub. It should have a cap to prevent overflow of the waste matter. Maintaining your system well can be the best solution to manage your household waste for up to forty years hassle-free. Routine checkups and cleaning will eliminate odor risks. However, if the tank smells foully through the drains, this signals a problem. Please be alert, as the septic tank can be on the verge of failing. Sewage backup in the house, gurgling drain sound outside, slowly passing water in the sink and tub, and longer flushing time of the toilets indicate risks.
Nevertheless, cleaning out the tank at an average gap of two to three years is crucial. The contractors will also inspect the system for its health. A two-bedroom house would require a 750-gallon tank. You can expect it to cost USD $500-1200. If you are a 15-member family, you want to install a tank with a 3,000-gallon capacity. It can cost around USD $4500 or higher. Another factor to influence the tank's cost is the surface. Plastic at USD $500 can be the cheapest, while fiberglass at USD $1200 or higher can be the most expensive. Concrete models can be available for USD $700 or so. Then, if you replace the tank lid, the lowest cost can be USD $30. But something like a drain field will attract an expense of around USD $7k. Like this, you can also estimate the replacement cost of the baffle, pump, and filter.
