What is the difference between a septic sewer system and …

With a 'public sewer service' your waste is drained away to a treatment facility, where it is run through several steps to bio-degrade the solids, and otherwise clean it up, then it is allowed to drain off into a nearby waterway.

With a private septic system (which usually means a tank and a drain field), its all right there under your yard. This is a pretty common set up in rural areas. Building/health codes mandate how far away the tank has to be from the water source for the home (in a rural setting, this usually means a private well), and how big the drain field has to be. This will vary from region to region, because of the different types of soil (some soil drains better than others). In many cases, if you had to have a new tank installed, you would have to meet the current code requirements -- regardless of where the old tank was actually placed, or how big it, or the drain field was. I've seen a case or two, where the lot size was too small, to meet the existing code requirements, lol.

If a home has this type of septic system, using a product called Rid-X once a month helps maintain the necessary bacteria inside the tank, to 'eat' the solid wastes, and break them down into liquid, so they will flow out through the drain field pipes. A typical box of Rid-X will treat a septic tank of up to 1500 gallons. You can find Rid-X at most hardware stores, in the plumbing section.

Another type of septic system, and this is more common for industrial purposes, or a block or two of houses in a rural area, is a miniature version of the public sewer system, and the utility company will come and pump out the holding tank every week or two -- you'd have a monthly bill for this type of system.

I had our septic tank and drain field replaced about 8 years ago, and have used the Rid-X on a regular basis, and have not had to have the tank pumped out. If there has been a flood, or the system has not been maintained, then the tank may need to be pumped out. You should be able to find a clean-out pipe in the yard, over the tank. It will be a white plastic pipe, with a cap on it, about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. It may be cut off close to the ground. Some folks will put a landscape item over it (like a birdbath), to keep from hitting it with a lawn mower, hehehe. One of the first signs that a tank needs to be pumped, is the waste will back up into the yard, through that clean out pipe.

Hope this helped.

Good Luck

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