Everyone normally tries to make their home an ideal place to live. You want your environment to be clean and safe place to exist in. Your house should have thorough systems of waste disposal and methods of sanitation. As a homeowner, you should see to it that every element and practice in your home promotes the efficient functioning of every area especially the septic system. As you know, the septic system is a personalized system that collects and treats the wastewater produced by your household on a daily basis. It is comprised of the septic tank and the drain field. The septic tank holds the wastewater and takes care of the solid waste materials in it. The aerobic bacteria in the tank decompose the solid waste particles so that the clear effluent could pass into the drain field without any large particulates that cold clog the system. The drain field is the last phase of wastewater treatment. In the drain field, anaerobic bacteria are present to treat the wastewater further, so that there are no solid wastes present in the effluent before it returns to the surrounding environment. As the homeowner, you should be aware of how calcium can block a drain field. By understanding this concept you could have a reliable wastewater treatment system that could last for decades.
Yes, calcium can block a drain field. It all starts with the aerobic digestion that mainly happens in the septic tank. The aerobic bacteria digest the solid waste particles. The digestion process results in the production of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide gas then drifts above the water line. It combines with oxygen and this gives way to the formation of sulfuric acid, which is a very corrosive chemical compound. Sulfuric acid then allows the formation of ettringite or calcium sulfoaluminate. This accumulates on the concrete part of the septic system, blocking and corroding the parts of the septic system. It eats away the concrete reinforcement of the metal or steel components of the septic. Once the concrete protection is corroded, the septic system is prone to leakages and the entrance of sediments. The leaks will prevent the normal flow of wastewater treatment. Wastewater backups, overflows, and flooding will ensue. The sediments and debris that enter the system will also cause the system to be blocked.
The main solution to the formation of ettringite is to target the root of the problem—the thiobacillus bacteria. Thiobacillus bacteria are the ones that perform anaerobic digestion, which produces hydrogen sulfide. To keep them from doing this, you have to resort to aerating your septic system. Turning your septic system to an aerobic system requires the installation of an efficient aerator, which you could discuss with your septic expert. The headspace above the waterline in the septic system should be filled with oxygen. Hydrogen sulfide should not fill that area at all. Once this happens, the deterioration of your septic system will completely stop, preventing its failure. Your drain field will then be free of any kind of blockage. This method will enable your drain field and entire septic system to last a very long time. Make sure that you ask your septic expert about the regular inspection of the septic system so that any trace of deterioration can be spotted and corrected, especially if you start to smell rotten eggs around your drain field.
In extreme cases of deterioration, the calcium sulfoalimunate or ettringite formations completely occupy the cracks or the voids in the drain field lines. This enables the ettringite to fill the pipes eventually. This will block the normal flow of the wastewater treatment and cause a huge degree of damage to your entire property. Talk to your septic expert about aerating your septic system to help you be rid of sulfuric acid formation and ultimately causing calcium accumulation.