For years, various minds have tried to come up with the best way to treat wastewater. There are many methods of water drainage. Some of these systems are sand mounds, leaching field lines, cesspits, dry wells, and even French drains. For years, various minds have tried to come up with the best way to treat wastewater and not just dump it in a pit somewhere. The issue of health and sanitation had great influence in coming up with an efficient system so after much study and experimentation, one such system is called a cesspool. Some people have multiple systems that work together to allow for proper drainage. Lets look at French drains and see how French drains can help your cesspools.The cesspool is an old system of wastewater treatment. It is composed of a perforated tank and an inflow pipe. The raw wastewater from your home flows through the inflow pipe that leads to the tank. In the tank, the first stage of treatment is started by the resident anaerobic bacteria. The clear pre-treated effluent then flows through the perforations along the sides of the tank. The purified effluent then returns to the surrounding environment in a safe or potable form. Some of the cleaned water reaches the clean water supply to be reused.
Every home that cannot be accommodated by the municipal sewage needs its own wastewater treatment system. Cesspools have been installed in many properties to serve this purpose. It’s a simple yet effective system that makes sure your living environment is free from anything harmful to your health. To help complete the wastewater treatment process in your property, a French drain or a soak away should be built and installed. It assists the cesspool with the water load that it receives on a daily basis. The French drain is a simple structure that is basically a long trench that is narrow. Its sides have blocks or butterfly bricks. In between geo-textiles are crushed aggregates. The outer layer prevents the entrance of soil and sediments. The inner layer prevents other particles from entering the pipeline. Pre-cast slabs for paving are used to cover the French drain. The cover makes the drain easy to access and prevents accidental injuries.
The effluent from the cesspool enters the French drain. The effluent stay still or stagnates in the French drain, allowing the anaerobic bacteria from the tank to continue the process of degradation. The further breakdown by some of the anaerobic bacteria helps the effluent seep out into the surrounding soil. As the particles flow through the French drain, they breakdown continuously, the gradual flow in the French drain is helped by the push of the new batch of effluent and the gravitational pull of the soil.
The pre-treated effluent is absorbed in the surrounding soil, making its way through bacteria that proliferate in moist conditions. These beneficial bacteria get their food from the pre-treated effluent so they really do a good job in cleaning the water further. From the French drain, the cleaned water is absorbed into the surrounding soil and is purified by the latent bacteria. The resulting water is clear, clean, and potable. It eventually joins the water table so that it can be used again.
The effectiveness of the French drain depends on the soil’s clay content, gradient, particle size, and porosity. You should not build too many French drains around your cesspool if the soil in your property has poor performance when it comes to percolation. This will only result to overload or toxic problems. If the soil is not ideal for French drains, congestion will occur. When this happens the local government will not grant permission to build a French drain anymore.
To help French drains function well for your cesspool, you should do your part. You should conserve water, avoid using harsh chemicals, remove invasive roots, and divert he rain gutter drainage away from the cesspool area. It is good to know how French drains can help your cesspools so that you can care for it better. Doing so will help your cesspool last a lot longer.