Septic 101: How Your System Works

If your home isn’t connected to city sewer, your septic system quietly handles every shower, flush, and load of laundry.

Every septic setup has two main parts:

• The Septic Tank – where solids settle and separation happens.
• The Drain Field (Leach Field) – where filtered water returns safely to the soil.

Together, they form a natural treatment process that protects your home and groundwater. 

Here’s what happens underground:

1️⃣ Wastewater Enters the Tank – Everything from sinks, showers, and toilets flows into your tank. Inside, heavier sludge sinks, scum floats, and the liquid effluent moves on.  

2️⃣ Separation & Filtering – The tank holds water long enough for separation. Built-in baffles or outlets keep solids from escaping.

3️⃣ Drain Field Distribution – Effluent flows into buried pipes surrounded by gravel. The soil acts as a natural bio-filter, removing bacteria and nutrients before the water re-enters the ground.

Your drain field is like the lungs of your septic system — if it clogs, everything backs up. Too much water entering too fast, or solids escaping from the tank, can cause saturation or failure, leading to soggy spots or unpleasant odors. Watch for: 

• Slow drains or gurgling sounds
• Wet patches or odors near the tank area
• Standing water even after dry weather

Some homes  especially near lakes, in clay-heavy soil, or on slopes — need more than gravity and dirt. In those cases, systems might use pumps, filters, or media like sand and 6A stone to further clean and disinfect wastewater before it returns to the ground. 
These setups are often called engineered septic systems and are designed for sites where soil or groundwater conditions don’t meet standard health department requirements 

These features can extend the life of your system and improve performance over time:

• Dramatically improve the quality of water leaving your tank.
• Filter slots trap solids, keeping them inside the tank where they can be pumped out.
• Promote better system health and require simple periodic cleaning.

• Contains specialized bacteria that break down proteins, grease, oils, fats, fibers, and starches.
• Naturally supports the biological balance inside your tank.
• Helps maintain normal operation and reduces buildup between cleanings.