Salt can wreak havoc in a sand mound system

This article will cover how salt can wreak havoc in a sand mound system. An entire property can function better if the right type of septic system is built and installed in it. A conventional septic is built underground. It is composed of a septic tank and a drain field. The tank collects raw wastewater from your house and pre-treats it with the help of anaerobic bacteria. The bacteria break down the solid waste particles so that the effluent doesn’t have any solid waste materials by the time it reaches the drain field. The drain field houses the aerobic bacteria. They break down minute traces of solid waste particles that may still be present in the effluent. They also regulate the biomat that purify the effluent before it is released into the surrounding environment. If you have a special type of soil that percolates either too quickly or too slowly, you should use a sand mound system.

A sand mound is a special septic system that is built like a mound on your lawn. It is elevated because it makes room for additional filter that your soil needs to treat the wastewater that your household produces on a regular basis. It needs an extra special level of care particularly when it comes to the construction fabric that you have to use on it. The construction fabric is placed over it so that heat could be stored in the system. The heat helps the bacteria maintain their metabolism. If you fail to check and replace the construction fabric before winter, it will freeze over because of the snow and ice that enters it. Just like the ordinary septic system, the sand mound system has a tank that collects the raw wastewater. It also has a surrounding soil absorption system. Like the ordinary septic system, the sand mound is also prone to problems such as clogging. It can be clogged because of several factors such as soil compaction, improper waste disposal, and invasive root systems. Another cause of sand mound clogging is salt accumulation. Salt accumulates in your sand mound because of hard water problems.

If you have a hard water crisis, you have a hard time using detergents and soaps when you wash anything. Hard water has magnesium and calcium that prevent detergents from lathering up. They turn soaps into sticky, slimy scum that clogs drains. You tend to repeat every washing process and this takes more time and effort. Because you repeat what you do, you use more water and soap. Using more water means that you increase the water load in your system. An increase in water load stirs up the solid waste materials. In effect, bacteria are not able to break them down at a normal pace. Instead, they are stirred up and just stay in the tank until they are pushed into the surrounding soil absorption system. When they reach the filters and the soil absorption system, they clog the sand mound.

Correcting the effects of hard water means that you have to use water softeners. Water softeners have beads that attract the calcium and magnesium ions. The beads then flush the ions out of the water supply system. The sodium carbonate or salt ions are then left in the water, allowing it to be used easily. With water softeners, you could save money on soap and water bills. You could also have more time to do everything. Using water softeners means that you introduce salt constantly into your sand mound. You should understand how salt can wreak havoc in a sand mound system so that you could have a more efficient wastewater treatment system.  You should also adhere to the pump out schedules you have set with your septic expert so that accumulated salt could always be removed regularly. Eco-friendly soaps should also be used. Harsh cleansers have strong acids and bases, which kill off bacteria. Talk to your septic expert if you have a hard water crisis so that helpful additives could be incorporated into your system.