When choosing between a septic tank and a traditional plumbing system, there are a lot of different factors to consider. In some cases, a septic tank will be more efficient and useful, whereas a traditional plumbing system is the vastly superior option for a large number of people. To help you decide which option is best for you, here are some questions that you will need to think about:
Where do you live?
The first thing that you need to realize is that neither option works everywhere. You cannot really run a septic system in an urban environment and you simply might not have access to the municipal water supply if you live in a rural area.
For this reason, septic tanks are almost exclusively used in rural environments. If you do live in a rural environment, you should check and see whether or not you could access the municipal water lines at all. In other words, you only really have a choice between the two when you are living in the countryside, yet have easy access to the municipal water system.
What if you are buying a home?
If you are deciding whether you want to buy a home with a septic tank or not, then you really need to look at the septic tank yourself. However, since you probably don't know too much about septic tanks, it will essentially look dirty either way. You need to have an expert inspect the septic tank if you want to get the full picture, since they will be able to easily analyze the scum, effluent, and sludge ratios, along with the health of the bacterial colonies in the septic tank.
How much maintenance are you willing to do?
You should know that septic tanks require a lot more maintenance and care than relying on the sewer. With a septic tank, you need to vigilantly watch what you flush, and you also need to get your system inspected every once in a while. If you flush something that you shouldn't have, then you could potentially wipe out the bacteria in your septic tank, rendering it useless.
If you aren't willing to pay careful attention, then using the sewer might be much less stressful.
What are the benefits of a septic tank?
Thus far, septic tanks may seem fairly unwieldy and risky, but they do offer a number of benefits. Firstly, they can help reduce your utility bills, since you won't be relying on the government for so much of your water. For some, the more important benefit is that they are very environmentally-friendly, recycling your waste and forcing you to think about what you flush into the tank. This can ultimately result in much greater environmental consciousness on your part.
To learn more, contact a company like Koberlein Environmental Services.
