Seepage drainage is one of the cheapest methods of preventing excessive water saturation of the area, as well as getting rid of the purified liquid without causing damage to the environment. Due to its high efficiency in the event of uneven sewage inflow and low operating costs, percolation drainage is also the most commonly used technological solution for discharging purified water from home sewage treatment plants.
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What is percolation drainage?
Seepage drainage is a structure that prevents excessive saturation of a given area with water. It is usually one of the elements of a home sewage treatment plant, made of drainage pipes located in the ground with a good permeability coefficient. Seepage drainage is recommended in areas without access to a sewage system, where home sewage treatment plants are an alternative to septic tanks that require regular emptying.
Infiltration drainage is a system of pipes located behind the septic tank and the distribution well. After initial treatment of sewage in the sedimentation tank, it reaches the well, where the liquid is distributed to individual pipe branches. The drainage pipe , thanks to its perforated structure, allows the purified sewage to flow deep into the ground. Sand is another barrier to bacteria, and the sewage itself is transformed into mineral-organic compounds.
Among the numerous benefits resulting from the use of percolation drainage, the following deserve special attention: low purchase price, undemanding design, simple operation, and limited operating costs. For this reason, seepage drainage is a virtually maintenance-free and failure-free structure.
What conditions must be met to perform seepage drainage on the plot?
A certain inconvenience when planning works related to the construction of a drainage system are the legal conditions and the relatively large area on which the seepage drainage should operate.
Once installed, drainage pipes cover an average area of 60 to 90 m². This means that the construction of the system requires a sufficiently large plot of land, taking into account the area occupied by the buildings. Drainage pipes should be placed at the following distances: 70 m from the well, 3 m from the building and 2 m from the plot border. In many cases, the consent of neighbors is also required.
However, the type of soil is important. Seepage drainage is most effective in areas with permeable soil with a predominance of sand. The soil is difficult to permeate or the high level of groundwater (the distance between the drainage pipes and the aquifer cannot be lower than 1.5 meters) significantly complicates the installation and subsequent operation of the drainage.
It should be remembered that the above restrictions are intended to ensure safe operation of the seepage drainage, in terms of health and even life of the inhabitants of a given area.
At what depth should drainage pipes be laid?
Drainage pipes should be laid at a depth of 0.6 to 0.8 m below the ground surface, with slopes ranging from 0.5 to 1.5%. The bottom of the excavation should be lined with a layer of aggregate, which promotes quick absorption of liquid. Drainage pipes (perforated) are connected with special connectors, the number of which can be limited by using drainage pipes with a length of 20 to 50 m.
The diameter of perforated plastic pipes is 110 mm, and the length and number of drainage lines should depend on the amount of incoming sewage (the number of permanent users of the treatment plant).
As a rule, there are 12 m of drainage pipe per resident of a given facility. Drainage lines are arranged adapting their course to the shape of the plot. There is usually a parallel arrangement. The drainage threads should be separated by a distance of 1.5 m.
The durability and failure-free operation of drainage largely depend on the quality of the pipes used. For this reason, it is worth purchasing individual equipment items from a reputable wholesaler, offering products only from world-renowned manufacturers.