If your septic tank is too small for your needs, it won't be able to handle your home's wastewater. This can lead to all sorts of nasty problems, such as odors, floods, and blockages. However, the most common consequence of a septic tank that is too small is that increased pressure will release water before it is effectively cleaned. This means that the solid waste in the septic tank will not be broken down properly and will accumulate more quickly, leading to the risk of overflow and blockage. If your septic tank is oversized, you will also have problems. A septic tank that is too large will not function well without the correct amount of wastewater flowing through it. If your septic tank is too large for your home, not enough liquid will be collected to create bacteria that help break down the solid waste in the septic tank.
Tips for Determining Your Septic Tank Size
First, look for any documentation you may have that indicates the size of your septic tank. If you know the name of the company that installed your septic system, contact them to see if they have this information on file. The most recent septic tank maintenance company may also have information about the size of your septic tank. Try to corroborate any information you find if possible. In addition, your local county environmental health department may also have records on file.
You can guess based on the size of your house. The appropriate tank size depends on the size of the house. In general, homes with one or two bedrooms should have a 750-gallon tank. This number increases as the area of a house and the number of bedrooms increases. Three-bedroom homes must have 1,000-gallon tanks, while four- and five-bedroom homes require septic tanks of 1,250 and 1,500 gallon capacities, respectively.
What Size Septic Tank Do I Need?
The septic tank size recommendations presented here are recommendations only. They are based on aggregated information from government and academic research. The exact size of the septic tank you need will vary depending on the factors described in this article. There is no "one size fits all" answer to the size of the septic tank for your particular home. There are a lot of differences depending on where you live. Using the minimum septic tank capacity chart provided can give an overview of the size of the septic tank and system that might be the best fit for your application and help estimate costs. To find the septic tank size you need, know the size of your home and installed water consumption features, then check with your local authority. Always check with the state, city or county department responsible for septic system management, soil testing, and approval before beginning any septic tank installation work. This is usually your local health department. If you are looking for a tank size chart, check out our article on available septic tank volumes and sizes.
What Factors Affect Septic Tank Size?
There are several factors that affect the size of the septic tank you need, including:
The size of your house.
The size of your property.
Number of people in your home.
The level of wastewater you and your family generate.
What type of system is needed (e.g. all wastewater/gray water, etc.)
Steps To Calculating Your Septic Tank Size
If you need to know how big your septic tank should be, you'll find the answer here. The three steps of calculating your septic tank size are easy to understand. This guide is for septic tank sizes for a home, perhaps you're looking for septic tank sizes for an office or commercial building, in which case it's a different calculation.
Step 1 - Calculate the number of people in the building
You must follow UK rules for water flow and loads to establish a maximum number of people in your home. There is a simple rule, 1-3 bedrooms should be classified as 5 people, whatever is higher, and you take the number of bedrooms and add 2.
Step 2 - Calculate the maximum traffic per day
You can easily calculate the maximum flow per day by multiplying the maximum number of people in the property by 150 liters. 150 liters is the UK water standard for the average amount of water produced per person in a typical household.
Step 3 - What size septic tank do I need?
Once you know your maximum flow per day, you will add 2000 Liters to this number. The reason is to make sure the sump is large enough for the solids to separate and fall to the bottom of the tank. If a septic tank is too small, there will be too much disturbance in the water, causing sludge to build up quickly irritating the cavity in your drainage area.
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