You probably know how useful septic tanks are for residential properties. They give homeowners more control over wastewater disposal while providing opportunities for cost savings.
Commercial premises such as hotels, stores and restaurants can also benefit from septic tanks. However, there are important differences between commercial and residential septic tank installations. If you're considering a septic tank for your business, here's what you should know before planning for installation work to be done.
1. The tank size is often larger for businesses
As you would expect, the septic tank size for businesses will need to be larger than those for residential properties. The tank size will depend on how many occupants the building has and how much water is used on a daily basis.
Remember that a business may be small, but it has many visitors who frequent the premises. For example, gas stations may fit less than 30 people at a time but receive more than 1000 visitors during the course of a single day. You should determine how many people are likely to produce wastewater in your business before you select a tank size.
2. Close attention is given to the drainfield
After selecting the right tank size, you will also need a drainfield that allows for the purification of wastewater. The type of soil outside your business will determine how effective the drainfield will be. In fact, septic system installers will typically record information such as percolation rate (a measure of how quickly wastewater drains past the soil), the depth of overlying soil and the number of occupants in the building.
This information will assist in determining how effective your drainfield will be over time. A clogged or overflowing drainfield can significantly disrupt daily operations in any type of business.
3. A more comprehensive maintenance plan is required for commercial use
Another difference that applies to commercial versus residential septic tanks is maintenance. While residential septic tanks only require maintenance once a year, you may need to schedule more frequent maintenance for your commercial system.
Your specific maintenance schedule will depend on how many people visit your premises, how large the capacity of your tank is and how effective the drainfield is over time. Some businesses will produce more wastewater than others regardless of size or capacity. For example, restaurants that prepare food on a daily basis will likely produce more wastewater than coffee shops or a small office block.
