The baffle is a dividing wall inside the tank that helps keep the sludge in the main portion of the tank and ensures that it cannot build up and exit from the outlet. Innovations in septic systems include the addition of a baffle in the tank and a pump chamber with an electric sump pump. The soil of the drain field needs to be loose enough to ‘percolate’ for the liquids to leech from the tank and be effectively dispersed.

The drain field is generally constructed of permeable materials such as sand, gravel or peat moss and is completely covered with soil and grass. Septics have an inlet that allows the tank to receive wastes and an outlet that is strategically positioned to allow only the liquid layer to flow out and slowly disperse beneath the ground to a drain field, which is a large network of leech pipes spread over a wide area. The middle portion is the second layer which is all liquid and on the very top is the third and final layer of floating fats, oils and other scum.

This sludge is slowly digested by naturally occurring bacteria that thrive on organic waste matter. The heavier solids or sludge sink to the bottom of the tank and form the first layer. The material inside the tank is comprised of three distinct layers. Every time a toilet is flushed or a drain inside the home empties, the water and solids get transported into the underground tank. A septic system is a sealed tank buried beneath the ground that captures waste water and effluent from the plumbing that is connected to a dwelling. Septic tanks function in various ways, although the most basic design is very much the same as that patented by Mouras. Over the next decade septic tanks began to be utilised all over the United States, Europe and parts of Africa What happens inside a septic tank? It was this discovery that convinced him to patent his invention. Mouras was surprised when he opened his tank after 12 years of use to find there were barely any solids remaining. The septic tank was first patented in 1881 by a Frenchman named John Louis Mouras, who experimented with a sewage tank he installed in his back yard. The use of a self-contained septic system allows human waste to be treated on site and is particularly convenient for those located in rural areas without access to more mainstream solutions. One that many prefer not to dwell on is how sewage is dealt with in locations that are not connected to a larger network of sewage treatment plants. There are many innovations in the modern world that are easily taken for granted and barely given a second thought.

Modern septic tank design