Septic tanks collect wastewater from toilets, showers, and garbage disposals. Solids sink to the bottom of a tank while liquids exit into a buried drain field where natural soil acts as a filter.
Keeping a septic tank in good working condition requires regular inspections, pumping, and maintenance. Make sure to save all maintenance records on file as they may be useful when selling your home. To make sure you are doing the right thing, contact Septic Tank Armadale experts.
Pumping
Septic tank pumping is one of the most common services provided by septic tank companies. It involves draining the tank and cleaning up the resulting sludge. A company will charge you for the amount of sludge removed, but it is important to read the fine print so that you are not charged for more than what your tank holds. Septic tanks come in different sizes, so make sure the price quoted accounts for your particular model. If you have a very large tank, the cost will be higher than for a smaller model. Your plumbing company will also need to dig to access the tank, so ensure that the pumping fee includes this service.
Your septic system is designed to remove pathogens from wastewater before it reaches groundwater supplies. The septic tank takes in waste from all of the toilets, bathtubs, sinks, and appliances inside your home. Heavy solids settle to the bottom, while grease and lighter materials rise to the surface and are broken down by anaerobic bacteria. Eventually, the liquid waste leaves the tank through porous pipes and travels to a drain field, where it is absorbed into the soil.
The septic tank must be emptied periodically to prevent overflowing and to reduce the volume of solids that enter the drain field. The amount of time between septic tank pumping depends on the size of your household, how much you use appliances like garbage disposals, and the size of your septic tank. Keeping your septic tank clean will help you avoid expensive repair and replacement costs.
If you are unsure whether your septic tank needs to be pumped, look for signs of overflow. Septic tanks that are overfilled can cause sewage to back up into your home, which is both dangerous and unpleasant. The most obvious sign of overflow is standing water in your yard, around the septic tank and drain field.
If your septic tank is overdue for pumping, contact a septic tank company for an inspection. This will allow the technician to assess the tank’s condition and recommend any necessary repairs or cleaning.
Inspections
Septic inspections are typically arranged in connection with real estate transactions, but they can also be done just to make sure everything is fine. The professional doing the inspection will ask some basic questions, like how old the house is, how often the septic tank gets pumped, and when the last inspection was. He or she will also flush the toilets and run water through every faucet in the house to ensure that everything is draining properly. If the septic tank is on the verge of failure, the inspector will likely use a dye test to see where the sewage is flowing.
The septic tank itself may be examined for cracks, chipping, rusting, and other signs of structural compromise. A corroded tank is an indicator that it’s time to replace the entire unit, especially if the septic system was installed before 1970. The septic tank is also inspected for a leaky lid, which could cause wastewater to contaminate the groundwater or even flow back into the home.
A septic tank inspector also checks the baffles and riser lids for cracks, ensuring that they are securely connected to the tank’s inlet and outlet pipes. The septic tank inspector may also open the distribution box to check if the baffles are being evenly distributed. A tipped distribution box can disproportionately allocate effluent, which can lead to flooded sections of the septic tank’s drain field.
Depending on the extent of the clog, septic tank service professionals might try different cleaning methods to break up the debris and free up the line. Generally, this will involve using high-pressure water, but it might also call for chemical cleaners or even hydrojetting. More complicated problems, like tree roots growing into sewer lines around the septic tank or drain field, might require the use of more intensive equipment like a hydro-excavator. The cost for this type of more involved repair will vary greatly. It might cost a couple of hundred dollars to loosen compacted soil around the tank, but it might cost thousands of dollars to fully restore the entire system.
Repairs
The septic tank is one of the most important systems in your home. It’s responsible for disposing of all your household waste and wastewater, treating it before it becomes groundwater. That’s why it’s important to take care of it as you would any other system in your house. This means cleaning and repairing it regularly so that it can continue to function properly for years to come.
Unfortunately, your septic system isn’t immune to the same kinds of problems that plague every other plumbing system in the country. That’s why it’s so important to schedule regular septic tank service appointments. These appointments can help catch and fix minor issues before they grow into major problems that end up costing thousands of dollars in repairs.
Septic system repair services can include fixing things like the drain pipes that carry household waste and wastewater to and from your septic tank and the absorption field. If these pipes break due to excessive rainfall, high winter water tables, or other natural phenomena, they must be repaired before they cause a serious problem for your septic tank and the surrounding soil.
Other common septic system repairs include replacing internal components. This might include the septic tank aerator (which is constantly in motion), a pump motor, or other parts that wear out over time. A septic services technician can let you know which of these items need to be replaced and how much it will cost to do so.
Before effluent leaves your septic tank and flows into your drain field, it must pass through an outlet baffle. If this baffle is blocked, solids can escape into your leach fields and clog them. It might also cause sewage to back up into your home. A professional can inspect your septic system to determine whether or not the outlet baffle needs to be replaced.
You can do your part to prevent these and other problems by conserving water, avoiding wasteful practices, and keeping large trees and other plants away from the tank and the drain field area. A septic tank services company can recommend other ways to help you keep your septic tank and absorption field in good condition for years to come.
Installation
Licensed septic system installers can plan, design, and construct your septic tank and drain field. They start with a site evaluation, performing measurements and tests to assess the soil and building. They then submit the results to a professional engineer who approves the designs for your septic system. The installation process takes up to a month or more, depending on the size of your home, soil conditions, and local regulations.
A septic tank is a watertight container made of concrete, fiberglass, or polyethylene that’s buried in the ground near your house. It has an inlet pipe where the wastewater from your house enters and an outlet pipe that lets the liquid go to the drain field or sewer pipes. The septic tank also has baffles that restrain and redirect the flow of incoming and outgoing waste. A septic tank with broken, missing, or deteriorated baffles is more susceptible to clogs.
If your septic tank is leaking or you’re noticing sewage smells in your yard, it’s time to call a septic service provider. These odors can indicate that your septic system’s ventilation is blocked, which traps poisonous gasses including methane and carbon dioxide. This can be dangerous to your family, pets, and neighbors.
You can help prevent septic tank leaks by keeping the lids on your septic tank closed and limiting the amount of water you use. For example, try to take shorter showers and spread out your washing throughout the week rather than using several loads of laundry in one day. In addition, you can install efficient faucets and showerheads.
You should also be sure not to flush anything down your drains other than waste and toilet paper. Putting any of these items down the drain can cause a clog and lead to septic tank problems. Moreover, hardware store additives that promise to reduce the frequency of your septic tank pumping are often ineffective and can even harm the environment.
