Is Your Septic System Failing?

May 21st, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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Wastewater should not be backing up into your home, nor should your yard become full of foul smelling liquid bubbling up; this is an obvious sign of a septic system failure. If these symptoms are not present, you may think that your septic system is running smoothly.  However, contaminants could be reaching your well water, which means your system is failing. You won’t know, however, if your system is leaching out contaminants unless you are aware of the warning signs.

Here are some things that you can look for to determine if you have a serious problem. Is sewage backing up in your drains or toilets or are they flushing slowly? Despite your best efforts at home repair, many of your household drains will seem much slower than usual if you are developing a problem. You may notice the ground around your septic system is wet even when there hasn’t been any rain. If your property is close to a lake or pond and you observe an unusual increase in algae or weeds, it is possible that your septic system is seeping into the surface water. Additionally, you may notice disagreeable odors round the house if the system is failing or improperly vented.

Should any of the above indications exist, you may want to contact your local septic professional and arrange for a septic tank inspection. You should also have your drinking water well tested to ensure that there hasn’t been any seepage from your system. The presence of bacteria would indicate that septic system seepage has gotten into your well water. Your service professional can pump your septic tank, inspect the entire system, and give you the appropriate options for making any septic system repairs.

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How Does a Septic System Work?

May 21st, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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In many rural areas and small towns with lower populations and houses spread far apart, city sewer systems are virtually non-existent. Therefore, people install septic tanks, which are actually a private form of wastewater treatment. A septic tank is a big tank capable of holding a thousand gallons of water, made of concrete, steel or plastic that is placed underground.

Sewer water from your home flows through pipes exiting the house into the tank at one end, where it becomes separated with scum floating to the top and heavier solids sinking to the bottom. As new water enters the tank, the separated water is discharged out into the drain field where it leaches into the soil. While the discharged water contains some bacteria and chemicals (mainly nitrogen and phosphorous), it is free of solids and useful for fertilizer.  Septic tank pumping is necessary every 3 to 5 years to remove the accumulated solid material.

Because of the breakdown of organic material in the wastewater, gases are produced that need to be trapped from flowing back into the house. Special “P-trap” pipes help with this process and the gases are then vented vertically out of a pipe protruding through the roof. In the drain field, the discharged water is exited and filtered through perforated pipes set in gravel trenches. How well the soil absorbs the discharged water determines the necessary size of the drain field. A septic system is normally powered by nothing other than gravity; water follows down from the house, down from the septic tank, down into the drain field, making it a completely passive system.

If you have any concerns about the effectiveness of your home’s system, your local septic professional can inspect and service your septic system to ensure that all is working safely and properly.

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Be Good to Your Septic Tank to Avoid Problems

May 21st, 2013 Posted in Drain Field
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Taking proper care of your septic system can avoid unnecessary problems and the expense of septic tank or drain field repairs in the future. One easy way that most people tend to overlook is to conserve water. Since a septic tank separates excess liquid from solid waste and sends it to a drain field, it needs time to process so do what you can to prevent running large amounts of water at one time needlessly.

Monitor and repair leaky faucets or running toilets promptly. Spread your loads of laundry out over a few days and be sure to choose the right amount of water for the size of your load, to avoid wasting water. Also, do not install a garbage disposal. If you already have one, do not use it excessively as it can clog the drain field.

It would pay to be mindful of your septic tank and drain field hiding underneath that green grass; you should not park or build anything heavy above your tank and drain field. The excess weight could damage the tank and pipes, as well as compromise the effectiveness of the drain field. Take care not to flush or pour anything down the drain that shouldn’t be there.

One would think that this is a common sense issue but any material that is not biodegradable can clog the tank or drain field. If any problems or concerns develop, be sure to contact your local septic system professional who will be able to ascertain whether or not the tank needs to be pumped or other solutions are required. When you tank is pumped, your local service company will also inspect it to make sure it’s in good working order.

 

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The Benefits of Having a Sewer System Versus a Septic System

May 21st, 2013 Posted in Sewer-Septic Service and Installation
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You may live in a small town, rural, community where almost everyone has a septic system. Gradually, new developments of homes arise. Soon what was once a wooded lot close to town becomes a strip mall and business development is on the rise. As businesses begin to boom and construction increases, there is little doubt that the installation of public sewer systems will soon follow. So, what advantages can you anticipate when this change reaches your neighborhood?

According to today’s developers and city planners, a community becomes more established and permanent when a sewer system is installed. Once they get over paying for it with their taxes, most people tend to prefer a city sewer system, primarily because major problems, like main line stoppages, become the responsibility of the controlling municipality. Furthermore, because a public system is so well contained and monitored, the quality of drinking water is preserved. Conversely, septic tanks can seep and pollute drinking water, potentially threatening one’s health.

Besides safely and effectively transporting wastewater from an entire neighborhood of homes and businesses, sewer systems usually have designed a run-off plan for excessive rainwater in the hopes of flood prevention. This is one way in which sewers and water treatment plants help to preserve the environment. Primarily, sewer systems help to ensure that wastewater that is discharged back into the environment is sanitary, safe and free of potentially harmful pollutants.

Contact your local septic-sewer professional if you are considering changing from your septic system and hooking up with your city’s sewer system. They can help you with the sewer installation process and ensure that your best interests are protected.

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How Does a City Sewer System Work?

May 21st, 2013 Posted in Sewer Lines
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In areas of dense population, usually urban or suburban, when people begin to live closer together there develops a greater need to treat wastewater as the ballooning populace gives rise to concerns for health and safety, in addition to preservation of environmental ground water. At such a time, communities will usually construct a sewer system that collects the wastewater and takes it to a wastewater treatment facility. Instead of a septic system, homes are connected to the municipal sewer system through their sewer line (or sewer lateral).  All of the wastewater from a home flows through the sewer line to the municipal sewer main.

A sewer system, like a septic system, is dependent on the force of gravity to aid the wastewater in exiting from homes and businesses to run “downstream”, as it flows from individual buildings into a sewer main, then gradually into larger pipes until it reaches the wastewater treatment facility. Along the journey of the sewer main pipes, occasionally a vertical pipe to the surface will provide access for maintenance crews if necessary. The municipal sewer plant is also usually in a lower plan as it aids in transporting the sewage water downhill. Sometimes a lift station is necessary if the water must be moved over a hill.

Once at the treatment plant, the wastewater goes through several stages of treatment. The first stage is separation of solids for disposal; a second stage, organic materials and nutrients are removed with the help of bacteria; finally, chemicals are used to remove the remaining residues of phosphorous and nitrogen, chlorine is added to kill any remaining bacteria, and then the water is discharged. Since the average community can discharge 10 to 100 million gallons of water per day, the effectiveness of wastewater treatment and management is closely monitored. If you have any concerns about the effectiveness of your home’s system, your local sewer professional can inspect and service your sewer’s connection to the city’s main to ensure that all is working safely and properly.

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