Family Rules for Your Septic System

January 6th, 2016 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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If you own a home with a septic system and having a growing family, you will need to have some family rules to avoid septic system problems. The fact is, if you don’t teach your kids from an early age what not to do when it comes to putting waste down the drain, it will most likely cost you a small fortune down the road. As soon as your kids are old enough to use the toilet or wash their hands themselves, they need to start learning these important rules for proper septic maintenance.

  • Flushing. Kids are known to flush items down the toilet that have no business going down the drain. This can cause problems in any home but it is even worse with a septic system. Make it very clear that nothing should be flushed down the toilet except bodily waste and toilet paper – that’s it. No cotton swabs, no ‘flushable’ wipes and certainly not an action figure!
  • No food down the drain. Teach your kids to scrape their plates and pans well before attempting to rinse their dishes. Fat, grease and many hard food items can cause harm to your septic as well as cause clogs in your pipes.
  • No chemicals or drugs down the drain. Your septic system has a bacterial balance that must be maintained in the tank for it to function properly. Harsh cleaning supplies, paint and even medications can destroy that balance, so teach your family to never dispose of chemicals or drugs down the drain.

On top of following the rules, having annual inspections and maintenance on your septic system can help prevent septic issues. Make sure to add calling your local septic service once a year to your family rules to increase the life of your septic system.

Posted on behalf of:
Metro Septic LLC
1210 N Tennessee St
Cartersville, GA 30120
(678) 873-7934

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Septic Inspections: A Must When You Are Selling a Home

October 27th, 2015 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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When you are trying to sell your home, you must jump through many hoops to impress potential buyers. You want to fix any small issues around the house that may detract from the value of your home as well as make it look as desirable as possible. But one thing that can be a deal breaker when trying to sell your home is a septic issue. Most home sales will require a septic inspection before the sale is finalized so why wait until the deal is almost done? Get a septic system inspection as soon as you decide to sell your home.                                             

Get a Thorough Septic Inspection

Nothing is worse than thinking that your home is sold, then finding out at the last minute you need thousands of dollars of septic repairs. In many cases, you may lose the buyer, even if you agree to fix the septic issues. Instead, get a thorough septic system inspection before you start putting up for sale signs. Call a local septic company that performs inspections and ask if they offer:

  • Septic tank inspections
  • Drain field inspections
  • Digital camera inspections of underground sewer and septic pipes
  • Certified septic technicians

You want to ensure the company you choose will look at every aspect of your septic to certify that it is in excellent working order. And if there are problems, you can get them fixed before putting your home on the market by the same local company. When it comes time to sign on the dotted line and sell your home, you can be assured that there won’t be any septic issues standing in your way.

Posted on behalf of:
Seagraves Plumbing Sewer & Septic
4980 Plant Atkinson Rd SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(494) 792-2221

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Plan Now For Extra Stress On Your Septic During The Holidays

October 24th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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During the holidays, many families gather from all around the country to share special occasions together. If you’re hosting a gathering which will be attended by several extended family members, you will need to prepare for extra people in your home. This includes the extra stress put on your septic system, not just finding enough beds and extra linens. Nothing can ruin a holiday quicker than having a house full of guests when your septic system fails, so now is the time to prepare your septic for the heavy use in the months ahead.

Schedule A Septic Inspection

Prevention is always the best option when it comes to septic systems. Once there is a problem, it can be extremely costly and very inconvenient, especially during the holidays. To ensure your system is ready for the holiday season, schedule a septic tank inspection. Your local septic service company can check:

–        Your septic tank level. If your tank is approaching a level which indicates time for pumping, it’s best to have it done now, before you have extra guests adding to the tank. Your service professional will check the level in your tank as part of the inspection.

–        Your drainfield. Your drainfield is an intricate part of your septic system. If it’s not working correctly, it can cause an entire system failure, the last thing you want to happen when you have guests.

–        Bacteria balance. As part of the inspection, most professionals will check to make your bacteria levels are correctly balanced and waste is being processed adequately. With high usage on the horizon, you want your septic system ready to handle more waste than usual.

By scheduling preventive maintenance and any necessary repairs now, you can more easily avoid having any septic issues during the busy holiday season. It’s worth the peace of mind to know your septic will be ready for them once your guests begin to arrive.

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

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3 Signs You May Need A Septic Inspection

September 1st, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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There are blissful septic system owners who have been fortunate enough to never have a septic problem or emergency. Still, no septic system will last forever, and there will eventually be a time when every system will need repair, maintenance or replacement. At the first sign of any trouble with your system, you should strive to get a professional inspection performed immediately. Often, catching the issue before it becomes a large problem can save you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. Here are three sign that it’s time to schedule a septic inspection.

  1. Backed up or slow drains. While a septic backing up or draining slowly is often a sign that it’s time to pump your tank, that’s not always the case. Often, septic owners will assume this is the problem and schedule a pumping, just to find out after they pay for a septic pump that it wasn’t the root of the issue at all.
  2. Green, tall grass  growing on the drainfield. If the grass is noticeably greener and taller over your drainfield than the rest of your yard, you may have an issue in your system.  You should also look for pooling water or soggy ground around or near your drainfield.  Any of these issues is a good reason to call your septic professional for an inspection.
  3. Unpleasant odors. Once you start smelling foul odors in your home, around your septic tank or near your drainfield, you should be on the phone to your septic professional. If you are smelling waste material, something is not working correctly.

Often, a septic inspection can catch these issues before the entire system fails and needs to be replaced. Consider having an inspection done as preventive maintenance once a year; it may save you substantial amounts of time and money down the road.

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

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Water Conservation and a Septic System

August 16th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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Septic systems are designed to handle a certain amount of water. Proper sizing of a septic tank for a home is a huge component in ensuring that the system will last for twenty-five or thirty years. But more than just proper sizing, water conservation will also help to extend the life of a septic system. Septic systems function at their highest capacity when they are not overloaded with too much water. By taking just two simple steps, people can ensure that their water usage is appropriate for their home’s septic system.

First, it is important that there are no leaking pipes, faucets, toilets, shower or bath heads, or outside plumbing fixtures. It is a good idea to check the plumbing inside a home on a regular basis to make sure that the toilets are not constantly running, there is no drip constantly leaking water, etc. A small lead can add up very quickly. Making sure that water is not leaking or constantly running is a first step in water conservation.

Second, it is important for people to consider laundry when they are trying to determine their water usage. By adjusting the settings on a washer per load (small, medium, large), people can conserve water. Also, by doing one load per day instead of waiting to do all the laundry for a five person family on one single day, the amount of water that will be flushed into the septic tank will be a more consistent level instead of flooding it all at once.

These two steps of water conservation can make a huge difference in the performance of a septic system. By treating water as a valued resource that is meant to be managed, people can help to ensure that their septic systems last for many years.

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

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Buying a Home with a Septic Tank

August 2nd, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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Before buying a previously owned home there are a lot of things to consider besides location, location, location. Having a home inspection done is very important to ensure that there are no underlying foundation issues and that no surprises creep up once you purchase the home and move in. However, many people tend to skip the septic tank inspection in favor of saving a bit of money. However, this seemingly frugal decision can be a very costly mistake.

While going through the necessary formalities of purchasing a home, a foundation inspection, HVAC inspection, and plumbing inspection are all required by most mortgage lenders before they will approve a loan. Sewage inspections are not always required; therefore, many homebuyers forgo the expense. That leaves many buyers in a situation of purchasing a home blind to any issues that are present with the current septic system.

Replacing a septic system is an extremely costly endeavor. It is also very time consuming and will be disruptive to every part of your home for a while. The yard will need to be torn up in order to remove the old system and put in a new one. During that time, plumbing will not be able to be used, and children and pets will have to remain away from the yard. The time and money required to have a septic system replaced is an expense that is not comparable in any way to the cost of simply having it inspected.

By taking the time and small amount of money to have a septic system inspected, people can save themselves a huge and expensive headache in the future. Before you purchase a home, make sure to have the septic system inspected!

Posted on behalf of Metro Septic and Plumbing

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Are You A New Homeowner With A Septic System?

June 16th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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If you have just bought a home with a septic system, you will need to educate yourself on how these complex systems work in order to maintain it properly. While city sewer systems are maintained by the local municipality, with a septic system this responsibility falls on shoulders of the homeowner. Septic systems can be costly to repair or replace; it’s in your financial interest to learn everything you need to know about your septic system before you start using it.

Septic System Basics

As a septic system owner, there are certain things you need to know so you can properly maintain your system. If the previous owner did not provide you with this information, here are a few things you will need to investigate.

  • What type of septic systems do you have? Most conventional systems have a septic tank and a drainfield, with different variations on these types. There are also other types of systems, such as aerobic treatment systems and low pressure pipe systems.
  • How old is the system? Septic systems can last for decades if they are properly maintained. However, you should know when it was installed and when the last pumping was completed.
  • Where is your drain or leach field? The waste water must be expelled into a drain or leach field, which must be protected. You need to know where this is so you can avoid disturbing or potentially damaging the system.
  • When was the last time the system was serviced? If you were not given service records on the septic system, you will want to hire a local septic service company to inspect septic system. A septic tank inspection is often done as part of the home selling process, if it was not, you should have it done now.

Once you are aware of what system you own, you can talk to your local septic company about what maintenance is needed. Since new septic systems can cost thousands of dollars, it is worth taking the time to learn what you need to know to maintain the one you have.

Posted on behalf of  Septic Service Pro

 

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Do I Have Septic System Problems?

May 6th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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It is extremely difficult for the untrained property owner to determine if they have a septic system failure or some other plumbing problem, due to the different types of septic system designs and components, as well as the overall plumbing design for the property.  Septic systems can vary greatly in their design and generally contain a number of components, including the septic tank, as well as the distribution box, drainfield and perhaps a pumping station as well.  In addition, every property will have a sewer line running from the structure to the septic tank.

Considering the number of variables, it is no wonder that troubleshooting a septic system problem is so difficult.   An example of this would be determining the cause of one of the most common symptoms of septic system failure, which is slow flushing toilets or slow drains.  This could easily attributed to a blockage of a sewer line either inside of the property or a problem with a drainfield failure.

Experienced septic system contractors utilize a variety of techniques to trouble shoot problems with a septic system.  The first step is to completely understand the type of system installed, including studying as built blue prints.  Then using visual inspections, camera inspections and other technology they will systematically rule out possible causes of the issue until the real cause is found.  In some cases, it may be a septic system failure of one or more components of the system, while in other cases it may be a blockage in one or more pipes.  If it is a septic system failure, there will be a solution to fix it!

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

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Conventional Septic System Basics

January 28th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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If you are new to owning a home with a septic system or are considering buying a home with a septic tank, it is important you understand the basics of how a septic system works. Homes which are not connected to a public sewer system usually use a septic system to treat and dispose of waste water, which generally consists of three parts: septic tank, drainfield and soil. Each of these components is essential in the process.

Septic Tank

The main purpose of a septic tank is to separate out solid waste from the waste water, partially decompose the solids and store them for eventual removal. The remaining liquid, also called the effluent, is siphoned off to the drainfield by either gravity or pressure.

Drainfield

The drainfield is designed to treat the waste water through soil before it enters the below ground water. In most cases, a drainfield will contain a perforated pipe which brings the waste water from the septic tank and leaks the water through gravel into soil. The pipe is covered with backfill and needs to be protected from overhead weight.

Soil

The soil contains organisms which will absorb certain toxins before the water dissipates into the surrounding ground water. The soil needs to be of a consistency that allows the water to pass through, generally soil that is fairly dry and permeable works best. It should also contain oxygen for several feet below the drainfield. Clay soils can be too dense for water to pass through, while loose soil allows water to pass too quickly to be treated effectively.

Each of these components must be maintained for the septic system to work properly. If you are new to owning a septic system, start by calling a septic professional to schedule a septic tank inspection and to discuss regular septic system maintenance.

Posted on behalf of Tony McAdams, A-1 National Sewer and Drain

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Protect Your Septic System from Freezing

September 5th, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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Although most of us are still experiencing the heat of summer, Labor Day and fall are just around the corner; after which, we can expect the onslaught of winter. In anticipation of the upcoming seasonal change, we can certainly take some protective measures to prevent the freezing of our septic systems. By taking the time now to proactively ward off potential trouble, we are saving time and expense down the road should this be the year of a harsh winter.

First of all, it is a good idea to have your septic system inspected by your local septic service professional, especially if it has been awhile since it has been pumped, just to ensure that your system is ready to handle colder weather. That should catch any cracked or missing pipe covers that could allow the cold to enter your system. Also, check for and repair any leaky faucets or running toilets which could cause the system to freeze.

One of the primary causes of freezing septic systems is lack of snow cover because it acts as an insulating blanket over the soil and your system. Therefore, it is a good idea to put eight to twelve inches of mulch over the drain field and the tank, as well as the pipes. Compacted soil, or snow, can also lead to freezing because the air spaces have been removed; air spaces serve as another form of insulation. It is a good idea to keep all traffic off of your septic system, all year long. If you have a septic system at a cabin or home that you visit infrequently, either close it up for the winter, draining all water sources; or, alternatively, have a neighbor run warm water in your home once a week.

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