Is it a Septic Problem?

Your plumbing and septic system are connected, but there is a difference between a plumbing issue and a septic problem. Your plumbing refers to the pipes and water system inside the house, while your septic system involves waste pipes, your septic tank and drain field. However, both can cause drain issues and sewer backups in your home. How do you know when you just have a clogged drain or if it’s a septic problem?

When a drain or pipe is clogged in your plumbing, it is usually a localized issue. If your toilet or kitchen sink drain is clogged, only those fixtures are affected. Your toilet can overflow due to a clog, but the bathroom sink and shower will still drain. These are clogs in the smaller pipes. Larger plumbing waste pipes can get clogged, but they will still usually only affect one area of the house, not all drains.

A septic backup will affect all drains in your home, usually the ones closest to the main sewer drain pipe first. This means drains in your basement or first floor are most likely to be the first to drain slower. If there is a septic backup, eventually all drains in the home will become slow and may begin not draining at all, or sewage may come up through the drains.

Any sewer backup in your home is a good reason to call a plumber. However, if you have what appears to be a septic backup, you want to call a septic professional. Your septic tank could be full or you may be experiencing a septic failure. Your local septic professional can perform an inspection and figure out the problem and propose a solution.

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

Household Grease and the Septic System

When you have a septic system, you have a small water treatment plant in your backyard. The system can be fickle and if the wrong items are allowed into the septic tank, it can cause an issue with the breakdown system in the tank and filtering of effluent. Household cleaners, chemicals, paints and even prescription drugs can have an impact on your septic system. However, one common element that causes many septic problems is household grease, a simple yet harmful agent when too much is allowed into your system.

Why Is Household Grease Bad for Septic Systems?

First and foremost, grease is bad for any plumbing, whether you have a septic system or not. Grease and fats from cooking can be the culprits for clogs in the interior plumbing and the sewer lines. However, beyond clogging the pipes, grease also does not breakdown in the septic tank. Too much household grease can cause a layer that covers your drain field. A biomat can form that stops the effluent from the septic tank from filtering down through the soil. If a biomat forms, it can lead to septic failure and the need for a new drain field or septic system.

To prevent damage to your septic system, make the effort to keep all household grease out of your drains. Wipe out pans and plates, and dump grease in the garbage before you rinse or wash them, reducing the amount of fats that enter your septic system.

Talk to your local septic service about what can and cannot go down the drain to prevent septic problems. Also adhere to regular septic maintenance and septic tank pumping through your septic service company.

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

Sounds That Are Signs Of Septic Problems

Most people think of smell or sight when they think of senses used to identify septic problems. However, your ears can warn you of septic trouble as well. Plumbing pipes which are making a gurgling sound can alert you to a septic problem. By using all your senses, including your ears, you may be able to get the problem fixed before it becomes a larger and more expensive issue.

Listen To What Your Pipes Are Telling You

Water rushing through pipes is a common and normal sound. But when you hear a strange gurgling noise, there’s likely something amiss in your septic system. This odd sound is very distinct, letting you know that your waste water is not draining as it should be. This is generally a sign that you have a clogged drain line or backed up septic system, which will begin backing up into your home if not fixed quickly.

If you hear a gurgling noise in your pipes, you can investigate further by using your other senses. Take a walk around your drain field and septic area. Look for signs of excess water, note if there are any foul odors. In your house, check your drains in the lower levels of the house to see if they are draining properly or are slower than usual, and also be aware of any odors. This can help you determine how severe the back up is before you call a septic professional to take a more in-depth look.

The quicker you are able to spot a septic problem, the faster it can be fixed. Allowing a clog to become a full septic backup can cost you time and money, as well as be very inconvenient. This tell-tale gurgling is often the first sign of septic troubles, so keep your ears open!

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

Improve the Life of Your Septic Tank With Good Laundry Habits

If you are one of the many homeowners why rely on a septic system rather than a municipal sewer to dispose of household wastewater, you probably know that taking good care of it is very important to preventing problems and prolonging the life of the system. Regular septic tank inspections and pumping are important and need to be done by a sewer septic professional.  Your sewer septic contractor will ensure the entire system is working properly and will be able to let you know whether or not the septic tank needs to be pumped. In addition to having your septic system serviced regularly there are a number of good habits that you and your family can get into that will help to keep the system in good operating condition.

One of the most important things to know about a septic system is that when too much water flows into the septic tank at one time, there is not enough space left for the waste to properly settle to the bottom of the tank and decompose. The result is that too much solid material will be suspended in the water flowing out into the leach field and after a while the leach field can become clogged with solid material.  A clogged leach field will eventually fail and cause serious problems with your septic system.   Having said that the best thing you can do is prevent this from occurring in the first place.

Taking care of your laundry habits is one way of ensuring that excessive amounts of water don’t get send through the system at the same time. Many households have a “laundry day” on which all of the laundry of everyone in the house that has been building up for the last week is done at the same time. Take care of your septic system by doing a laundry load every day rather than 10 loads all on the same day.  Similarly, try to avoid taking showers, running the dishwasher, and doing laundry all at the same time.

Snowmelt Over Your Septic System

If you have noticed melted snow over your septic tank or septic field, you may be wondering if this is an indication of a problem or if this condition is normal.  Snowmelt over your septic tank or drain field is not necessarily a sign of problems with your septic system, but it should be checked out to be sure it is normal.

Your septic tank is buried in your yard and accumulates waste water from your home.  Solid materials settle to the bottom of the septic tank where it decomposes.  This decomposition process generates some heat and if your septic tank is close to the surface of the ground, the heat may be enough to cause snow over the septic tank to melt.

Hot water from you home can have the same effect.  If you are using hot water for laundry, dishwashing, or showers, the waste water may be warm enough to melt the snow over your septic tank.  The same is true for your septic field, especially if the ground is not frozen or if there is a light snowfall.

Check the area in and around the leech field and septic tank for any soft, mushy ground or foul odors.  If there are no odors or mushy areas in the yard and your drains and toilets are working properly, the snowmelt is probably normal.

If you find any wet, mushy areas or puddles in the yard around the septic tank or leech field, notice any odors, have slow or backed up drains and toilets, or just want to be certain, you should have your septic system inspected by a sewer-septic professional with experience in septic tank inspections.