Tips To Reduce Heavy Water Use During The Holidays

November 19th, 2014 Posted in Septic System
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The winter holidays bring together family and friends to celebrate, usually with large meals and overnight guests. For many people, these gatherings are some of the happiest times of the year, filled with opportunities to spend time with loved ones. However, for septic system owners, these large parties and extra people mean more water use and a higher chance of septic failure. The best way to avoid a septic emergency in the middle of the holidays is to plan ahead, and reduce your water use during these festive occasions. 

Plan Ahead To Reduce Holiday Water Use

Having guests over for the holidays will mean more water used for cleaning, cooking and personal hygiene. If your septic system has been maintained, it should be able to handle some extra water use. However, there are still ways to reduce the amount of water going down the drain, lowering the impact on your septic system. Plan ahead for your big holiday gatherings to reduce the amount of water used within any 24-hour period:

  • Disposable plates and flatware. Washing dishes before and after large meals is a large use of water. Cut this down by using disposable plates and flatware during the holiday season, which don’t need to be washed.
  • Don’t run water down the drain. Instead of rinsing items like plates or vegetables under running water, keep a water container in the sink to collect rinse water. You can dispose of this water outside instead letting it go down the drain.
  • Wash laundry ahead of time. Reduce the amount of water used near the day of your holiday gatherings by doing laundry several days before, giving your septic a rest before the big day.

Cutting out any water that needs to go into your septic system will help reduce the chance of a problem during the holidays. In addition, scheduling a septic inspection and annual maintenance before the holidays is always a good way to ensure it’s ready to handle the busy season ahead.

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

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Protecting Your Septic Against Wet Weather

October 24th, 2014 Posted in Septic System
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Although your septic system is designed to handle the wastewater from your home, excess water from the sky can cause damage to your system. While you have no control over the weather, you do have control of where rain and melted snow end up accumulating on your property. Poorly designed run-off can destroy your drainfield and cause issues for your septic tank. There are a few steps you can take to ensure wet weather does not interfere with your septic system’s delicate balance.

Roof Run-Off

You need to ensure the water coming out of your gutters from your roof is being diverted away from your septic system. A heavy rainstorm or snow melt can flood your drainfield, and excess water pooling near your septic tank can prevent wastewater from draining correctly. Make sure the water from your gutters drains downhill from both the tank and drainfield.

Sump Pump Graywater

Another source of excess water during wet weather which can can interfere with your septic system is the drain off graywater from your sump pump. This water does not need to be pumped into your septic system, as it is essentially only groundwater. However, it does need to be drained away from your septic system just like gutter runoff.

Since too much water can cause major and expensive issues with your septic system, it’s important to keep an eye out for flooding during wet weather. If you notice any pooling of surface water near your tank or drainfield, check to ensure both the sump and gutter water are draining away from the system. If this is not the issue, you may have other serious problems in the system. Call your local septic service company to have your system inspected as soon as possible.

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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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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Buying A Home With a Septic System

February 12th, 2014 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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Many homes are equipped with a septic system, especially those outside of city limits. If you are considering the purchase of a home with a septic system, it is important you know the size, type and state of the system which is currently in place. A new septic system can be very expensive to replace, a large expense you don’t want to be unexpectedly saddled with soon after buying a new home.

 

Questions You Need To Ask The Seller

Most routine home inspections don’t include inspection of the septic system. Although the laws are different in every state, in many states it is the responsibility of the buyer to ask questions about the septic system. Here are some basic questions you need answers for before you buy any home with a septic system:

  • Date of last pumping. Ask for documentation showing when the last septic tank pumping was performed. Most systems are pumped every 2-3 years at a minimum, and you’ll want to make sure the date of the last pumping was well within this time frame.
  • Size of septic system. Find out the capacity of the system currently in place. Septic systems are typically built for the amount of bedrooms in the home. If any additions were made after the system was put in place, it may be too small.
  • How many people lived in the home. If over five people were recently living in the home, the septic system may have required more frequent pumping in order to keep up with the demand.

Armed with this information, contact a septic company to discuss the implications of purchasing a particular property. It would be prudent to have your own septic system inspection performed before buying the home. If it will need to be replaced soon, it could affect the price you are willing to pay for the home unless the seller is willing to replace it as a condition of the sale, which is important information to have before extending a purchase offer.

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

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Septic Tank Cleaning and Pumping

March 26th, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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The American Ground Water Trust estimates that about one-third of homes in the United States rely upon a septic system to dispose of household waste. If you’re one of those homeowners whose property is not eligible for connection to a municipal sewer line, regular pumping and cleaning of your septic tank will be part of your routine home maintenance.

If you’ve never had a septic tank cleaning, it can be difficult to know what to expect. Depending on the size of your family and the amount of waste your household generates from laundry, showering, toilet flushes and other daily activities, your tank will probably need pumping every three to five years. In some situations, more frequent septic tank pumping may be required. It’s wise to have your septic system inspected on an annual basis, which can help you determine when the ideal time for pumping has arrived. Without regular inspections, you may not realize that the tank needs to be cleaned until it’s too late, which can cost thousands of dollars in repairs and labor charges. Remember, the Environmental Protection Agency does not recommend the use of commercially-available septic tank treatments or additives in place of regular inspections and cleaning. It’s best to discuss these products with a septic professional before you use them, as they can actually throw off the microbial balance of your septic system.

Working with your licensed and experienced septic pumping professional is the best and most effective way of determining when your tank will need to be pumped, and learning what to expect during the process. A septic professional will also be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the pumping process, and help you maintain your system between cleanings for peak efficiency.

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What If Your Septic System Fails

March 19th, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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If your septic system fails inspection, the first thing you should do is contact your local health department or local sewer-septic professional to find out what will be required for any necessary upgrades or sepic system repairs.

Shop around. Get written estimates and check qualifications and references. Remember that you are under no obligation to have the person who inspects your septic system perform any other work on it. In fact, you may want to hire separate contractors to handle the septic system repairs.

Septic system repair or upgrade costs will vary depending on the nature of the problem, soil conditions, proximity of the system to water supplies, and the size of the lot. If you have no plans to move, you may qualify for one or more programs designed to help homeowners pay for septic system repair or replacement. Many cities and towns either have in place now or are working to establish “betterment” loan programs to provide homeowners with long-term, low-cost financing. If you are in the process of selling your home, you may find during negotiations that the prospective buyer is willing to assume some or all of the costs.

One of the best ways to ensure that your system will pass inspection is to keep it on a routine maintenance schedule. At a minimum, you should have it pumped out every three years. If you use a garbage disposal, more frequent septic tank pumping may be necessary.

A word about septic system additives: remember that there isn’t one on the market that can make a failing system pass inspection. Certain septic system additives may be approved by your local regulations, but only to ensure that they will not harm your system or the environment. Remember that even the best-maintained system in the world cannot last forever. Like anything else, it will wear our over time, stop working properly and need to be repaired or replaced.

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Professional Septic Tank Cleaning

November 8th, 2012 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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Every homeowner with a septic tank should ensure that it is pumped and cleaned on a periodic basis.  The frequency of septic tank pumping varies based on several factors, but every three to five years is typical.  A septic tank inspection by an experienced septic system professional will reveal whether your septic tank is due for pumping and cleaning.

Regular septic tank pumping and cleaning will help ensure that it continues to work efficiently and effectively and provides your sewer-septic professional the opportunity to notice any potential problems before they get too big and lead to expensive repair work or replacement. It is important that the tank is not allowed to get too full as when the water space is reduced it begin to break down waste less efficiently.

When it comes to septic tank cleaning it is definitely advisable to have a professional come in and do the job for you. Cleaning your septic tank is not a do-it-yourself job.  Septic tank cleaning and pumping takes training and experience along with the proper equipment to do the job correctly and safely. Not only is it likely that you will do an insufficient job and potentially damage the tank, but it can also be very dangerous.

When the waste products begin to decompose in your septic tank they give off dangerous gases such as methane, which build up and forces the oxygen out of the tank. Any kind of work on the tank, including cleaning it, can expose you to these gases and breathing them in could cause serious injuries or death. This is why it is essential that you never put your head inside the tank when checking for problems or for any other reason. Professional septic system contractors know how to protect themselves against the risk while performing a thorough septic tank cleaning and pumping.

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Buying a Home With a Septic System

November 7th, 2011 Posted in Septic Tank Inspections
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If you are in the market for a new home, you will probably find out as much as you can about any house before you make an offer on it.  Remember not to overlook the septic system.  Many buyers pay for a home inspection, but a typical buyer’s home inspection does not include a thorough septic system inspection.

Don’t assume that just because the toilets flush and the sinks drain that the septic system is in good shape.  Replacing a septic system can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 so it is well worth it to have the system thoroughly checked out by a sewer septic professional with experience in septic tank inspections.

A septic system inspection should include having the septic tank pumped out, opened, and visually inspected.  The inspection should also cover the pipes leading to the drain field and typically includes a dye test to look for problems with the drain field.  The inspection may also include detailed inspection of the inside of the pipes using digital video cameras.

It is a good idea to be present during the inspection if possible.  Your inspector will be able to discuss any issues with you and also show you the location of the septic tank and drain field for future reference.  If problems are identified with the septic system, you can use the inspector’s report to negotiate a lower price for the home, have the seller make any necessary repairs, or you may decide not to make an offer on the home at all.

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