Can You Save Money by DIY Septic Repairs?

Are you it a do-it-yourself homeowner? You mow your own lawn, you fix minor plumbing issues and repair many items around the house, saving a significant amount of money on home maintenance. However, when it comes to your septic system, you may want to leave repairs to the professionals. While you may be able to do some maintenance yourself, when you have a septic problem, it is worth the investment to hire a professional. Here are a few reasons why it is not cost-effective or safe to attempt DIY septic repairs.

Specialized Equipment

Septic tanks and drain fields need specialized equipment. You need may need to dig to remove pipes, or tools to access the tank. Often this equipment is not something a homeowner may own; it could need to be rented. The cost of renting equipment, plus the value of your time, can be more expensive than hiring a professional.

Safety Concerns

No one should open a septic tank without the proper gear and training. The gases in a septic tank are toxic and can be deadly. There is also concerns about injury when working near the septic tank; slips and falls can cause serious injuries.

Causing Harm to Your Septic

The biggest monetary risk with DIY septic repairs is doing more harm than good. A wrong move and you could do irreputable damage to your septic system. A failed septic can cost thousands of dollars to replace, which is why it is best to trust repairs to a professional.

Protect your investment in your home and leave septic repairs to trained professionals. In the long run, you can save money and protect your health by choosing to avoid DIY septic repairs.

Posted on behalf of:
Septic Service Pro, LLC
Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30334
(678) 292-8728

Is Your Septic Ready to Handle the Upcoming Holidays?

Thanksgiving and the rest of the end-of-year holidays mean plenty of festivities at your home, often including out-of-town guests taking over guest bedrooms and pull-out couches. Large meals, holiday beverages and extra people in your home means your septic system will be working overtime. The extra stress can cause an overload, turning your happy holidays into a messy septic backup. Prevent septic emergencies with these pre-holiday septic maintenance tips.

  • Schedule routine maintenance. Now is the perfect time to schedule your annual inspection. Let your local septic experts inspect your system to identify any issues before you have a house full of people during the holidays.
  • Check your pumping schedule. Are you coming due for a septic tank pump? If you had planned to have your tank pumped in the next six months, it may be better to do it before the holidays, just in case.
  • Plan for extra water use. On weeks where extra guests will be arriving, plan to do heavy water use before they arrive. Catch up on all laundry, pet baths and other cleaning/cooking chores a day or more before they arrive to cut down on water use when guests are in your home.
  • House rules. Not all your guests may understand the limitations of a septic system. Hang a sign in your guest bathroom to remind guests not to flush anything beyond waste and toilet paper down the toilet.

No one wants to have a septic emergency in the middle of a holiday weekend. By preparing ahead of time, most common septic issues can be avoided so you can enjoy your time with friends and family over the holidays.

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

 

How Septic Tanks Work

It may not be something we tend to think about, but the invention of indoor plumbing may be one of the best modern inventions. To bathe, wash clothes, and use the bathroom indoors is a comfort that has not been around all that long as far as history goes. However, take that luxury away, and you will quickly come to realize that it is definitely one of your favorite modern improvements. While you may not think of your indoor plumbing often, knowing how it works to rid your home of waste can be important if something were to go wrong in the future.

About one-third of the homes in America have a septic system treating the waste in their homes. By design, these systems are fairly simple. All of the drains in a home are designed to converge to a single pipe that leads to the septic tank buried outside. The water from the toilets, sinks, laundry, baths, and showers all combine in the single pipe. However, once the waste makes it to the septic tank it begins to separate. The septic tank is designed to have two separate holding areas – the liquid side and the solid side. There is a center wall inside the septic tank that separates the two sides. The wall has a hole in the middle that allows the liquid waste to flow across the tank into the “liquid side” where it will drain into a leaching area. The waste that accumulates in the “waste side” will separate. Some waste will float and form a scum mat, while other waste will sink to the bottom and create a sludge layer. Some water remains in the “waste side” to separate the floating and sinking wastes.

About every three years (for an average family with an adequately sized septic tank) the tank needs to be pumped. The idea is to pump out the solid wastes before there is enough water in the “waste side” to trickle into the “liquid side” of the tank. Because the liquid waste will exit the septic tank and flow to a leaching area in the yard, it is especially important that only liquid waste is flowing out. By properly caring for your septic tankwith regular septic tank pumping, you can ensure that it will function correctly and not cause serious problems for your home, yard, and health.

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

More Efficient Toilets Can Help to Protect Your Septic System

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that replacing only one toilet in your home with a high-efficiency, low-flow model can save up to eleven gallons of water each day, which translates to over four thousand fewer gallons of waste water flowing into your septic system annually. While this can make a  noticeable difference on your monthly water bill, it can also help to reduce the risk of needing septic tank service, repairs or even replacement due to a complete septic system failure.

A septic system is easily damaged by too much water flowing throught the system which is called hydraulic overload.  Even under normal water loads, the less water that enters the system the better.  Low flow toilets can help reduce the hydraulic load on your septic system and avoid septic system repairs.  Two of the more popular high-efficiency options for residential use are single flush toilets, which operate in a manner similar to older models while using significantly less water, and dual flush toilets. These models offer two flushing options, one for liquid waste and another for solids.

While replacing your older, less efficient toilets with more modern models that are designed to conserve water will reduce the amount of waste water flowing through your septic system significantly, it’s important to remember that only organic waste and toilet paper should ever be flushed through your toilet.

By making sure that household chemicals like bathroom cleaners, bleach and harsh abrasives are never disposed of in the toilet, you’re opting not to introduce substances that could disturb the bacterial balance inside your septic tank, which is responsible for breaking down organic waste. Feminine hygiene products can also cause problems when they’re flushed. Installing a low-flow toilet and being aware of what you flush through it’s pipes can help you prolong the life of your septic tank, reduce the likelihood of future problems and avoid service repair bills down the line.