Has Your Family Outgrown Your Septic System?

July 16th, 2014 Posted in Septic System Maintenance
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You bought a cute little three-bedroom home with a septic system when you first were ready to start a family. Fifteen years later, you have four kids and an elderly parent living in your cozy, but now crowded home. While your home’s septic may have been able to handle 4-5 people living in the home, seven may be pushing it to the limit. Every septic system is only designed to handle a certain load from the home. If your home is crowded, there is a good chance your septic system is feeling the strain.

Determining The Size Of Septic You Need

Most septic systems are built based on the size of the home. This includes the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the home, with a maximum amount of people it’s designed to handle waste from on a daily basis. For example, a three-bedroom home may be required to have a 1,000 gallon septic tank, which is great if there are only three to four people living in the home. With four people in the home, it may only need to be pumped every 2 ½ years. However, increase that number to seven people, and now septic tank pumping may be needed every year.

There are several factors beyond the number of people in your home and the capacity of your septic tank which can also effect what size septic system you need. Water efficient fixtures and appliances can help offset having more people in your home. Also, families who are conscious of how much water and waste they put down the drain may be able to get by with a smaller system. The best way to know for sure whether your septic system is large enough for your bigger family is to call your local septic service company. They can evaluate your system and usage to determine whether it is time to upgrade to a larger septic system.

Posted on behalf of Seagraves Plumbing Septic and Sewer

 

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Is a Garbage Disposal Safe for Your Septic System?

March 26th, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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Approximately twenty-seven million American homes rely upon a septic system for waste disposal and sanitation, and about seventy-eight percent of those homeowners have chosen not to install a garbage disposal. There are conflicting reports regarding the safety of garbage disposal use for septic systems.

The Federal Housing Authority has actually determined that garbage disposals are effective and safe when they’re used with a septic system that’s properly sized and regularly maintained. Springing for a top of the line disposal that grinds food waste into very small particles is also wise, as they’re easier for your septic system to digest.

Whether you have a garbage disposal or not, part of routine septic system maintenance is regular septic tank pumping. A family of four with a one thousand-gallon septic tank will usually need to have the tank pumped after three to five years of use, but that figure will typically be decreased by the introduction of a garbage disposal because it will generate more solid waste material.

If you choose to install a garbage disposal, an experienced sewer and septic professional can help you choose the proper model of disposal for your home and system, as well as advising you on how to make the best use of the equipment without damaging your septic system. You may be able to save a bit of money initially by purchasing a disposal system at a home improvement store and installing it yourself, but it could eventually cost a small fortune in repair bills if it’s not handled correctly. Working with a septic system professional on your garbage disposal installation is an investment that will definitely pay off in the long run.

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Does Your Septic System Smell Like a Sewer?

March 19th, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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It’s possible for your home septic system to stop working properly, and it can cause your septic system to give off an unpleasant sewer smell, either outside or even inside of your home. The worst part by far is that no one likes the smell of sewage, and there’s very few ways to mask that smell for very long.

It’s normal for your septic system to create gasses that smell like a sewer, due to run off and waste materials. Gas will move through the pipes and be expelled out through a vent into the air where they disperse.

Problems occur when the a blockage or clog occurss in the sewer pipe. Other culprits might be a down draft of wind that sends gasses around your home or up into your house, when the inlet pipe for your septic tank is left unvented, or if water backs into your septic system and covers up the pipes. Any or all of these can allow gasses to be trapped and let the unpleasant smell into your house.

So how do you stop the sewer smell? One obvious solution is having the septic system pumped. If it’s been over five years, or even as little as two or three years since the last time the septic tank was pumped, you should contact your local septic tank professional to have the system checked. Other solutions involved using a charcoal filter, or to have the house vent extended on the roof of your home to allow the gasses to expel further away from the home.

Whatever you do, don’t just ignore the smell and hope that it goes away – bad smells are a sign that something is wrong with your septic system, and should be taken as a precursor and warning sign.

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Ways to Keep Your Septic System Working Reliably

March 13th, 2013 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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The average life expectancy of a septic system is anywhere from 20 to 40 years. Following these tips can help keep your system running smoothly for as long as possible:

Get your septic tank pumped every couple of years. If you use a garbage disposal of any kind, get it pumped every year instead. Food particles can build up and make your system run inefficiently. When you get your tank pumped, ask that the pump run through the larger cover on top of your tank as opposed to the smaller inspection pipe that’s exposed on your lawn, so as to keep from risking that the pipe ends up clogged somehow. And remember that there’s no need to put any special additives into your system.

When washing your laundry, try to spread out the amount of loads done over the course of each week. Only wash full loads of laundry, and remember that one load per day is much better than five or six loads on a single day. By the same token, try to install and use fixtures and faucets that use low amounts of water. Showerheads, dishwashers, toilers, washing machines and more – reducing the amount of water you use can make a big difference of the life of your septic system.

Try to cut down on the amount of cleaners that you use, and do everything you can to keep harsh chemicals like bleach from getting into your system. Make sure you never use automatic toilet boil cleaners, because the release of chemicals over time can kill the organisms and other materials that treat your waste water and other materials in your septic tank.

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