When a Septic System Needs Care
Does everyone have a septic tank? No, they don’t. But if you’re buying a house, you’ll want to learn all about septic systems if a house you like has one. To find out am I on septic or sewer, you’ll need to look at your home’s system and see what it is linked to. If the home has a septic tank on the property, you’re linked to septic. If it doesn’t, you’re probably on the sewer system. You should know this information before you put in an offer on a home or sign a rental lease. If you move in without knowing, it can get frustrating.
If you have a septic system, it needs to be maintained. You’ll need to hire a septic cleaning service to do this. If you want to learn all about septic services available near you, do some research online or talk to others who have septic systems in their homes. You’ll need to find a company that is affordable and reliable. Since you’re going to be working with them regularly, you’ll both need to be a good fit.
All modern houses and buildings are expected to have sewage utilities, and most are connected to public sewers in cities and town. Around 25% of properties, meanwhile, are in fact connected to a septic tank system, and septic tanks are self-contained systems that contrast with a public utility. A remote rural property is too far away to access public utilities, so a standalone septic tank system will be used. Such systems need care and repair from time to time, as well as routine septic pumping done by professionals. For all repair and cleaning work, a septic tank service may be contacted, and a concerned rural homeowner may look them up online if need be. A search such as “septic tank service” followed by the seeker’s home town, ZIP code, or county name may yield some results, and a local septic tank service may be contacted and hired for work. How does a septic system work, and what might a septic tank service do to clean or repair such a thing?
Basics of a Septic System
Houses need a way to get rid of their dirty water, sometimes referred to as “gray” or “black” water. If a public utility is not being used, then all water being flushed from the house will be directed through sewage pipes into an underground septic tank to start the disposal process. Such a tank may hold hundreds of gallons of material, and here, helpful bacteria cultures will start breaking down organic solids in the waste water collected inside. Such bacteria will allow oils and fats to float to the water’s top, and solid materials are broken down to form a thick sludge of waste that settles at the bottom of the tank, leaving relatively clean water between these layers. The fats and oils, and the sludge, will never actually leave the tank.
This will last for a few days until the water in the middle will flow through a filter in the tank for more cleaning, then this water will flow through underground pipes deeper in the septic system. These pipes will have nozzles and holes that allow the water to seep out and flow through loose gravel and soil near the surface of the earth, acting as a natural filter in conjunction with bacteria found there. This may complete the natural process of eliminating and cleaning out dirty water from the home. Such a system is largely self-operating, but some repair or cleaning may sometimes need to be done. A hired septic tank service can handle this work once hired.
What a Septic Service May Do
A homeowner may use some tools to measure the current status of their septic system, so they know when and why to call upon professionals for help. For example, the tank itself will need regular pumping every few years or so to remove all the sludge, since this thick sludge has no means of leaving the tank on its own. Rather, the homeowner may insert a long rod known as a “sludge judge” to measure how much sludge is inside the tank. Sludge that occupies one third to one half of the tank’s volume needs to be pumped out, and local septic tank service can handle this. These professionals will dig up the septic tank in question and open it, and use the pumps on a truck to draw out all sludge and thus empty out the tank. Without this work, the tank would become too full.
A septic tank may last a long time, but it may wear out or even develop leaks. In either case, an owner may purchase a new one and hire a septic tank service to dig up and remove the old one. Crews will then place the new one and connect it to the septic system as a whole, ready for operation. What is more, other professionals may dig up the filter pipes in the system and subject them to pressurized water blasting in order to forcibly clear out materials that are caked onto the pipes and clogging them. Septic tank owners are also advised to never allow vehicles to drive on the drainage field, or the gravel and soil may become too densely packed to allow natural filtration.