Regular septic tank maintenance ensures optimal functionality and performance of septic tanks. Here’s why you should have cleaning and servicing done often.
When you live outside the city limits and aren’t connected to a city sewer line, then you need a septic tank to handle the outflow of waste from your home. Wastewater includes anything flushed down the toilet or that goes down the various drains in your home.
The purpose of a septic tank is to provide a “quiet zone” for sewage to collect and allow for sludge and scum (things that sink and things that float) to separate out from the rest of the water. This sludge and scum accumulation eventually starts to decrease the tank’s working capacity over time and the tank must be pumped out and be maintained. Septic tank maintenance can prevent many problems from surprising you and hitting you hard in the pocketbook.
We’ll examine 7 benefits you get by performing regular cleaning and servicing of your septic system.
1. Septic Tank Maintenance Creates Good Habits
One of the biggest causes of blocked drains and messy septic systems is items besides toilet paper flushed down the toilet and grease and other items down the drains. We’ve all accidentally flushed wipes or other items without thinking, but it adds up over time. By performing regular septic tank cleaning, you’ll remove any of these items that aren’t supposed to be flushed and that can impact your septic tank and system. They can clog the septic tank pump (or siphon) and lead to many problems down the road. Your septic tank must be pumped out and cleaned on a regular basis. This also keeps levels of waste from filling the tank. Older systems should be pumped and cleaned yearly, while newer systems usually have larger tanks and are usually sized on a three-year pump out schedule.
2. Take Care of Problems Early
Your septic system is like anything else in your home. Over time, parts can break down and become damaged. If you provide regular cleaning and maintenance, this won’t happen.
In fact, you’ll catch problems before they become a big money hassle. Did you know that it’s not only waste that can cause problems with your septic system? People who use their garbage disposals often can fill their septic tank with food waste and place extra stress on the entire system. If you catch problems early, then you can fix them before they become a major problem. For example, the pump or siphon discharge should be checked every year to make sure it’s working properly. The same goes for your septic tank filters, which you are required to have by law. If you don’t have a filter, then you should have one installed.
3. Keep Your Home and Yard Waste Free
When your septic tank nears capacity or you have foreign objects in the tank, you’ll get backflow into your home and yard. No one wants to see or smell sewage. It can cause serious damage to wood, tile, and linoleum if not taken care of quickly. It’s also a health hazard as waste is full of dangerous bacteria such as leptospirosis and Hepatitis.
Regular cleaning can prevent backups and you don’t have to worry about waste coming back up your drains or creating pools of wastewater in your yard. It’s an issue with aesthetics because it’s a hideous sight to have in your yard, and it can also be an embarrassing conversation with your friends and neighbors.
4. Slow Drains Could Be Because of Your Septic Tank
Many people believe that when they experience slow drains, the cause is hair or other mundane items clogging the drain. The reality is many times your septic tank creates slow drains when it hasn’t been serviced or maintained properly.
You may find hair in the drain and pull it out, but many times only pumping and cleaning your septic tank will improve your drain situation. You’ll no longer have slow drains or standing water in your showers and sinks. Slow drains may not seem like a big problem, but they’re just the beginning of a larger problem down the road. If you don’t pump out your septic tank, then the slow drains may become no drains.
5. Keep Your Overall Costs Low
Septic tanks are out of sight and out of mind for many people. The only time they think of it is when there is a problem and that is often too late. There is a belief that septic tank maintenance is expensive, and people avoid it, but the cost of regular maintenance is far less than the cost of a major septic problem.
Maintenance can catch small issues before they become big. The cost of digging up and replacing a septic tank is far less than the cost of regular maintenance. Don’t let the fear of the price keep you from doing good maintenance practices.
For example, your high-level warning alarm needs testing regularly. The alarm warns you when levels get too high because of sewage starting to backup within the tank. Without it, the system could exceed safe levels and end up being a major cost. (If you don’t have a high-level alarm, please know that it is required by today’s code. Contact us and we would be happy to install one for you.
6. Improve Your Overall Property Value
If you’re interested in selling your country home, new owners might be interested in how you treated the septic tank. If they think you’ve done nothing in a decade, then they might be hesitant to purchase your home. They’ll think a major septic cleanup might be imminent, which can upwards of $20,000 – $50,000 or more.
Banks and lending institutions many times require a complete septic inspection before they will extend lending terms to a buyer. A good service and maintenance record from a reputable service provider can assist in providing evidence of good maintenance practices and the health of the septic system. People take many things into consideration when buying a home from the obvious look and structure of the home to the peripheral systems.
A properly maintained septic system can be a big selling point for a home.
7. Septic Tank Maintenance Is Environmentally Friendly
We talked about how sewage leaks and backflow of sewage can impact the health of your family, but they’re not the only ones. If the untreated sewage flows into groundwater such as lakes and streams or underground water reserves, then it can impact usable water for everyone from animals to your neighbors.
Your septic tank leak could lead to a major environmental problem that requires remediation. Proper maintenance of your septic tank can keep that from happening and keep you from getting in trouble with the local and provincial authorities.
Take Care of Your Septic Tank
You can go years without any problems with your septic tank, but then one day there could be a pool of sewage in your yard or in your home. It’s only through proper septic tank maintenance that you’ll guarantee years and years of problem-free use.
If you want to know more about our septic tank services, then please feel free to contact us today.
