Septic tank systems are necessary for those properties that cannot be connected to a public sewer system. They are also called onsite sewage facilities (OSSF) and their role is effluent treatment and disposing.The most popular type of OSSF is a septic tank in combination with a drainfield.
A septic tank plays an important job in any sewery system. It’s an underground chamber made of fiberglass, concrete or plastic and it’s designed for wastewater treatment. Its role is to store a large amount of wastewater that contains healthy bacteria whose job is to break down the solid waste.
Wastewater in a septic tank system is treated by settling and anaerobic digestion during which organic material and solid waste is purified. All of the domestic wastewater from a property flows through pipes to the property’s septic tank. There the wastewater is purified with the help of a special system and healthy bacteria.
During the purifying process the solid waste deposits itself on the bottom of the septic tank while the liquid part of the waste continues its road to pipes that lead it out of the septic tank to the property’s leach field.
When a septic tank system doesn’t work properly, there is a risk of a sewage backup in the property, which can require costly repairs afterwards.
If you are a septic tank owner, then you probably know that regular septic tank cleaning is important, if you want to avoid potential problems with your sewer system.
Regular septic tank cleaning is a major task in the maintenance of every type of household maintenance. For this reason scheduling septic tank pumping is one of the things that every property owner should do to ensure proper function of their property’s sewer system.
The lack of regular septic tank cleaning and proper maintenance can lead to serious property damage in the future.
If you are a home or business property owner that wants to maintain their property in a good shape all-year-round and avoid sewery system issues and costly repairs, you should invest in regular septic tank pumping. And as you may have already heard, contacting a professional septic tank cleaning company is the best and safest way to do that.
Professional companies specialized in sewer lines cleaning offer working solutions for different sewery cleaning issues.
What is septic tank pumping?
Septic tank pumping is performed with a large vacuum hose that removes all of the contents inside a septic tank. The wastewater inside septic tanks consists of three layers – liquid, scum and sludge layer.
After cleaning a septic tank professional septic tank technicians also check outlet and inlet pipes for clogs and clean them too, if needed. Here we will give you some useful tips about what steps you should take after having your property’s septic tank pumped.
When should septic tank pumping should be done?
It’s recommended to do septic tank pumping when the waste water inside the septic tank is between 30 to 40% or roughly every 3 or 5 years.
The frequency of septic tank pumping depends on different factors as every property and every sewer system is different. One of these factors are the size and the location of the property, the amount of water usage for the property’s inhabitants and the chemical cleaning solutions used in the flushing of drains and toilets.
Sometimes tree roots can grow into the sewer lines and become the cause of blockages. Or sometimes plumbing issues can appear and require septic tank check-up and cleaning.
What are the recommended steps after septic tank pumping ?
Create a schedule
No matter if you own a business or home property, setting up a regular septic tank pumping schedule is one of the best things you can do for your property.
It’s good to contact a reliable septic tank cleaning company that will create for you a regular schedule for pumping your property’s septic tank. Having a regular septic tank cleaning schedule will help you keep track of time.
Proper maintenance of the sewery system
Even if you schedule septic tank pumping, it’s important to know that septic tanks should be maintained properly between each scheduled pumping. Otherwise, you may need to call a professional sewer cleaning company to clean your septic tank before the next scheduled septic tank cleaning service.
One of the things that can cause septic problems is flushing out things that can cause blockage.
Avoid flushing down toilet paper and also things like cotton balls, wet wipes, feminine hygiene products. Even those wet wipes that are called “flushable” aren’t suitable for flushing and can cause clogs inside sewers.
Be careful what you are pouring down the drains too. Some things like improper waste disposal and pouring down your drains grease and oil can bring serious issues for your septic tank.
Another thing you should watch out for is your property’s water usage. If you have an increased water consumption for your laundry, you love long showers or you just let the water run during your morning tooth brushing, this can lead to an imbalance of liquid and solid in the septic tank because of the high amount of water entering the sewer system.
Understand the sewery system of your property
Because every septic system is different, knowing the parts that make up your sewer system can be helpful when you contact professional septic technicians in case of a sewer system issue. For example, you should know where the location of your septic tank and leach field is.
When you know the different elements of your sewer system, you can help a septic tank cleaning technician find those elements in your sewer system they need to find in order to fix the issue.
By knowing where to find certain sewer system elements in an easy and quick way sewer technicians won’t need to use additional tools to find those elements.
Sewery system check-up for issues
Sometimes property owners that have recently had their septic tanks pumped experience plumbing problems such as pipe breakage or clogged pipes. In such cases you need to call the septic tank technicians again to check your sewer lines.
Professional companies specialized in sewer repairs and septic tank pumping use special cameras to check sewer pipes from the inside.
There can also be an issue with your leach field, as it can get flooded. In the case of a leach field flooding sewer technicians add extra lines to a sewer system or do a restructuring of the leach field, if it’s required.
Sewer line cleaning technicians can check whether sewer water is flowing to your leach field the way it should and also if it’s draining in a correct way.
That is why proper maintenance of a septic system is always needed, no matter how much time has passed since the last pumping of your septic tank.
As we have mentioned, every septic system is specific, so don’t forget to ask your sewer cleaning company all of the questions you have concerning your septic tank and sewer lines. Good sewer cleaning companies should be able to give you individual advice about the maintenance of your septic system and provide you with the information you need.