Septic System Problems

All owners of a septic system will tell you that one of the biggest concerns is that of septic system problems that they understand, can lead to very expensive repair costs. The best advice for dealing with this is to first find the source of the problem through diligent research of the entire system.

If you do not already have a blueprint or layout of your septic system, you can usually obtain one from your local government offices where these diagrams are usually submitted and kept as per local codes. Thorough research will need to be completed so as to pinpoint the problem. Start with your toilets, sinks, tubs and drains to confirm that there are no leaks. Map out your entire system and determine whether or not you have a standard tank and drain, cesspit or other type of system. This investigation will need to be done in an effort to make sure that once the problem is located and dealt with that it will not come back.

The biggest cause of this issue tends to be that of an imbalance or lack of bacteria and this is looked at as being one of the more serious problems that can lead to a system being backed up or failing. The exact cause of this varies and will depend on the exact nature of the circumstances that surround the back up issue. Often this issue is caused by a person taking and adding toxic chemicals that are supposed to improve the flow of the waste through the system. These chemical based products are notorious for taking the level of bacteria and reducing it to a point that normal decay and breakdown of sludge can not effectively complete. When this happens, a bacteria booster will be needed to help increase the balance of the bacteria. This is something that can be done without any professional assistance.

There is also the issue of not having a tank pumped out frequently enough. Many people tend to forget that they have to pump these systems out in an effort to keep them from backing up. There are varied opinions about the frequency that this needs to be done. Many people will say that once every three years will be more tan sufficient. This is often not always the case. One example of this is due to over use of the system or flushing items that are not designed to go down the system. This can lead to a back up of waste and cause a saturated septic tank situation.

Harsh household cleaner can also pose a problem since the ingredients in many cleaner not only do a fine job of cleaning, but they also destroy tremendous amounts of bacteria in the process.

You see, your septic system is similar to farm compost and just like a compost, septic leach areas collect waste and break it down through a natural process known as decay or degradation. If you had compost, the last thing you would want to do is flood it daily with gasoline right? Well, many detergents and cleaners have strong anti-bacterial properties which destroy bacteria, leading to severe problem for a lot of homeowners.

Taking all of this advice into mind, will help to lead the homeowner to know what things need to be done in an attempt to help curtail septic system problems from occurring in the first place. If you have a septic system problem currently, start your research and conduct a full investigation into what might be the cause and what you can do to help remedy the problem before it’s too late.