A septic system is an underground wastewater treatment structure that works by using a combination of both nature and technology to treat wastewater from household plumbing produced by bathrooms, kitchen drains, and laundry. By maintaining your septic system, you will save money, protect your property, and keep you and surrounding areas healthy.
The first step in maintaining the septic system is locating it. The easiest way to do that is find the direction the pipe goes through the basement wall. “Back outside, the inspector will use aninsulated probe inserted into the soil to locate the buried piping. Once thesystem components are found, be sure to sketch a map and keep it on hand tosave time on future service visits.” The next step is to inspect the ports of the system. By flushing the toilets, running the water in the sinks, running the washing machine, etc. are all ways to check if the household plumbing is working correctly. Next it is important to scum and sludge layers with specific tools inserted through the port. “If the sludge depth is equal to one thirdor more of the liquid depth, the tank should be pumped. Also, the tank needs tobe pumped when it is 1/3 full.” Next, the tank and drain field need to be checked for cracks or any sign of failure. “The average household septic system should be inspected at leastevery three years by a septic service professional.” It is important to avoid chemical drain treatments for clogged drains. Avoid pouring grease or oils down the drain, and limit the use of a garbage disposal. By not maintaining the septic system, it poses dangers to the environment.
