Whenever you’re hiring a septic tank service, it is essential to check their credentials. Find out if they have licenses for cleaning and inspection of septic tanks as well as insurance coverage for their technicians and your home.
Ask for references from friends and family as well as online reviews. This will help you choose the best septic tank company for your needs. Check out Septic Tank Services Near Me for more details.
When wastewater enters a home, it flows from each drain into a series of pipes that lead to a septic tank. This buried, water-tight container holds the wastewater long enough for solid wastes to settle down to the bottom and for fats, oils, and greases to drift to the top where they can be partially broken down by bacteria. After this initial treatment, the liquid wastewater (called effluent) exits the tank and travels to a leach field or drain field, where it percolates through the soil. This provides additional treatment by removing disease-causing pathogens, nutrients, and other contaminants.
All of this happens because of a complex, well-designed system of plumbing and septic tanks. But if not cleaned regularly, the solid material inside your septic tank can clog pipes and leak into the environment. That’s why it’s important to hire a reputable septic tank service for regular inspection and cleaning.
A septic tank contains all of the solid waste that runs through your household plumbing. This includes waste from toilets, sinks, showers, and washing machines. The solids settle down to the bottom of the tank as sludge while fats, oils, and greases float to the top as scum. The wastewater moves from one end of the septic tank to the other through a series of baffles and an outlet.
The septic tank is the heart of your septic system. It’s important to maintain this tank properly, including ensuring the system is properly vented and having it pumped regularly. A septic tank that’s overflowing can cause health and safety issues for your family, and it can also lead to contamination of local water sources.
You can avoid costly repairs by keeping the tank clean and hiring a trusted professional to do routine inspections. During a regular inspection, your septic tank service will check for any damage or leaks, and they’ll clean out the sludge and scum.
Before you hire a septic tank service, check the company’s Angi rating to ensure they’re a dependable and reputable option. The Angi rating is based on verified reviews from homeowners like you who have hired septic tank services. This can help you find pros that offer high-quality work at fair prices.
Treatment
A septic tank is designed to receive gray wastewater (from kitchens, laundry rooms and bathrooms) and black wastewater (from toilets), and to separate them into 3 layers. Oils and fats float to the top and create a scum layer, heavy solids sink to form a sludge layer, and the liquid waste that remains is called effluent or wastewater.
After septic tank treatment, the wastewater is discharged through pipes to an absorption field, or drain field. The effluent is then absorbed into the soil, which naturally filters and purifies it of harmful bacteria before it seeps back into groundwater.
In most septic systems, the water leaves your home through a distribution box, which has multiple outlets to evenly distribute the wastewater throughout your drain field. The system may also have a pump to help get wastewater through if the septic tank is getting full too quickly.
If you have a septic system, it is important to follow good maintenance practices to prevent problems and keep your system running well. This includes regularly checking for clogs, ensuring your septic tank is pumped when needed, and not planting trees within 30 feet of the tank or drain field area. The roots of these trees can clog or otherwise damage your drain field. Also, never allow anyone to work on your septic system without first ensuring they are licensed system professionals.
Leaks and other problems with your septic system can cause your septic tank to fill too quickly, or may cause the liquid waste in the tank to spill out of the tank. Other signs of a problem include drains that are slow or backed up, or the smell of sewage in your home. If you have one or more of these issues, contact your septic tank service immediately.
If your septic tank isn’t properly sized for your household, it won’t be able to hold the liquid waste that comes from your home. Your septic tank service can help you determine if your septic tank needs to be enlarged. A septic system that’s too small can clog and overflow, leaving you with costly repairs and unpleasant odors.
Disposal
When homeowners think about plumbing maintenance, they often overlook the septic system, which manages waste in homes not connected to public sewer lines. A well-maintained septic system helps keep local waterways clean and provides healthy habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife. To ensure your septic tank is operating at its best, schedule routine inspections and pump-out services.
A septic tank is a buried, water-tight container made of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. It holds wastewater long enough for solids to settle down to the bottom and break down into sludge, while oil and grease float to the top and decompose in the liquid layer of scum. Compartments and a T-shaped outlet prevent the sludge and scum from leaving the tank and traveling into the drainfield area. The liquid wastewater (effluent) exits the tank through a distribution box and into a series of perforated pipes buried in an absorption field.
The soil in the drainfield acts as a biological filter, processing the effluent and releasing it back into groundwater and surface water. Organic material in the effluent decomposes into a nutrient-rich liquid that is safe for plants to absorb. The septic tank, septic tank lids and absorption field must be properly sized, constructed and maintained to assure satisfactory operation and a long service life.
Keeping your septic system in good working order is key to ensuring that you don’t experience expensive and dangerous problems down the road. Schedule regular septic tank pumping to remove the sludge and scum that builds up inside. Maintaining a properly functioning septic system also reduces the load on your home’s septic tank and surrounding soil. Fix leaking faucets and toilets, install water-saving fixtures, limit the amount of laundry you wash each week and avoid flushing non-biodegradable materials or harmful chemicals.
When it comes to septic tank disposal, you can trust the professionals at ATS Environmental. We provide proper removal, excavation and site restoration, following strict environmental regulations to minimize the impact on the environment. ATS’s team of experienced technicians has the training, equipment and technology needed to excavate, clean and remove your septic tank without damaging the surrounding property.
Recycling
The septic tank itself is an important part of your system, but it is not the only component. You also need a leach field, which is an area of soil that receives and filters the liquid effluent from your septic tank. This helps protect your home from contamination and disease-causing organisms, and it prevents wastewater from seeping into surface water.
In the leach field, aerobic bacteria continue to treat the effluent, completing the treatment process. Unfortunately, if you do not dispose of solid waste properly, this bacterial action is limited and your leach field will eventually fail. It is recommended that you have your septic system inspected and pumped regularly to avoid the need for costly repairs and replacements.
When you hire a professional for septic tank pumping, the contractor will arrive with a truck that is equipped with a large tanker. Once the contractor opens your septic tank, they will pump out the sludge and scum layer with a giant vacuum hose. The waste is then stored in their tanker vehicle and transported to a sewage processing site for disposal.
A common misconception among septic tank owners is that they do not need to have their tanks pumped if they have not experienced problems with their systems. In reality, septic systems need to be pumped out at least every three to five years. If you have a foul odor coming from your drains or the septic system is nearing capacity, it is time to call a professional for a pump out and inspection.
Many common household cleaners and disinfectants can actually harm your septic system. These substances are too harsh for the bacteria that are essential to the function of your septic system, and they may cause clogs and failure. You should only use organic and biodegradable household cleaners.
You should also take precautions to protect your septic system from other threats. Never park vehicles or equipment over the septic tank, absorption field, or distribution box, and limit landscaping over the area. This prevents debris from entering the septic system and allows you to better locate components when doing home maintenance or yard work. It is helpful to map out the location of your septic system and mark it with stakes or paint to prevent damaging it with heavy machinery.