Septic tank maintenance

Septic tank maintenance

Odors coming from toilet can mean trouble

Sep 4th, 2012
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Having your nephews over for that weekend was very special because it you were going to help them choose their first dog. In the back of your mind you always knew the odors coming from toilet can mean trouble. Before you left that day, your younger nephew wanted to use the bathroom. A few seconds after he went in, he immediately came out. He said that he didn’t make a poo because the toilet made a poo already. You wondered why he said that. You were very sure that you cleaned the toilet very well. You even turned on your bathroom deodorizer before you closed the bathroom door that morning. When you went inside the bathroom to check, the toilet was emitting a terrible septic odor. It even backed up with septic water. The drains and sinks did the same thing. You knew you had to call the septic expert immediately because odors coming from toilet can mean trouble.

It was a good thing that your next door neighbors were already awake that morning so your nephews were able to use their bathroom. When the septic expert arrived, you told your nephews to watch TV for a while. The expert worked on the septic trouble as fast as he could. He said that even if you adhered to the pumping schedule, there were still other reasons why this:

1. Fat dumping

If you have the habit of dumping fat and grease into your drains, sinks, and toilets, then you would be greatly contributing to its slow death. Even if you use a garbage disposal unit, fats are still fats and they cannot be broken down by the resident bacteria very easily. They just stay in the tank until they enter the drain field where they clog the area. This will then lead to malfunction and failure.

2. Non-biodegradables

Dumping non-biodegradable materials like paint, disinfectants, plastic materials, tampons, and napkins will definitely clog the system. These items will not be degraded by the resident bacteria and will just stay in the system and clog up the tank and the drain field until the entire system fails.

3. Using antibacterial cleaners

Homeowners usually opt for antibacterial solutions to make sure that their homes stay germ-free and disease-free. But these antibacterial cleansers kill off the resident bacteria that breakdown the solid waste materials that come in with the wastewater. As you know, anaerobic and aerobic bacteria are the ones that really enable the septic system to function. If they are killed off, the entire wastewater treatment facility in your home will fail.

4. High water load

High water load or a drastic increase in water load could also cause the system to fail. This may be caused by heavy rains, heavy laundry loads, and an increase in the number of household members. Your septic system is designed to accommodate your household. If the wastewater that comes in is beyond its capacity, it is bound to fail. You should talk to your septic expert about the necessary adjustments that should be made to normalize the water load. A dry well could be installed, the rain gutter could be diverted away from the septic area, and the larger septic tank could be installed to allow a better septic system flow.

5. Pumping out when it’s raining heavily

It’s better not to pump out when it is raining heavily. Just wait for the rains to stop before you have your system pumped out. If you pump out during heavy rains, then the mud and silt will enter the system and clog it.

6. Hardwood plants, vehicles, or construction over the system

There should not be any hardwood plants, construction, or vehicles over the system because these damage the septic components. Just place them away from the system’s area.

7. Not following pump out schedules

You should follow the pump out schedules so that you can be sure that the sludge level is maintained at a normal level and will not be dispersed in to the drain field.

The septic expert corrected the septic failure at an amazing pace. You were able to leave just before lunch. Even if the septic expert repaired the septic malfunction, you knew that you had to do your part to prevent the incident from happening again. I want to tell all readers to remember that odors coming from toilet can mean trouble.

Septic sludge product

Aug 22nd, 2012
by Service.
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Your septic expert just arrived to orient you about your new septic system. It was a new learning opportunity for you because it was your first time to own your own home and your own septic. Years back, you shared your space with strangers in your apartment building. You didn’t really care about the septic system because you only had an apartment unit to rent. It was the landlady’s problem when it concerned the septic. When it was time for you to get a place of your own, you wanted everything to be correctly done. You knew that there would be expenses and you wanted money to be well-spent. The septic expert prepared flyers and modules for you to read after the orientation. You wanted the hard copy because of your busy schedule as well. You wouldn’t want to forget a thing especially the septic sludge product.

The septic system has one vital thing that will either make or break the entire process of wastewater treatment—the sludge. The sludge is found at the bottom part of the septic tank. It houses the anaerobic bacteria that break down the solid waste materials that go with the wastewater that enters the system. At normal levels, the sludge would allow a clear effluent to disperse into the drain field. This would not yield any clogging problem or system failure in the future. At highly excessive levels, the sludge will occupy the septic tank space, causing it to overflow. The effluent in the tank will disperse the sludge into the drain field. The drain field will get clogged and this inevitably results to system malfunction and failure. Your house and yard would start having septic water backups and disarming septic odors. The fumes contain toxic gases that would be very unhealthy for you. The septic water itself would be filled with pathogens that will result to diseases of every kind. If ever your system was to suffer from such a septic problem, your septic expert told you about the right septic sludge product that you could consider purchasing.

The right septic sludge product to help restore the normal sludge conditions should be bacterial additives. This type of septic sludge product really eliminated the heavy sludge accumulation throughout the entire system. As this process goes on, the septic odors will also be eliminated. The surrounding soil and water system remain safe when you use the bacterial septic sludge product because it doesn’t have chemical discharges to pollute.

When you choose to use a septic sludge product, keep in mind that you should not depend on it. You should still make efforts to keep the pump out schedules and to properly care for your system by doing the following:

  • Removing structures and vehicles over your septic to avoid soil compaction. Soil compaction crushes the septic components.
  • Relocate the plants that you have over your septic. The invasive roots damage or clog the system.
  • Redirect the gutter so that it would drain away from the system. Water load could be lessened this way.
  • Never dump grease, non-biodegradable materials, antibacterial solutions, and very strong chemicals into the system.

Your septic expert also asked you if anyone in your household was under prescription medications. If this is so, then you would have to subject your septic system to a regular septic treatment. These medications (namely antibiotics) kill off the resident bacteria and increase the sludge levels. Adding more bacteria will enable the system to regain the bacterial population that it loses when the medications are dumped in with the waste.

Septic sludge products should be chosen very well so that it would benefit you, the system, and the environment altogether. You can always seek the advice of your septic expert or perform personal research on your own through the Internet. Knowing the right things to do in septic system maintenance will help you become a more responsible homeowner and ultimately, a more dependable person.

Natural leach field cleaners

Aug 7th, 2012
by Service.
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There are many things taught to you by your grandmother. She taught you recipes, life lessons, and even strategies to handle money. One of the things she taught was how to take care of your septic system. She said that you should just place a cake of yeast in the septic tank and just leave it alone. According to her, the yeast is one of the best natural leach field cleaners available. A septic system is a self-maintaining system that should be left alone to do its work.

 It was almost time for the scheduled maintenance of your leach field when your grandmother decided to pay you a long visit, which equates to about a month long stay. The day you picked her up at the airport, you decided to save on time and drop by the local septic shop to buy the additives that you need for the upcoming maintenance day. When your grandmother asked where you were, you answered her casually. Her eyes widened at what you were going to buy but instead of fully arguing with you, she decided to go inside with you and see what your modern septic shop had to offer.

The store owner assisted you with your septic supply shopping. Your grandmother just couldn’t hide her skepticism at the numerous additives or cleaners that lined the shelves. You looked at the shop owner with an apologetic look and just told him that you needed some natural leach field cleaners. After a few minutes, your order was prepared and packed. Your grandmother’s eyebrows were raised when you placed the cleaners in the back seat. She said that the septic shop before was a bakery. She just ordered a cake of yeast and that was it. 

There was no point in arguing with her in the car. You just told her that the modern septic tanks required more than a cake of yeast to survive the torture of wastewater. She actually didn’t know how a septic system worked. After you brought in her things, you brought her to the kitchen to have some milk and cookies as you prepared dinner. 

You began by saying that the septic system is the wastewater treatment system of your entire household. All the wastes from your home go to the septic tank and stay there until the effluent goes to the leach field and the solid wastes are separated from the effluent to be degraded by the anaerobic bacteria. With the help of the anaerobic bacteria in the tank degrade the solid wastes and create the sludge layer. Meanwhile, the aerobic bacteria purify the effluent before it is returned to the surrounding environment. 

Your grandmother argues with her yeast practice but you explained that the yeasts only accelerate the accumulation of the sludge layer and contribute greatly to the clogging of the leach field. If the leach field gets clogged heavily, the aerobic bacteria get killed off and don’t get to purify the effluent anymore. The clogging also prevents the soil absorption system to absorb the outgoing wastewater, thus resulting to the backup of sewage into the home or onto the yard. This is why the septic tank has to be pumped out regularly as scheduled and the leach field should be cleaned as scheduled as well. 

Natural leach field cleaners should be used because they contain non-pathogenic bacteria that help accelerate the breakdown of the solid wastes. And because these products are composed of bacteria, they do not have harmful chemicals that could harm the already existing bacterial population, the tank, the components, and the surrounding environment. The bacteria in the septic tank and in the leach field should be well taken care of so that the efficiency of the system can be maintained.

Your grandmother admitted that she didn’t really know how the yeast cakes she dumped into their septic tank before benefited the system. It was just something that her own mother told her to do. As you served up dinner, your grandmother realized that the modern times have benefits and the use of natural leach field cleaners were most beneficial.

Do laundry detergents or soaps harm drain fields?

Aug 1st, 2012
by Service.
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When you have a functional septic system, you must be taking care of your septic tank and drain field very well. Do laundry detergents or soaps harm drain fields is the topic of this article. There are the two main components of the septic system that you need to focus on so that you may be able to enjoy your home for the longest time. It is not surprising for you to be curious if certain chemical compounds that you use could harm your drain field, especially when you are always a homeowner who wants to maintain an efficient septic system.

As you know, you cannot live in a home without cleaning. You should clean all the time to make sure that your entire household is healthy. This includes doing your laundry. It is already a given that you use laundry detergents or soaps but since you have decided to purchase a washer and dryer and not go to the Laundromat anymore, this issue has been bugging you for weeks already. Do laundry detergents harm drain fields?

Any septic expert could tell you that technically, laundry detergents or soaps do not harm the drain fields because by the time they reach that area of the septic system they area already very dilute. They won’t affect the bacterial population that degrade the solid wastes in the tank and purify the effluent in the drain field. However, the phosphates and surfactants that are present in these laundry soaps do harm the surrounding bodies of water. We will try to answer the old question of do laundry detergents or soaps harm drain fields? To be on the safe side, there are some soaps or detergents that are safe to use in your home that are very friendly to the septic system and to your environment:

1. Mild detergents and soaps

This type of soap/detergent is said to be the best one to use when you have septic tanks and drain fields. The mild soaps/detergents are very friendly to the bacterial population in the system and will not kill them at all. Antibacterial soaps are the most harmful to the septic system because these products stop the decomposition done by the bacterial population and impair the degradation of the solid wastes, leading to the failure of the drain field. 

2. Liquid detergent for laundry

Dry detergent have more fillers or extenders that clog the drain field than liquid detergents. With this, it is better to use the liquid type of laundry detergents. The cheaper dry laundry soaps contain montmorillonite clay as a form of filler. This clogs the drain field because this is primarily used as a sealant. Sodium and other extenders are also added to the dry laundry soaps that could definitely clog the drain field.

3. Non-toxic cleaners

You should make it a habit to search for non-toxic cleaners to use in your home. When you do use them, do so minimally. You should limit the use of household cleansers because functionally, they are made to degrade grease, eliminate dirt, and destroy pathogens. If the cleaning agent is more toxic, then it could do more damage to the drain field and to the entire system. Make sure that before you purchase household cleansers, read the labels carefully to assess their toxicity. There are polishing agents and disinfectants that are very poisonous to the bacteria found in the septic tank. Search for the least toxic of all household cleansers before going on impulse and purchasing the harshest by mistake.

If you are determined to use a washing machine with your drain field, then you should make sure that there is a dry well installed beside it. This is like a tank that collects all the runoff from the washing machine. If you are concerned about the detergents damaging the environment, a dry well is the best thing that you could have with your septic system. There will be times when non-toxic detergents will be out of stock for some reason. A dry well will be helpful to prevent the harsh detergents that you could use from harming the bacteria and clogging the drain field. We hope that we answered the question of do laundry detergents or soaps harm a drain field.

Costs to Replace a Sand Mound

Jun 28th, 2012
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Sometimes you just can’t help it. Trouble brews in paradise. There are days when you think you have it all together. Then suddenly, out of the blue, your dog comes in, smelly and wet from walking on the yard. Your daughter comes to you complaining about the gross dark water coming from the toilet, sinks, and drains. The house suddenly smells like sewer. When those days come to your life, you have no choice but to pick up the phone and call your septic expert. You and your local septic professional can better discuss sand mound repair cost and the possibility of replacing the sand mound.

Years back, you had been surprised by the fact that you actually had a sand mound system. You were surprised because of the soil’s poor percolation rate and high water table. It wasn’t a system that you were prepared for but it certainly worked. You just had to give several explanations to your daughter every time she asked you why you’re septic were above the ground cluttering up the yard.

Sand mound repair costs were never part of the budget. Your daughter just started school and your cat just had her first litter. When your septic expert arrived, he made a thorough inspection of the property and said that there were some minor sand mound repairs that had to be done. Sand mound malfunction could be caused by a lot of things –

Grease and non-biodegradable materials that cannot be broken down by resident bacteria. Corrosive chemicals and antibacterial solutions that kill bacteria and destroy the structural parts of the system. Hardwood plants over and around the sand mound. Not pumping the tank regularly. Too much water load from the dishwasher and the washing machine. High water load brought in by heavy rains because the rain gutter drains it over the sand mound. Vehicles and structures over the sand mound that cause soil compaction. This crushes the sand mound components. Deteriorated construction fabric, resulted to the sand mound’s freezing over during winter. You were guilty of using many of the products known to disrupt the natural bacterial count. You just didn’t have the time to think about your sand mound and the potential cost associated with sand mound repairs. Your septic expert gave you the sand mound repair costs list wherein estimations of some of the required repairs are indicated –

shut-off valve installations –  between 25  and  50 USD
drain field repairs –  between 1,200  and  2,500 USD
extra sand mound system –  between 8,000  and 15,000 USD
replacement of main waste pipe –  between 25  and  75 USD
replacement with copper supply pipes –  between 10  and  15 USD
sand mound tank replacement –  between 1,800  and  2,500 USD
supply piping insulations –  between 1  and  3 USD
replacement – outside hose bib –  –  between 75  and  150 USD
replacement  – supply pipes –  –  between 5  and  10 USD
repairs  – trap or drain –  –  between 75  and  200 USD
pvc replacement of waste pipes –  between 5  and  10 USD
waste pipe replacement  – cast iron –  –  between 10  and  15 USD
repairs  – ordinary leaks –  –  between 75  and  125 USD

The sand mound system is just like any other septic system. It just had to be maintained and cared for with a bit more attention. It can easily incur damage because it’s essentially exposed to the elements and to the rest of the household. If you have pets, they might be attracted by the smells and try to dig out what’s under the sand mound. It’s advisable to have it securely fenced in to make sure that your pets stay away from it.

Pumping out your sand mound is essential. It is the only staple maintenance that you have to do to keep the system flowing. To have a regular schedule for pumping out your system, you have to let the septic expert know about the living situation in your home. In your case, since it’s only and your daughter, you have to pump out your sand mound system every three years. Pumping out a septic system regularly can reduce sand mound repair costs and extent the natural life of your septic system.

Septic system restoration products

Jun 25th, 2012
by Service.
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There may have been one dreaded episode in your life as a homeowner wherein you have decided to inspect your septic system drain field and discover that the tank is full and practically at exploding point with wastewater. Maybe you became so alarmed that you immediately called the experts to have them assess and inspect what could be possibly done to remedy what just happened to your septic system.

After five meetings with five different septic professionals, you were just upset and disgusted with the prospect of having to replace the septic system and drain field. This thought just flashed roughly a total of $23,000.00 in your head for the replacement. This included the removal of the tree over your drain field, demolition of the partial driveway over your drain field, and the restoration of your landscape after a new septic system and drain field was to be installed. This can be classified as a financial nightmare even for a homeowner such as yourself. Most do spend even more than this much money when it comes to their septic system mainly because they were not well oriented with the proper care of their septic system. Some of them may have been told that their system didn’t need any maintenance at all. There may have been practices of just placing yeast or dead chickens in the septic tank to increase beneficial bacterial count so that the entire septic system will last for the longest time.

As you know, the septic system typically is comprised of both a biological and a mechanical system. Biological septic systems can easily be affected by the overloaded by a lack of maintenance, the usage of various chemicals such as anti-bacterial soaps, bleach, paint, and dumping of non-biodegradable wastes such as cigarette butts and diapers can also reduce the effectiveness of a septic systems ability to digest solid waste generated by a home. The mechanical aspect of a septic system is comprised of the materials such as PVC, asphaltic pipe, concrete, cast iron, and fired clay.

You should be very aware that septic systems and drain field problems and what could happen at the least expected moment. Most of the time, a failed septic system could result in personal and financial strains. Septic system and drain field restoration experts that you call for help may not even have an idea of what your septic system really needs but they will still try and sell their services to you. To prevent a large hole in your pocket, why not search online for the septic restoration products that are very effective in getting back your septic system into the groove. These products help you restore your septic system without having to excavate your yard or replace it. One of them is by Aero Stream that involves aeration or aerobic bio-remediation. Septic system restoration digests the bio-mat converting it into water and carbon dioxide. This results to the clearing of the restoration of the septic system and a rejuvenated drain field. It is filled with even more aerobic bacteria that eat whatever bio-mat is left. Compared to the total replacement of your system, beneficial bacteria used as a restoration is about ninety three percent cheaper compared to the cost of replacing a septic system.

There are myriads of septic restoration products on the market today, take a few minutes to research them out. This way, you can be sure that your septic system will be up and about in time without you, spending money that is supposed to be for your child’s education or the family’s medical insurance.

Sand mound not draining properly?

Jun 21st, 2012
by Service.
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Deciding which type of septic system led you and your to partner to months of debate and deliberation. Finally, both of you have decided to go with the sand mound system. Sand mound systems are said to be a fuss-free and easy to maintain system. So, since both of you are busy with work and house chores, you wanted that sand mound to take care of your household wastes water. It is a bit off in combination with your landscaping design but you might as well stick with it to take advantage of its convenience.

When you studied about the features of the sand mound system, you found out that it has six components: septic tank with outlet baffle filter; pump tank with alarm system, controls, and pump; sand filter; pump from the sand filter to the mound; the mound; and the reserve area. But even if you already have become well-versed with each of them, you were not able to fulfill your duty in making sure that your raised mound system is kept running good. As a result, there came a point when your sand mound didn’t drain properly anymore.

First, a look at the final components like the sand filter would be a nice start. This is the watertight layer that is made up of plastic or concrete that contains a filler of sand and gravel. This gravel layer supports the perforated pipes where the wastewater flows slowly onto the sand. The effluent is treated once it is exposed to air. The purified effluent then goes farther down onto the under drain. Here, the effluent goes to the mound where its final treatment is made before it is disposed into the surrounding soil. In the mound, a material for sand fill is present on top of the surface of the soil. This is where the treated effluent is pumped and distributed uniformly throughout the surrounding soil. This is to finalize the purification treatment of the effluent before it mixes with the groundwater.

The sand mound doesn’t drain properly because of the problem that starts in the most obvious place—the tank. If the bacterial population in this area is not enough to digest the solid waste materials that go in, gunk and sludge will form and this will flow into through the filters of the raised mound. Another reason is excessive water use in the household that retards the bacterial decomposition and carries the solid wastes right up to the filters. Leaks and damage to pipes somewhere in the raised mound system is another point to consider. If unnecessary substances go into the pipes, the filtering and absorption processes will not go very well. In case the mound fails because of severs clogging, you could replace it immediately. That is what the reserve area is for. It is a place designated to become a new mound installation. You should take good care of the reserve area by refraining from any excavation, grading, paving, compaction or construction in that particular area. If the reserve area is gone, then the possibility of having a new mound for your household is diminished.

It is a big problem when the sand mound does not drain properly. If the draining problem is superficial, which is only caused by a clog in the drain somewhere in the house, and then it is good for you. You will save time and money in fixing what might have been a very large problem in your mound system. However, if it truly is within the depths of the sand mound, you have to make changes when the correction has been made.

One such change is to make sure that you conserve water to ensure the best performance of the digesters in the tank. Next is to eliminate all anti-bacterial soaps and solutions or refrain from dumping them into the drain to keep the bacterial population stable. Bacterial enzymes can be added in to your system as recommended by your septic professional. Also avoid placing solid wastes like napkins, diapers, cigarette butts, and soap goo into your drains to make sure that the flow is smooth and that no clogging will ensue.

Leach bed chemicals

Jun 19th, 2012
by Service.
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Since the boom of the “green” campaign, everything just seemed to veer into the environment-friendly methods and products that use all natural ingredients or materials especially in septic tank leach bed treatments. These aim to significantly lessen the damage to the environment brought about by centuries of careless utilization and destruction of natural resources. Years have already passed and significant developments in transportation, health, beauty, and various industries have been made. There are already environment-friendly materials and ingredients that deliver the same wanted effects that bring less destruction to the surroundings and to your health as well.

One such development happened to the septic industry. It really made a huge difference for an industry based on wastewater to have treatments and additives that bring less harm to the environment and to your health. These days, leach bed chemicals that are organic and inorganic are no longer given that much attention when it comes to the maintenance and care of the septic system. Septic professionals are now more into biological additives and treatments than the usual inorganic and organic ones. Biological leach bed additives and treatments make use of bacteria in improving the performance of the residing bacteria in the septic system. As a result, the solid wastes in the wastewater are broken down much faster.

But it seems that the old habit of using conventional leach bed chemicals is very hard to break. For decades, you have been using inorganic chemicals in cleaning and treating your septic system. You have been a septic professional for years and you didn’t have any problems in using them. The lake beside you house didn’t exhibit any symptoms of being polluted at all. There have been several advertisements that emphasized the use of biological additives as a much safer option for your health and the environment. Although you didn’t see anything wrong with the leach bed chemicals that you used but you thought that it would be much better to use the biological additives. It was a decision that you made just in time because the lake didn’t give you as much fish as before. There were even plants surrounding the lake that already started to disappear. The lake was starting to be affected by the leach bed chemicals that you used.

When it was your leach bed’s schedules treatment, you opted to use the biological additives this time. You studied about the benefits of the non-pathogenic bacteria in the maintenance of the leach field and after administering the treatment, the results were far better. It was even more efficient that the usual leach bed chemicals that you used. It was even much safer for you to handle.

The biological leach bed additives that you used improved the decomposition process in the septic tank and in the leach field as well. In the septic tank, the existing bacteria are reinforced by the additional bacteria. It was like adding more soldiers to the existing war against the solid wastes that enter the septic system. More bacterial soldiers on your side meant that you would be able to purify the wastewater that enters it much faster. This would mean that the effluent would be returned to the surrounding environment in the best, most natural condition that it should have.

After years of using biological additives instead of leach field chemicals, you were able to improve the environmental conditions in the lake. There seemed to be more fishes and much greener banks. Your drains, sinks, and toilets seemed to work much better. It was indeed much better to use the biological additives in treating your leach bed.

You relaxed on your porch after you administered the treatment. It was a proper reward after working on your leach field. When you dozed off, your family arrived from their week’s mother-daughter retreat in another state. You were relieved and happy to finally see them but there was more relief in the thought that you and your family’s health will remain safe for years to come because of your biological treatments.

Natural raised mound cleaners

Jun 13th, 2012
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With your hands on your waist, you sweep a lingering gaze at your newly constructed lawn. It was just perfect. It mixed well with the raised mound that you had installed. At first, it wasn’t easy to accept the fact that your raised mound septic system was to be above the surface for everyone to see. It was a bit weird to explain to those who would ask what that mound was but thanks to your skilled landscape architect, you will no longer have that lengthy, awkward conversation with guests and neighbors.

Your children didn’t quite like the idea of having a raised mound septic system. It graphically grossed them out to be looking at a raised sand mound septic system in the back yard. But because the landscaping design subtly concealed the mound, they were convinced that the lawn was still a great place to hang out especially with the gazebo feature. The following week, you will be having a birthday barbeque for your youngest son. You told yourself that you had to make sure everything will be the very best that day, especially for your raised mound system. There should be no room for septic smells or raw sewage odors during the party. And you knew that you were going to be a big part of that. As the one who always coordinated with the septic professional in your area, you were the only one who knew a great deal about the care and maintenance of your raised mound. A huge part of this was to make sure that the raised mound was cleaned on schedule.

You were aware that there are existing manufacturers that manipulate homeowners like you into buying cheap raised mound cleaning products that promise you a cancellation of your pumping responsibilities. They tell consumers that when their products are used, backups will no longer be in existence. They promise you that you will have more money for your needs than for the repair or replacement of your raised mound. These were just formulated propagandas to make you purchase the said promising products. If you do try them, all they would result to would be system and environmental chaos. As the homeowner, you still have to stick to the cleaning and pumping out schedule of your raised mound. The sludge accumulates as wastewater continually fills your tank. Your septic professional told you that if you learned to manage your sludge, bacteria, and tank, you would never have a problem with your raised mound. Everything would follow once you do it right at the start.

During pumping out and cleaning, you have established the idea that your raised mound system and the environment would be better off with natural cleaners. This would help you maintain the bacterial population and help conserve the surrounding waters as well. Natural raised mound septic system cleaners concentrate on using non-pathogenic bacteria to increase the efficiency of the already existing bacteria in the tank. It is like having the cavalry arrive to help gain control against the enemies. The solid waste materials would then be degraded a lot faster, making the effluent get dispersed into the sand filter much faster. The bacteria present in the soil absorption system would then do their job of purifying the effluent much better, getting rid of the pathogens that’s detrimental to your household and the surrounding environment.

As the septic professional cleared your raised mound as pumped out and cleaned on schedule using the natural raised mound cleaners, you gave yourself a pat on the back. You were already sure that your son’s barbeque party will be filled with a cloud of delicious barbeque aroma and not septic smells. That afternoon, you and your wife decided to give the yard a test run before the actual party. Your wife made burger patties and marinated vegetables and fruits for a barbeque dinner. When she went out, she gave you your grill master apron as you took over. The kids and your faithful golden retriever sat in anticipation while they entertained themselves with a PS3 game. It will definitely be a barbeque party to remember.

Dead grass over drain field

Jun 11th, 2012
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Walking along your neighborhood is something that you do during your spare time. You even take your dachshund with you so that both of you would get fit.  That weekend, as you went on with your regular route, you noticed the yard of your neighbors. Most of them looked deep green, like the rain has just finished showering them. You looked up and just saw a clear blue sky with white clouds floating by. The sun was also shining brightly that day so you know that it didn’t rain. And besides, you always had a stomach ache whenever it was about to rain. You didn’t, so, it must’ve stayed this way all morning. The air was absolutely clear of the damp soil smell. Why were most of the yards that wet?

Your mind was still boggled by your neighbors’ yards. When you went to your yard after your shower, you decided to bring out your coffee and buttered toast as well. You stayed in the corner where the large maple tree towered over your lounge chair. Your dachshund played in the yard with his new toy while you enjoyed your breakfast and morning paper. When your dog barked, you looked up and saw him sniffing the dead grass on your yard. Your eyes widened. Why did you have dead grass on your yard? You always had them watered and fertilized. Then it hit you. The dead grass was directly on your drain field. This wasn’t explained by your septic expert yet. You were nervous about it because the grass might be dying because of the toxicity of the wastewater. Immediately, you dialed your septic professional’s number.

Why would the grass die on top of your drain field? The septic system collects wastewater from your household and collects it in the septic tank. Here, the solid wastes are degraded by the anaerobic bacteria so that the effluent may be rid of these as they get absorbed in the drain field.  The drain field is the final area where the wastewater will be treated. This is where the pre-treated effluent will be purified and be rid of the pathogens and contaminants before it is distributed into the surrounding environment. This task is performed by the aerobic bacteria. This second type of bacteria in your septic system needs oxygen to proliferate and function well.

The top of the drain field should only have a thin layer of soil so that the effluent will be able to evaporate easily as the sun hits the soil. When the topsoil is dry, there is more oxygen for the aerobic bacteria. This also means that the drain field is absorbing the effluent well and that there are no clogs in the system. If you see soggy grass over your drain field, this is a warning sign because this means that the drain field is not absorbing the effluent anymore. This results to wastewater back up into your home and onto your yard.

When you have dead grass over your drain field, you should not water the dead grass, hoping to revive it. Neither should you add more topsoil to retain more water for the grass. Watering the grass over the drain field will make it hard for the drain field to absorb the outgoing effluent, resulting to wastewater backup. The added soil will indeed retain more water, and therefore lessen the amount of oxygen in the soil for the aerobic bacteria. If you really want to maintain your drain field, just let the dead grass be dead. This would be a very organic sign for you to know if your septic system is still functioning ideally or not.

You should give your dachshund a treat for making you look at the dead grass on your drain field. From that day on, you won’t be boggled by the soggy grass that your neighbors’ yards. You already know which household is really responsible in taking good care of their septic systems. And yours is one of the role models.

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