Septic tank maintenance

What Causes Cesspools to Fail?

Cesspools are closed unit reservoirs of wastewater under your home. The construction of the system should be followed according to the sanitary guidelines in your area so as to prevent much larger concerns in the future. Since this system does not have an outlet pipe that would help it empty itself from time to time, the homeowners should be the ones who should have it cleaned and emptied out every 3 to 4 years. This is to make sure that the cesspool works efficiently and doesn’t cause any unnecessary backups.

If you are one of those vigilant cesspool owners, then you should know the signs of a failing cesspool system. You know that your cesspool is failing when sewage is already backing up into your house. The smell will be horrid and this is really unacceptable. Another sign is that you already pump more than a few years, which is taxing and not financially practical. Then there is the constant wetness of your cesspool even if it hasn’t rained, your drains are clogged when the ground is very moist or when it is constantly raining, and the drains empty very slowly. This is a red flag considering the toxicity that is contained in your cesspool. If the sewage in your home is not emptied or treated properly, then there is a very high possibility that the surrounding surface waters will be contaminated.

There are a few reasons why cesspools fail:

1. Excessive water use
This is a very obvious cause of a cesspool failure. If the cesspool is overloaded with more water than it could actually handle, the water backs up to the surrounding surfaces of your home such as in your house or yard. It is included in the design that only a specified amount of water should be used. So expect a smelly flooding when your cesspool fails because of this. Excessive water flow may come from additional people in your home who use water or a leaking faucet.

2. Maintenance is poor
As with anything else in this world, poor care and maintenance is a major cause of cesspool failure. It is understood already that when you install a cesspool, regular pumping and checkups should be done. It is advisable that the pumping should be done every one to three years. This also depends on the number of people in your home and the quantity of waste that goes out of your house into the cesspool. If your sink has a garbage disposal unite installed, then the cesspool should be emptied extra frequently. Part of cesspool maintenance is to avoid flushing non-biodegradable and chemical based materials such as sanitary napkins, tampons, diapers, plastics, cigarette butts, and medications among others. These substances kill the bacteria needed in the cesspool to breakdown the wastes/bio-solids/scum. These synthetic materials will also clog the baffles.

3. Poor installation and design
Another cause of cesspool failure is the inadequate design. You have to have the right kind of soil and the right amount of space in the proper design and installation of your cesspool system. The space required depends on the drain field’s condition and the amount of sewage that flows into the system. The soil should be able to handle the flow rate of the waste water so as to avoid problems.

If ever you do encounter any cesspool system problems, report it immediately to your local health department so that you may be guided as to what the real problem is. Making sure that you immediately have the problem fixed will prolong the life of your cesspool system and save you a lot of money if complications and replacements come about.

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