While the scenery is beautiful and the wildlife can be intriguing, living in the country often means living with a septic tank. These devices are buried in the ground and their purpose is to allow the waste from your kitchen and bathroom to decompose without polluting the groundwater, hopefully. That is what they are designed to do, but septic systems need regular maintenance and if you are unsure if it is time to empty the tank, you may find yourself looking up septic tank draining near me.
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Standing Water Around the Tank
A healthy septic system should move fluids through relatively quickly. If you see pools of standing water in the yard near where the septic tank is buried or around the outflow area, your tank probably needs to be pumped out.
Drains and Toilets Flow Slowly
If sink and tub drains are slow to empty and toilets need a couple of flushes to work, your septic tank is probably full. Before calling the pumper truck, use a plumber’s snake to clear any clogs from hair, soap or grease to make sure these are not the culprits.
Bad Smells
Nothing smells quite as foul as a septic system that is not working. If you smell annoying odors in your yard, it is time to call for septic system maintenance.
Sewer Backups
Along with odors and slow flushes, sewer backups are a sure sign of a full tank. A properly operating system will keep things flowing with no slow downs or reversals.
Green Lawn
We all want a lovely, lush, healthy-looking lawn, but if the area around the septic tank resembles a jungle, it is time to call for septic system maintenance.
It’s Time
Septic tanks should be pumped out every one to three years, depending upon the size of the household. With one or two people, lean toward the longer time frame, but a family of four or five will put more stress on the system, so cleaning it out more frequently may be necessary.
With some attention and common sense, a septic system will work fine.