Septic tank maintenance

February 11th, 2013:

Toilets backing up from drain field

Toilets backing up from drain field has always been a topic around the septic system campfire.  You have been well-versed with the language of the septic system since you oversaw the construction of your own home. Many homeowners do not know a thing about their septic system but you wanted to be different. You wanted to make sure that you will be worth the house you had built. It was explained to you that the septic system is your household’s wastewater treatment facility that recycles the water into a form that is safe for the surrounding environment.

The septic tank and the drain field are the most important divisions of the septic system. They contain bacteria that degrade and purify the solid wastes and effluent respectively. When something goes wrong in any of these basic components, then you should immediately notify your septic expert to remedy it right away. As much as possible, septic experts avoid malfunctions and failures because it is really very taxing and very costly to do. How you wish that the same prudence towards septic systems was taken into consideration by the previous owners of your best friend’s newly purchased home.

It was about two weeks before Valentines when your best friend decided to make dinner for his fiancé. Toilets backing up from drain field are always a concern. They usually ate out or visited you in your restaurant and shared a full course dinner with you. You were the best friend and the owner and the executive chef of your restaurant that was why it was easy to figure out and serve what they wanted to eat. But that year’s Valentine’s celebration was very different. For the very first time, your best friend was willing to be your student for a week and finally cook the full-course meal himself. By the last day of the lesson proper, you noticed something strange. It was after work and when you entered your best friend’s house, an awful smell welcomed you.

Your best friend was out in the yard, talking to the septic expert about his apparent problem. The toilets in the house were backing up from the drain field. It was a disaster. How could your best friend present his newly bought house to his future wife? You knew that you had to support him on this. When you got into the conversation, the septic expert said that he will do what he could to remedy the situation. He suggested moving the planned dinner on the following weekend. That would give him the time to clean everything up and let the treatment work its magic. Your best friend agreed to it and it would also give both of you time to finalize everything.

The septic expert told your best friend that he should start maintaining the pump out and monthly treatment schedules. The former owner of the property wasn’t able to do this but there was nothing to worry about because in a way, he already set a new beginning for him. The septic expert said that the cleaning solutions should be bacteria and environment-friendly. This is to take good care of the bacteria that reside in the septic system. They are the ones responsible for degrading the solid wastes that enter the system. Next, there should be a dry well installed beside the existing septic system to lessen the water load. If there is less water load in the system, the bacteria will be given ample time to break down the solid wastes. If this happens, the effluent will not carry the solid wastes over to the drain field.

The drain field was blocked at that time because of this. Only clear effluent should be dispersed in the drain field and not the sludge or solid wastes. With the proper care and maintenance, the same incident will not happen again.

An entire week passed by and the valentine dinner was able to push through. Of course, you weren’t there anymore. You just made sure that the dining and the cooking areas were in front of each other to let his best friend entertain, cook, and serve at the same time. The septic expert definitely calculated the treatment time just right. Your best friend’s house already had the possibility of being the house for his future family. Toilets backing up from drain field clogs will never be a problem for you.