Let's face it; septic systems hold human waste, otherwise known as pee and poop. While it is easy for urine to pass through the system to a drainage field or be pumped out without many problems, it is feces that can create problems. Solid waste (a.k.a., poop) can build up, break down, fuse and create a mass that does some really bad things to your septic system. Here is what you can do, both prevention and repair-wise, with regards to solid waste becoming too solid in your septic tank.
Preventive Measures
When feces becomes compact, it is heavy like a rock and thick like clay. It sticks to the walls of your septic tank, and clogs drains. To prevent this, you should have regular septic system maintenance. The maintenance acts as preventive measures so that the feces does not turn into a unified, trouble-making mass of horror. Most of the tank is pumped out, then blasted and scraped, before refilled with a little water and a lot of feces-eating microbes.
Other preventive measures include eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables for looser stools, drinking lots of water to soften stools, and exercise. The American diet is often high in fats (which cause feces to float in a septic tank), or high in iron-rich meat (which blackens your stool and causes it to sink like torpedo). Neither of these is good for your septic tank, but you can change that by changing your lifestyle and eating habits.
Repairs When the Feces Have Already Made a Solid Mass
Your septic tank can overflow when a mass of feces has walled off the drainage system and blocked the port through which the tank is pumped clear. The blockages the feces create could cost you thousands in repairs, and an embarrassing situation to boot. If something really goes wrong, you will need a septic system repair company come out, assess the damages, and perform the repairs immediately. Otherwise you could be without the use of indoor plumbing for weeks to months.
Repairs often include the flushing and forced removal of the fecal mass, pumping and cleaning the tank to make sure all traces of feces are removed from the tank's walls, and even the removal and replacement of your tank with a new tank. None of that is cheap, which is why septic system maintenance and preventive measures are so very important.
For more information, contact a business like Linn Septic Service.
Share27 June 2017
Hi there, I am Wes Nelson. When I lived in my first home, I discovered the plumbing connected directly to a septic system on the land. The septic system consisted of a tank, lines and leach field that processed the waste. I had to quickly learn how the septic system worked to keep it in good shape. I had to pay close attention to the substances I sent down the drains or flushed down the toilet. I did not want to disrupt the colonies of bacteria hard at work processing the waste products. On this site, I would like to help others keep their septic system in good working order by sharing the information I discovered. Please visit again soon.
