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 If
you are like most people, you know very little about your septic tank
system. This is understandable. In urban and suburban areas there are
sewers to carry household waste to municipal wastewater treatment plants.
In more rural areas, however, septic tank systems provide the functions
of both sewers and treatment plants.
All household waste is disposed through the septic system. The proper
operation of the septic system is essential to health, property value and
the ecology.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" was never
truer than it is with septic tank care. A small commitment to the care of
your septic system will protect you indefinitely from the nightmare
created by a failing system.
THE SEPTIC SYSTEM
The septic system is a small, on-site sewage treatment and disposal
system buried in the ground. The septic system is comprised of a septic
tank and a soil absorption area.
When household waste material enters
this box, several thing occur:
1. Organic solid
material floats to the surface and forms a layer of what is commonly
called "scum." Bacteria in the septic tank biologically convert
this material to liquid.
2. Inorganic or inert
solid materials and the by-products of bacterial digestion sink to the
bottom of the tank from a layer commonly called "sludge."
3. Only fairly clear
water should exist between the scum and sludge layers. It is this clear
water-and only this clear water, that should overflow into the soil
absorption area.
Solid material overflowing into the soil absorption area should be
avoided at all costs. it is this solids overflow
that clogs soil pores and causes septic systems to fail. Two main factors
cause solid material to build up enough to overflow: Bacterial deficiency
and lack of sludge removal.
Bacteria must be present in the septic tank to digest the organic solids.
Normal household waste provides enough bacteria to digest the solid
UNLESS any harm is done to the bacteria. Bacteria are very sensitive to
environmental changes. Many home-care products used in most homes every
day will destroy bacteria. Check the labels of products you normally use.
Labels carrying any of the following warnings will kill bacteria.
• Harmful of fatal if swallowed
• Avoid contact with the skin
• Do not get in open cuts or sores
• If comes in contact with eyes, call a physician immediately
Check the following list. These are common used home-care products that
will kill bacteria necessary for proper septic tank operation. Many of these
products are used in most homes on a daily basis:
detergents - bleach - polishes - disinfectants - acids - sink & tub
cleaners
toilet cleaners - cleaning compounds - caustic drain openers
People do not think of the effect of these products on the septic system
when the products go down the drain. What kind of effect do you think
antiseptics have on your septic tank?
Bacteria must be present to digest and liquefy the scum. If not digested,
the scum will accumulate until it overflows, clogging the soil absorption
area.
The sludge in the septic tank-inorganic and inert material and by
products of bacterial digestion-is not biodegradable and will not
decompose. If not removed, sludge will accumulate until it overflows,
again clogging the soil absorption area.
SOIL
ABSORPTION OR LEACHING AREA
The main way to carry off the overflow water from the septic tank is a
drain field. Drain fields generally consist of a network of perforated
pipes laid in a gravel-lined trench. Solids clogging the pipe perforations
will cause drainage to slow and eventually stop.
SEPTIC SYSTEM
MAINTENANCE
The U.S Government Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Public
Health Service says, "A septic tank system will serve a home
satisfactorily only if it is properly designed, installed, and adequately
maintained. Even a good system which does not have proper care and
attention may become a nuisance, and burdensome expense."
Septic system maintenance means two simple things. First, sludge that
accumulates in the bottom of the tank must be pumped out periodically.
How frequently depends on the size of the tank, the use it gets, and the
condition of the system. There is no additive that you can put in the
tank that will deal with the sludge. IT MUST BE PUMPED OUT. If not pumped
out, it will eventually overflow into the soil absorption area. This will
clog the system, and it will need to be rejuvenated or replaced, at
enormous expense and inconvenience.
The second part of the septic system maintenance involves the bacteria necessary
for solids digestion. If bacteria-killing products are used in the
home-as they are-the bacteria must be replenished. If the bacteria are
not replenished, the septic system will fill up with solid material and
overflow into the soil absorption area. This will clog the system, and it
will have to be rejuvenated or replaced.
Your septic tank could be overflowing solid material into the soil RIGHT
NOW, and you won't even know it until it blocks the soil so badly that no
more drainage is possible. This blockage takes varying periods of time
depending of soil structure. But this is fact: a negative system WILL get
blocked; it WILL overflow; it WILL have an obnoxious odor; it WILL
contaminate and pollute. It will probably have to be replaced or rejuvenated.
The first septic system "emergency" usually marks the beginning
of the end. Repair costs vary from $1200 to $15,000.
WARNING SIGNS OF SEPTIC
SYTEM FAILURE
• Sluggish drainage in the home
• Plumbing backups
• Gurgling sound in pipes and drains
• Outdoor odor
• Mushy ground or greener grass in area of septic system
Service Prices*
| up to 500 Gal. Septic Tank.................................................... |
$270 |
| up to 1000 Gal. Septic Tank.................................................. |
$325 |
| up to 1200 Gal. Septic Tank.................................................. |
$390 |
| up to 1500 Gal. Septic Tank.................................................. |
$487 |
| Locating Septic Tank............................................................. |
$95 to $165 per hour (1 hour minimum) |
| Labor.................................................................................... |
$95 per hour (1 hour minimum) |
| Jetting.................................................................................... |
$175 per hour (1 hour minimum, $100 pumping fee if not pumping septic tank) |
| All Prices billed at 1/4 of an hour after the first hour |
| Basic Septic Inspection.......................................................... |
$85 |
| Service Call........................................................................... |
$95 |
* Prices subject to change without notice.
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