You still weren’t sure why you were given the responsibility of looking after your late grandmother’s house for an entire month. You were in your college dorm, trying to concentrate on your schooling. When you were already settled in your grandmother’s house, you found out that your brother was supposed to stay there but had to accompany his girl friend to visit relatives in Europe. You were irritated with what happened but you had no choice because family should be entrusted with her property. She took care of everything when she was still alive. You didn’t want just any stranger to take care of her house. Just when you were about to have dinner, the septic expert called up to tell you that there was a scheduled pump out treatment for your grandmother’s septic and sand mound. He asked you if you knew how to locate your sand mound system prior to the pump out as to make it faster to do the treatment. He had a very full schedule for the day and wanted the visit to flow smoothly. You understood and appreciated the request so you listened very well.
1. Look for a mound in the yard. Since your grandmother loved landscaping designs, there were a number of soil mounds in her yard that could mislead anyone into thinking that she had so many sand mound systems. The mound you should look for should be covered with a thin layer of grass. The layers of grass are very important in making sure that the sand mound is functioning well.
2. Look at the condition of the grass that covers the sand mound. If it is soggy, it means that the sand mound system is malfunctioning or failing. If there is dry grass, it means that the sand mound is functioning well. Don’t water the dry grass because this will prevent the incoming wastewater to be treated. This will also lead to backups of sewage in to your home or onto the yard.
3. Refer to the record drawing that you can get from the department that provided the license for your grandmother’s sand mound to be installed. But it is best to not rely on this because the drawing may not have been followed during the installation proper because of some adjustments.
4. If you want know if the mound you’re looking at is the real sand mound, notice the plants around it. There shouldn’t be any trees or shrubs on and near the mound. Trees and woody plants would only damage the sand mound system. Hard wood roots are always looking for steady sources of nutrients and water. As you know, the sand mound is the best source of sustenance for large ornamental and fruity plants. It is better to just have grass on your sand mound as recommended.
You followed the septic expert’s advice to the tee. It was indeed very challenging. Looking for the real sand mound was like looking for a yellow chick in a box of yellow ducklings. But with persistence, you finally found it. You had a feeling that it was the sand mound that should be pumped out. You marked it with a flag for the septic expert to see.
When the septic expert arrived, he said that you did a great job. He proceeded with the pumping out and treatment of your grandmother’s sand mound system. It took a while so you decided to make your report out on the porch while the septic expert did his work. After a few hours, the septic expert left and gave you a leaflet that was filled with information about how to take care of sand mounds. It included the proper use of the drains, toilets, and sinks. Stopping the use of harsh household cleaners and removing any structures over the sand mound system is also advised.
You finished your report and presentation in just a span of hours. It was supposed to be a week’s work but because of the peaceful ambience in your grandmother’s house, you did it! When you submitted the project, you got the highest grade possible. From then on, you decided to move out of the dorm and into your grandmother’s house. We hope this article helped the reader to locate your sand mound septic system.