This article will cover why septic systems back up. When people become homeowners, they start to think of so many things that they weren’t used to caring about. Maybe they used to just depend on their landladies, landlords, or parents to maintain the house they live in. The moment they acquire a property in their own name, things dramatically change. They begin to inquire about the tiniest detail that concerns their homes. They suddenly want to know about the latest prices of the materials used in both technical and aesthetic aspects of their house. They want to be involved in making better changes in their property. Questions like the following pop up into your head once in a while:
- What’s the best light bulb for the bedroom?
- Why do the drains clog?
- Why septic systems back up?
One of the most vital things that you need to know is why septic systems back up. As a homeowner, you have to keep in mind that your septic system constantly needs attention and care so that your home and household will be safe from contaminants and diseases. The septic system is the one component in your property that isolates the harmful, toxic substances from the inhabited areas. The septic odors are kept underground together with the wastewater. The system also takes care of treating the effluent, transforming it into a safer form before it is returned to the surrounding environment.
The primary reason why septic systems back up is negligence on the part of the homeowner. The septic tank should be pumped out on a regular basis. The tank has three layers—scum, effluent, and sludge. The scum is the top most part that contains the lightweight solid wastes. The effluent is the clear liquid middle. The sludge is the bottom part that contains the heavy solid wastes that are digested by anaerobic bacteria. The sludge level increases as wastewater enters to be treated. For the wastewater treatment to occur smoothly, the sludge should be pumped out and kept at a low minimum level. There should be enough space left for the wastewater to actually separate and be treated. If the sludge occupies more space than the liquid part, then the sludge will get stirred up when the wastewater enters the tank. It then disperses into the drain field, clogging it entirely and even brings about a tank overflow. When the drain field clogs up, the wastewater backs up into the home through the drains, toilets, and sinks. This brings about a serious health and sanitation problem. The household would suffer diseases and infections because of the pathogens and harmful chemicals in the raw wastewater that doesn’t get to undergo the proper treatment stages. It’s the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure that the septic expert arrives on schedule to pump out the excessive sludge in the septic tank. The tank will then be cleaned out and the entire wastewater treatment system will then resume its normal flow.
The drain field should also receive proper treatment because it’s very prone to clogging. There might be solid waste materials that made their way to the drain field or hardwood trees whose roots have penetrated into the drain field to block it. You should make sure that the drain field is clear of anything that may cause damage or blockages. This would include any structure or vehicle that’s placed over it. This one of the reasons why septic systems back up. The drain field should allow the final phase of wastewater treatment without any hindrances. It’s through the drain field that the treated effluent makes it into the surrounding environment in a safe form. If the last part of the treatment process is blocked here, then the wastewater will have nowhere else to go but back into the home. It will even flow towards the surrounding water systems and even seep through the clean water supply in the area. This can be a disaster so work with your septic expert to know exactly what to do to prevent septic backups.