Septic Tank Problems And how to solve them!
Everyone was having a great time in the family den. You were all watching a comedy that you missed in the theaters. Just then, your youngest went to the bathroom but he immediately came back. When you asked why, he said that the bathroom didn’t smell good. You checked it out for yourself. The foul odor escaped through the small gap between the door and the door frame. It was terrible. When you checked the bathroom, you found out that the smell came from the drains, sinks, and toilets. It was something serious. You had to call your septic expert about this and he told you that odors coming from bathroom can mean trouble.
When you called the septic expert, he was just finishing a nearby septic system. He said that he would be right over in a few minutes. Meanwhile, you told your family to go upstairs and not use the bathroom for a while. Your wife suggested that she and your children go out and spend a few hours at the mall until everything was okay. The children strongly agreed. When they left, the septic expert arrived.
He said that your septic system was malfunctioning and odors coming from the bathroom can mean trouble. You told him that you were able to maintain the schedules pump out so there shouldn’t have been any problem. He said that there were so many reasons that may have caused this:
1) Fats and grease
Dumping fats and grease cause heavy clogging because these can’t easily be digested by the resident bacteria. Even if you use your garbage disposal, it doesn’t change the composition of the fats and grease that you throw in. The rotting grease can cause odors and odors coming from bathroom can mean trouble.
2) Antibacterial household cleaners
Because you want to have a sanitized home for your family, antibacterial cleaning solutions are the only products used in your home. These products are very harmful to the resident bacteria in your septic system. They kill the anaerobic and aerobic bacteria that keep the system going. Without bacteria, the septic will stop and fail.
3) Water load increase
Water load can greatly increase if there is a rain gutter that allows rain water to flow onto the area of the system, if the laundry load is done in a single day every week, and if there is an increase in the number of household members. Your septic system could only accommodate a certain number of people. Make sure to make necessary adjustments like installing a dry well to help the septic system be more efficient.
4) Non-biodegradable items
If you dump the non-biodegradable items into your drains, sinks, and toilets, then you are sentencing your septic system to death. These materials are not broken down or decomposed by the resident bacteria. They just enter the system and clog it. Eventually, your septic will fail.
5) Not adhering to pumping schedule
You should pump out your septic regularly because this helps in eliminating the accumulated sludge in the tank so that it won’t disperse into the drain field and clog it.
6) Trees/shrubs, construction, and vehicles over the system
Woody plants like shrubs and big plants like trees have invasive roots that search and destroy the septic components for water and nutrients. Any vehicle or form of construction over the system’s are in your yard will cause damage to the components such as the lateral lines. The damages will cause the system’s malfunction and inevitable failure.
7) Heavy rains
Do not pump out your system during heavy rains because this will only allow the silt and sediments to enter into your system and clog it even further. Just wait for the rains to stop and then have the septic pumped out.
The bathroom emitted heavy septic smells that came from your neglected septic system. It is a very important part of your property and with it, the health of your family is secure.
When your septic expert left, he reminded you about the proper use of the system and that odors coming from bathroom can mean trouble. You shared the information with your family when they arrived. After dinner, you went back to the den and enjoyed the interrupted movie together.
