How to Avoid Stressing Your Septic System
Posted on: 27 February 2018
The septic system in your residential property can get overloaded to the extent of collapsing if you don't take conscious steps to limit the extent to which that system is stressed. This article discusses some of the measures that can help you to prevent your septic system from failing prematurely.
Enlarge the Absorption Field
Many septic system problems can be traced to an overloaded drain field. For example, sewage backflows may be due to a compacted drain field that can no longer absorb the liquid discharged from the septic tank. You can forestall such problems by enlarging the drain field so that you increase the surface area over which the water can percolate into the ground. This step is particularly helpful if the number of people in your home has increased beyond the number for which that septic system was designed.
Use Perimeter Drains
You may be living in an area whose soil gets saturated with water during many months of the year. Septic systems in such locations can easily collapse because the saturated soil will not be able to absorb the water from the septic tank. This problem can be addressed by installing perimeter drains. These are tiled drains that are installed underground at selected points outside the drain field. Those drains help to get the water deeper into the soil. Note that the drains are placed on the periphery of the absorption field. The existing groundwater, such as water from surface runoff when it rains, is the one that is channeled deeper into the soil in order to make room for the water from the septic tank.
Water Conservation
Adopt habits that reduce how much water is discharged from your home into the septic system. For example, you can install dual-flush toilets so that less water is used to flush each time someone goes for a short call. The reduction of the amount of water getting into the septic system will give the microorganisms in the system ample time to process the wastewater before it is discharged into the absorption field. Consequently, the field will not be clogged by the solids that are normally forced into the drain field when large amounts of water keep getting into the septic tank.
Always call a septic services expert to inspect your system each time an adverse event, such as a flood, takes place. Prompt remedial action will then be taken in case the inspection reveals a defect in the system.
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