Preventing Plumbing Problems

3 Truths About Common Septic Tank Misconceptions

11 September 2018 by Calvin Simmmons

Are you thinking about buying a home in the country, either to live in or as a vacation home? Have you been put off by the fact that the home will have a septic tank instead of being hooked up to a city sewer system? There are a lot of myths and misconceptions regarding septic tanks and how they work. Unfortunately, believing these myths may prevent you from buying a home that you and your family would enjoy. Here is the truth behind some of the most common things that you may have heard about a septic tank:

Septic tanks are a lot of work: For the most part, you can treat your septic tank nearly the same as you would if you were hooked up to the city sewer system. You simply need to ensure that you're using a bathroom tissue that is safe for septic tank use and not to put anything else down the drain unless it's been deemed safe for septic tanks. Aside from that, you only need to worry about septic tank pumping every 3 to 5 years or so, depending on things like the size of the tank and how large your family is. Otherwise, you can mostly forget that the tank even exists.

Septic tanks are smelly: On very hot days, you can sometimes smell a very full septic tank as the ground heats up and warms the septic tank contents. If you are smelling your septic tank on a regular basis, this is a major sign that it is full and you are in need of a septic tank pumping as soon as possible. It could also mean that the lid to your septic tank has cracked and is allowing sewer gases to escape. Replacing the lid is usually pretty inexpensive, but you should have a professional check out everything in order to determine which will be needed.

Septic tanks are unsanitary: While a septic tank does discharge water into the ground surrounding the tank, this doesn't make it unsanitary. First, helpful bacteria within the tank process the sewage waste so that solids drop out and are collected in the tank. The resulting wastewater is then discharged from the tank where it soaks into the soil and is further processed by beneficial bacteria in the soil. Unless your septic tank is overfull and in need of a septic tank pumping, this is a relatively clean process that you can mostly ignore and all will be well.

Share  

Search