Regular septic tank cleaning keeps hazardous materials from building up inside the system. Sludge and solid material that doesn’t make it to the drain field cause soil damage and pollute groundwater.
First, locate your septic tank access point(s) and carefully remove the covers. Then, gather your equipment and materials to prepare for cleaning. Contact Septic Tank Cleaning Perth now!
Unlike pumping, septic tank cleaning is more thorough and ensures your tank is completely free of solid waste. Cleaning uses high-powered water jets and specialized tools to break up and remove accumulated sludge, promoting better long-term system performance and reducing the likelihood of clogs in your drain pipes. During cleaning, the service technician also inspects the septic tank for clogs, cracks, and other problems that may indicate that it needs to be pumped more frequently.
Septic tank inspections are essential to preventing costly repairs and sewage backups in your home. It’s a good idea to schedule tank cleaning and inspections before and after any major remodeling, adding a pool or spa, or buying a new home.
When was the last time you had your septic tank inspected? It would help if you had it inspected yearly and cleaned every three to five years. Septic tanks need to be emptied when their contents reach about 80 percent capacity. Excessive sludge buildup prevents the system from working as intended, leading to slow draining and unpleasant sewage odors.
Many homeowners don’t think about their septic system until something goes wrong, like sewage backup in their home. Regular septic tank maintenance and cleaning can prevent this from happening, as well as reduce the risk of bacteria entering homes.
The most common signs that your septic tank is in need of cleaning include strong sewage odors coming from toilets and other drains in your home. Standing rainwater or sewage ponding in your yard are also signs that it’s time to have the septic tank inspected and pumped.
Most septic tanks are built with large concrete lids, often referred to in the industry as coffin lids. These are difficult to open and require special equipment to do so safely. Inspectors use a special tool to tease these lids open before attempting to inspect the inside of the tank.
Keeping your septic tank clean and properly maintained can help you save money on energy, prolong the life of your system, and avoid health hazards. Make sure to never flush cat litter, coffee grounds, tampons, condoms, diapers, grease, dental floss, medicines, oils or chemicals down your drains. These items can cause severe septic tank and drain field issues, resulting in costly repairs or even system failure.
Sludge Removal
Septic tanks are designed to filter and treat wastewater and separate the solid waste, known as sludge. Septic systems rely on bacteria to break down and digest the sludge in an oxygen-rich environment inside the tank. However, septic tanks must be cleaned periodically to remove the excess sludge that accumulates at the bottom of the tank.
When the sludge layer gets too high, it can overtake the bacteria inside the tank, disrupting their natural processes and preventing proper digestion. This can lead to the septic system overflowing and expelling untreated sewage waste into the home or yard. This can be very dangerous to your health and the well-being of those in the area.
In addition, a septic tank that is overflowing can cause wastewater to enter the drain field or soil absorption system (SAS). This can create a clogged or waterlogged drainage field that will not allow for proper liquid effluent flow into the surrounding ground.
If you have a septic tank, it is important to follow the recommended pumping schedule and keep your septic tank clean. This is the best way to ensure that your septic system continues working properly and efficiently.
During septic tank cleaning, a professional will excavate the dirt covering your septic tank to uncover it. They will then dig into the septic tank to remove the sludge from the inlet and outlet sides of the tank. They will also clean the septic tank filters and remove any other debris that has collected inside the septic tank.
When a professional is cleaning a septic tank, they will also inspect the septic tank lids. If the lids are cracked or missing, it is time for a replacement. The pros will also examine the septic tank piping to ensure that it is not damaged or clogged.
In addition, the septic tank pro will likely check the septic system’s vent stack and septic tank baffles for damage or clogs. It is important to have these components inspected because they can be the source of odors in the home or yard and indicate that your septic system needs to be cleaned.
High Water Levels
A septic tank is designed to work as a filter, holding wastewater and breaking it down so that sewage can flow from the drain pipes into your septic system’s leach field where it’s absorbed into the soil. To do this, septic tanks use baffles to separate solids into layers, allowing the heavy material (called sludge) to sink while the grease, oils and light particles (known as scum) float to the top of the tank. The clear liquid in the middle, called effluent, flows out a pipe and into your septic system’s drain field.
A well-functioning septic tank will stay at an even level between full and empty, taking in waste from the home’s drains at a rate that is consistent with the household water usage. However, many things can cause the septic tank to fill up too fast.
One common reason is a family using too much water, which can lead to more wastewater being pumped into the tank than it can hold. During peak times, like when people are showering or washing clothes, the septic tank can take in a hundred gallons in a few minutes.
Another possible reason for a rising tank is ground water infiltrating the septic tank. This is often caused by a high water table in the area. Ground water can enter the septic tank through the inlet/outlet pipes, the manhole cover or the tank itself. The water may also infiltrate the septic tank’s absorption field and contaminate it with raw sewage.
Other reasons the septic tank might fill up too quickly include a slow or blocked drain or sewer backups in the home’s plumbing. This is a sign that the bacteria inside the tank aren’t working efficiently, and the solids aren’t being broken down. This can lead to clogs and back ups in the house plumbing, which puts a strain on the septic tank and the entire septic system. The best way to prevent this is to keep household waste, including plastics, out of the septic system by not flushing it down the drains. This includes things like wads of toilet paper, baby wipes and feminine hygiene products, which are difficult for the bacteria in your septic tank to break down.
Drain Field Cleaning
Septic tanks and the drain field that ties into them are part of a home’s plumbing system. Solid waste from the toilets and kitchen sinks and liquid wastewater pass through the house’s plumbing and into the septic tank for treatment and dispersal into the soil. If the septic tank becomes full of sludge or the drain field gets clogged, then this could lead to sewage backup into the house. Regular septic tank cleaning can help to prevent this.
During septic tank cleaning, the septic tank itself will get a thorough scrubbing down. Professionals use a vacuum truck equipped with a pump and a long hose to remove the sludge from the tank. They will then transfer the sludge to a container for disposal at an approved location. The pre-pumping inspection will also reveal if the tank has any cracks, leaks, or other issues that need to be addressed.
The septic tank’s drain field, also known as the leach field or absorption field, is an integral part of a septic system. This is the area that sieves out wastewater and nutrients from your home into the soil. It can become saturated with sludge or clogged with tree roots over time.
One of the best things that you can do to keep your septic tank and drain field in top condition is to make sure that you limit your household’s water consumption. This can be done by having gutters and downspouts pointing away from the septic tank, washing clothes over a few days rather than back-to-back, and installing efficient showerheads and faucets.
In addition to this, you should also avoid putting chemicals into your septic tank or drain pipes. Chemicals such as laundry detergents, dishwashing liquid, and liquid fabric softeners can build up and clog your plumbing lines. This can lead to a host of problems, from clogged sinks to sewage backing up into your home.
It is also important to regularly have your septic system inspected and cleaned. This can help to keep it functioning at its best and prevent costly repairs in the future. A septic system that hasn’t been maintained properly can start expelling untreated solid waste into your home or yard, which poses health risks to you and your family and can decrease your property value.