When your home uses a septic system to process your household's waste, you may already be aware that you need to make sure that it is pumped out every few years by a professional service to keep the tank clean. However, you may become busy with life and forget to call to schedule a service call to have the tank cleaned out.
Since you do not see any sewage backing up, you may feel that the system is fine for now so you do not have to have it pumped just yet. However, there are a couple of serious issues that can arise if you neglect to keep to the regular pumping schedule recommended by professional septic services.
1. Bacteria Will Not Be Able to Keep Up With the Break Down of Solid Waste, Overfilling the Tank and Causing It to Rupture
One serious issue that is associated with neglecting to have your septic tank pumped regularly is that it will start to overfill with solid waste. Because of the increase in the waste, the beneficial bacteria that are responsible for breaking it down will become overwhelmed and not be able to keep up with their efforts to decompose the waste.
When this happens, the solid waste will continue to accumulate until it completely fills the tank and puts increased pressure on it. Eventually, if you do not have a professional clean out the overfilled tank, the pressure and increased amount of solid waste material can cause it to rupture.
2. Drainfield Will Become Blocked With Solid Waste and Flooded With Greywater, Causing Sewage Saturation of the Soil
Another serious consequence of not having your septic tank cleaned out at the recommended intervals is that the drainfield will become blocked with solid waste that leaks out of the tank. Because the drainfield becomes blocked, the greywater will become backed up and flood the field and the area surrounding it.
When this happens, sewage will contaminate the soil around the drainfield and will start to run off into any surrounding water sources. You will also be faced with costly repairs to have the drainfield fixed.
When you neglect to stick to a regular pumping schedule for your home's septic tank, you greatly increase the risk of having the tank rupture because of the build-up of solid waste materials. The drainfield can also become blocked and flooded with greywater, contaminating the soil and surrounding environment with sewage. T
Contact a business that offers septic tank pumping services to learn more.