I recently bought a house with a septic tank for the very first time. I thought I was prepared, but I really had no idea what I was getting into. Shortly after we moved in, the septic tank backed up. I had to call for emergency septic services to have it pumped and taken care of. That's when I learned that I had overlooked some of the signs that the tank needed to be emptied. I created this site to share my experience and the tips that I learned along the way. My goal is to help others avoid the same septic problems that I have dealt with.
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Are you currently renting a home that has a septic system? Do you want to care for it properly to avoid angering the homeowner/landlord? Whether the property belongs to a family member or to a family member or your landlord is someone you never met before, it is a good idea to do your best to care for the home as if it belonged to you. To that end, it helps to be aware of what you should and should not be doing in regards to the septic system. Some things that you should know about include the following:
Regular pumping:
Unlike being hooked up to a city sewage system, your sewage is collected in a large underground tank. When this tank fills up, one of the local septic pumping services will need to come out to empty the tank. Depending on your rental agreement, it may be your responsibility to have this done or it may be your landlord's responsibility. On average, a tank typically needs to be pumped out every 3 to 5 years, but this can vary greatly. Find out from your landlord how long it's been since the tank was last pumped out so you have a rough idea as to when it'll need to be emptied again.
Prohibited items:
Some things that should never be put down the drain include large amounts of any type of oil (cooking or otherwise), paper towels, and kitty litter. If the toilet paper you buy doesn't say that it's safe for use with septic systems, then you'll need to find another brand to purchase. Unfortunately, the previous tenants may not have been as careful as you, and they may have flushed whatever they felt like it into the septic system. This may lead to the tank being filled and/or blocked prematurely, requiring one of your local septic pumping services to come out and take care of the issue.
Signs of a filled tank:
With the tank being underground, it's not always easy to tell when you or your landlord should be calling the septic pumping services to have it emptied out. A few things that you should be watching for include soggy patches of ground that never dry out, multiple sluggish drains at once, and bad smells in the bathroom or kitchen that just won't go away. Not every home will experience every one of these, and the signs may be different each time. If you aren't completely sure, always talk to your landlord about what you're experiencing so he or she is aware of what is going on.
Reach out to a septic pumping service to learn more.
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