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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Whether you have a septic tank or a traditional plumbing and sewage system, you need to watch out for the icy touch of Old Man Winter. The coming of cold weather can pose seasonal threats to your drains, pipes and other components. Here are three things you can do to keep the water flowing even as the mercury drops in your thermometer.
1. Winterize Your Components
It's no secret that cold weather causes water to freeze. When that frozen water expands inside your pipes, it does more than just create blockages -- it can actually cause the pipes to crack or break. Identify any pipes in your household that run through unheated spaces or lack insulation so that you can wrap them in insulated sleeving or other thermal materials. (You can also cover your septic tank to help keep its components from freezing.) On icy nights, keep the faucets just open enough to let water trickle through and equalize the pressure inside the pipes.
Pre-existing clogs in your main sewer line can make your plumbing system that much more vulnerable to sewer line breakage and failure. Have a drain cleaning service perform a fiber-optic inspection to check the line so that any necessary sewer cleaning can be done before that first freeze hits.
2. "Train" Your Holiday Guests
Over the years, you've learned how to be kind to your septic system, but can you count on your visiting holiday guests possessing that same knowledge? Thanksgiving and Christmas, in particular, can stress your plumbing as you extend hospitality to an unusually large number of people -- some of whom may know nothing about septic system requirements and limitations. Educate your guests on what they should or shouldn't be flushing down the toilet, and ask them to schedule their showers or other water-consuming activities on a rotating basis (which will help prevent over-stressing your septic drainage system).
3. Aerate Your Drain Field Soil
Icy-cold ground means harder, more compacted soil, especially if you or others routinely drive vehicles over that soil. As the soil compacts, it becomes less effective at providing your septic system components with much-needed oxygen. As a result, bacteria fail to break down organic waste components, leaving you with a stinky odor to endure. You can avoid this issue by having your septic service add a ventilation pipe or other aeration system to your drain field before your soil has a chance to get hard and dense.
A little forethought and preventative care can spare you a lot of expense and discomfort later. Ask your plumbing or septic company to check out your system and perform any necessary work to keep the good times flowing all winter long!
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