How to Restore and Increase the Life of Your Septic Tank

Septic tank cleaning companies explain that restoring and increasing the life of a home’s septic tank requires understanding about what a septic tank is designed to do, and how it does it. Septic tank cleaning companies explain that restoring and increasing the life of a home’s septic tank requires understanding about what a septic tank is designed to do, and how it does it.

Septic tank systems are capable of taking all your household waste water, separating out the solids, breaking it down safely, and spreading the extracted water out into a drainage field, in order to ensure your waste in your home has somewhere to go and isn’t being put out onto your lawn.

A septic tank is basically an underground storage container that keeps solid wastes, until they break down naturally. This processed water (effluent) is then able to escape the tank and filter through the soil in the yard, where nature breaks it down further. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

According to septic tank cleaning companies, there are common symptoms of septic tank problems.

  • drains are backing up into the home
  • bad smells coming out of the drains
  • over-green area in the lawn or a soggy lawn and build up of water near the septic tank

And septic tank cleaning companies also warn about some common causes of most common problems.

. Too much water. Septic tanks gradually fill with solid waste. The grey water is allowed to pass through the tank and out into the underground drain field lines in the yard. Once the tank is full of solid waste, it can cause sewage backups in the toilets or slow drains in tubs and sinks. How many people live in the house? How much wastewater goes into the septic tank? Are there extra long showers or lots of laundry? How often does the dishwasher run? They all drain into the septic tank. Each of these fixtures / appliances drains into your septic tank.

Every septic system has a certain volume of wastewater that it can safely and efficiently handle. The specific volume of the system depends on its size, but for most residential systems, it’s somewhere between 600 and 2,000 gallons of wastewater. Remember: less wastewater means longer septic tank life.

. Septic systems are not trash incinerators. All that waste flushed down the sink or toilet has to go somewhere. Hard waste, called “sludge,” accumulates at the bottom of the septic tank.

The only reliable solution is prevention. Trained professionals of septic tank cleaning companies not only do septic tank pumping but also inspect the entire septic system to ensure all the equipment is working properly.

Septic tank cleaning companies explain that how often a septic tank should be pumped depends on the capacity of the tank and how often wastewater is flushed into it. The rule of thumb is to pump the tank every three to five years. The experts at septic tank cleaning companies suggest that most homes can get about 30 years out of a septic system, with proper, routine maintenance.

When it’s running efficiently and properly maintained, the septic system will have a long lifespan.

Wastewater Lift Station – Why Do You Need Them?

In wastewater transport, pumping stations are designed to collect and transport wastewater to a point of higher elevation. Pumping stations are also known as lift stations. Wastewater lift stations in Houston are typically designed to handle wastewater that is fed from underground gravity pipelines and stored in an underground pit or wet well. The wet well is equipped with electrical instrumentation to detect the level of wastewater present.

As many Houston households, businesses, and industries agree, wastewater lift stations in Houston are essential equipment. And a thorough inspection and maintenance of wastewater lift station valves, pipes, pumps, and all other functioning parts is an essential service.

The problem-free and efficient function of the wastewater lift station in Houston is crucially important.

The average sewage system is a lot more complex than some think. It is a multi-step process with many components, all of which work together to manage wastewater. Wastewater lift stations in Houston are important for managing wastewater, raising sewage from lower elevations to higher elevations where gravity makes collecting and separating the waste more efficient.

A wastewater lift station in Houston is a key part of an effective sewage collection system that allows raw sewage to flow underground in sloped pipelines, known as gravity pipelines, and uses gravity to keep costs down. The process of wastewater lift stations in Houston saves a substantial amount of money in the front-end construction and excavation costs of digging for sewer pipes.

Although the function of wastewater lift stations in Houston is important, regular inspection and maintenance of the lift station is also very important, because a wastewater lift station in Houston consists of pipes and multiple working parts and components.

For example, a large commercial facility like a warehouse must monitor its wastewater lift station and schedule inspections and maintenance from licensed professionals. Everything from a power supply to remote monitoring and control must be in good working order, so wastewater can be effectively collected and treated.

Professional wastewater lift stations in Houston maintenance should also include guaranteed safe disposal of sewage and related materials.

In addition to the lift station valves, pipes, pumps, and all other functioning parts, professional maintenance should also include logging and monitoring flow readings, cleaning floats, greasing motors, and testing power supplies and backup generators.

The regular inspection and maintenance can help avoid some common warning signs of wastewater lift stations in Houston trouble.

Debris can accumulate in wastewater lift stations over time, causing slow drainage and interrupting the flow of water. Drainage speed is one of the first indicators of a wastewater lift station problem. Bad odors—also caused by debris accumulation and possible clogging—from a wastewater lift station in Houston are also common early warning signs of future system failure.

Septic Tanks: Why They Fail and What You Can Do

Proper septic tank maintenance is both basic and complicated but it is very important.

By design, septic tank systems are meant to take household waste water, separate out the solids, breaking them down safely, and spread the extracted water out into a drainage field, ensuring the waste in the home has somewhere to go and isn’t being put on to the lawn.

According to septic tank maintenance (https://draneranger.com/services/septic-tank/) professionals, the only thing that a typical septic system is prepared to handle naturally is human waste and toilet paper (which is designed to be broken down by the bacteria in the tank).

Unfortunately, septic tank maintenance reports show that unsuspecting homeowners and guests can flush seemingly harmless objects or dump substances down the drain that will disrupt the bacteria or clog the system. For example, flushing paper towels, cigarette butts, cotton products, diapers, feminine products, and even “flushable wipes” can all cause septic system problems.

Septic tank maintenance cautions that excessive water use is also a big culprit. Septic tanks have limited capacity and can only manage to process a certain quantity of wastewater at a time. The home’s septic tank was designed to handle a specific flow rate of water, based on the home’s size. Usually, the septic tank should discharge wastewater at the same rate as or faster than it takes on water. So, when it takes on too much water, it can’t do what it’s supposed to do and may cause problems.

Septic tank maintenance professionals explain that the separation of waste happens with the flow of wastewater. The natural separation process of solids and liquids of different densities and gravity results in the scum rising to the top, the sludge sinking to the bottom, and the watery effluent in the middle. Once separated from the other materials, the watery portion of the wastewater (effluent) flows out of the septic tank through the underground distribution system of perforated pipes, stone, and sand out into the ground several feet below the surface.

When the septic system takes on too much water, the tank fills up before it can empty out again. The excess water can’t enter the full tank, so it has to go somewhere else. Usually, this “somewhere else” is right back into the home.

The #1 cause of septic system failure is due to biomaterials and they are the cause of 97% of failures to septic systems that are otherwise maintained and taken care of properly. Household substances and everyday objects can cause big problems. They can disrupt and even kill off the important bacterial environment that digests waste in the septic system. Septic tank maintenance professionals warn about NEVER dispose of bleach, gasoline, paint, paint thinners, grease, harmful oils, or large quantities of antibacterial household cleaners.

Proper septic tank maintenance and professional septic system pumping (which includes removing the sludge and scum as well as cleaning out the effluent filter) every 3-5 years will keep the septic system running smoothly for years.

How to Identify a Problem with Your Grease Trap

Unknowingly, some restaurants bring it on themselves!

Restaurant grease traps are essential parts of a kitchen’s daily operations. The business couldn’t function without it. Problems with a grease trap commonly referred to as a grease interceptor can quickly become a headache and a costly mess as it grinds a kitchen operation to a halt ––costing the business time and money.

Flushing trash. It’s a big mistake for grease trap problems. Pouring used cooking oil and other food-related waste down the drain inevitably causes grease trap issues, such as slow drainage, clogs, overflows, and foul odors. Trash, cooking oil, and other debris should never be flushed down your drain and into the grease trap.

Something stinks! A foul odor coming from around the grease trap is an indicator of a grease trap problem. Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) degrade the longer they sit in the trap, and will eventually lead to foul smells. Because bacteria eventually breaks down the solidified material, causing it to spoil and give off a bad smell. Grease trap cleaning service professionals explain that if the opening of the trap gets covered or clogged, the gases that form foul odors will flow ward from the grease trap and into the restaurant.

Slow drainage. The warning from grease trap cleaning service experts is that, if you notice the sink or other drainage areas in and around your kitchen are draining slowly, it could be an indicator of a problem with the grease trap. More specifically, a clog may have formed—or is forming—from solid food waste or other debris that has found its way into your drainage pipes and eventually your grease trap. When the fats, oil, and grease (FOGs) that your grease trap catches solidify, they eventually begin to build up and slow down the water flow to and from the trap.

Overflow! The most obvious symptom of a grease trap problem is an overflow. Maybe grease itself escaping through the manhole cover in the trap or a backup in the kitchen. An overflow means the problem has already gotten fairly severe and likely needs urgent help from a grease trap cleaning service. Grease spills are tricky messes to clean up. There is a specific way to handle them, and if done correctly, the spread of an overflow can be minimized.

A full cleaning by a certified and qualified grease trap cleaning service will eliminate the problems. Fix the clogs, pump out the sludge and grease, often hydrojetting to force out the debris into either the neighboring compartment or into the sewer line, and everything is scrubbed down to remove all remaining residue. Grease trap cleaning service pros agree that grease traps should be emptied every three months.