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When living on a property that is outside the range of a municipal sewer system, or on a farm, one crucial piece of a functional system that is often overlooked is the septic system. Many people don’t even know where their septic system is located, or how to properly maintain and care for it. Most think they just need to call in a septic tank pump out service every few years and that’s it, but if you aren’t properly taking care of your septic tank system, it could break down and cause a lot of damage that would have been avoided with the proper preventative measures.

How A Septic System Works

Your septic tank system takes the wastewater from your home and ensures that the solid materials are properly held in the tank, all while still allowing water to be deposited into the ground through a drain field. Heavy solids will sink down to the bottom and get processed by bacteria, turning them into sludge and glasses. Lighter solids, like fats and greases, will float to the top as scum. Some of the solids are not able to be processed fully by the bacteria in the system, which is why a septic tank pump out service must be called every 3-5 years to pump out the septic system.

Maintenance Required for a Septic System

There are a few things that can be done to inspect and maintain your system, but most inspections should be done by a septic tank pump-out service yearly. Having this yearly inspection done by a professional means they can keep on record the status of your septic tank system, and they have been trained to properly deal with the possible dangers of inspecting a system (such as noxious gases.) One inspection you can safely do yourself is checking the area around the septic tank to ensure there are no leaks. Leaks can be indicated by extra soft dirt areas, or by extra fast growth of grass in a location around the drain field. Solids from a septic system getting into a drain field can irreparably damage it, so it is important to keep a regular inspection schedule.

How To Properly Care for Your Septic Systems

There are several things you can do to ensure your septic system stays healthy and well cared for.

Do’s:

● Regular yearly inspections, and a pump-out every 3-5 years by a professional from a septic tank pump-out service.

● Proper water conservation: too much water flooding a septic system can cause solids to get into the drain field, causing damage.

● Keep a diagram of where your septic tank and drain field are located so you know where to be checking for issues.

● Keep accurate pumping records.

Do Not’s:

● Avoid flushing anything other than wastewater and toilet paper into your drains.

● Drain chemicals and Bleach can kill the bacteria in your septic system, causing it to no longer break down many of the solids naturally. One tablespoon of drain chemicals and a few liters of bleach are enough to cause damage.

● Keep heavy vehicles, animals, and other things off your drain field to prevent compacting earth and damaging the system.

● Do not use a garbage disposal.

● Keep runoff away from your system, ensure roofs, patios, and driveways drain away from the drain field to avoid overwhelming it.

● Do not put concrete or other impermeable materials over the drain field or septic system; use grass. Oxygen needs to get into the system for the bacteria to break down sewage properly.

● NEVER enter the septic tank; the gasses and lack of oxygen can be fatal.

If you require a professional septic tank pump-out service to inspect and pump out your septic system in the Houston, Texas area, contact Drane Ranger today, either by phone at 281-489-1765, or visit their website.

If you have a septic tank, it’s important to maintain it through regular cleaning by trained and experienced septic tank cleaning companies. And because septic tanks deal with sewage, it’s especially important to hire the experts to do the “dirty work.” Drane Ranger provides a number of services that deal specifically with septic tanks. From regular septic tank cleaning to pumping, to maintenance services for both residential and industrial properties, call us when searching for septic tank cleaning companies.

What is a septic tank?

Essentially, a septic tank works to store and break down sewage to allow for the safe disposal of wastewater through the process of biological decomposition and drainage. According to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, approximately 20 percent of new homes in Texas use a septic tank system to store and break down sewage. A residential septic system has a fairly simple design, consisting of an underground watertight container that is composed of fiberglass, plastic, or concrete. Septic tanks are mostly used in rural areas. Septic tank cleaning companies (https://draneranger.com/services/septic-tank/) like Drane Ranger can help save you money through regular cleaning.

Why Clean a Septic Tank?

As septic tanks work to break down sewage, regular cleaning is necessary to avoid septic system failure, which can see the system backing up, causing a huge, stinky mess! Septic tanks can accumulate toxins and develop anti bacterial substances, which kill all the vital bacteria that break down the waste. A system failure would result in the build-up of sludge and solid waste, potentially causing waterborne diseases from developing. Septic tank cleaning companies can help to avoid these “smelly” problems before they occur. Septic tank cleaning companies recommend following a regular septic tank cleaning routine of at least once a year.

What Happens if You Don’t Clean the Septic Tank?

By not cleaning your septic tank regularly, the process of decomposition in your tank will slow down, leading to the build-up of soil, sludge, excrement, and solid waste. Wait too long and the septic tank system will fail altogether, causing the system to back up and create a huge mess. Cleaning up this huge mess is very labor-intensive, and it costs a lot of money. Don’t make this mistake; contact Drane Ranger to help maintain your septic tank system, and to save you money!

What is the Process of Cleaning a Septic Tank?

First, sludge is cleared out and removed through a basic pumping process. Sludge is the result of inorganic solids produced by bacteria inside the tank, which builds up along the bottom of the septic tank. Cleaning out the sludge is important to ensure there is enough ample space in the tank to handle and collect more waste. The next step involves clearing out the drain field lines, which allow sludge and other compounds to flow properly. And last but not least, the septic tank filters need to be cleaned out and replaced, if they are worn down. Septic tank cleaning companies recommended cleaning every one-to-three years, depending on the size of your tank and the number of people living in your home.

Septic tanks need professional attention from trained septic tank cleaning experts. Poorly maintained septic tanks will lead to costly repairs, so hiring a septic tank cleaning company like Drane Ranger will help avoid system failure and costly repairs. Whether you have a small septic tank just outside of Houston or a large-scale array of septic tanks at an industrial park in Houston, Pearland, Alvin, or Sugar Land, Drane Ranger will help you properly maintain them and provide safe disposal of the sewage.

Nearly one-fifth of U.S. households are not connected to the main sewage network, which equates to more than 21 million households depending on septic systems. Septic tanks are un-derground watertight chambers that, commonly made of fiberglass, plastic, or concrete, collect and treat basic wastewater. While these types of onsite sewage facilities are quite simple, they work around the clock to collect and dispose of excreta, laundry discharge, and wastewater from your toilet and bath. This is why Septic Tank Maintenance is so important! When wastewater separates, the solid particles that cannot be broken down settle to the bottom of the tank, where they form a layer of sludge. If left for too long, this sludge not only releases toxins and pathogens, but it will also cause a very expensive and dangerous mess. In addition to regular cleanings, here are four secrets to maintaining your septic tank.

1. Washing Machine Filters

Does your washing machine have a filter? Because that is the first secret to septic tank mainte-nance. Not using a filter is one of the leading causes of septic system failure; lint, due to its size and weight, does not settle into the septic tank but rather is flushed out, where it clogs the soil in drain fields. While the lint generated from one wash might not seem substantial, the average family’s laundry generates enough lint every year to carpet an entire living room floor! To make matters even worse, the majority of our clothing and carpeting is manufactured from synthetic materials, such as polyester and nylon. These substances, which are comprised of plastics, are not biodegradable and, therefore, will not break down in a septic system. They also cannot be removed once they enter the soil!

2. Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

Not only are eco-friendly cleaning products better for the planet, hence the name, but they are also a secret weapon in septic tank maintenance. While it may take an excessive amount of laundry detergents, bleaches, and fabric softeners to kill the useful bacteria in your septic sys-tem, which causes it to fail ultimately, this is expedited if you use the drain, toilet bowl, and floor cleaner. We also recommend you avoid dumping solvents, oils, paints, thinners, disinfect-ants, pesticides, or poisons down the drain; these will not only disrupt the treatment process, but they will also contaminate your groundwater.

3. Reduce Your Water Consumption

Increased water flow to your septic tank overloads the system, resulting in a flood. You can avoid overloading your septic system and leach-field by using high-efficiency fixtures, toilets, washers and dryers, and dishwashers. But a more affordable septic tank maintenance secret is simply to spread out your water use.

4. Ditch the Garbage Disposal

If you can’t completely break your garbage disposal habit, we recommend only using it when absolutely necessary. Garbage disposal counts as an extra bath because it requires water to op-erate, and as mentioned above, reducing water consumption is one of the secrets to septic tank maintenance. In addition to using water, garbage disposal also breaks food solids to a size that is small enough to flow from the septic tank into the field, sometimes without being fully di-gested.

Your septic tanks stink. There’s no other way to put it. There is a distinctive odor coming from it, and you need to fix it. The answer most broadly is that you are in need of septic tank maintenance, but the smell may be the result of a few different causes. Here are the top five reasons why your septic tank has an odor and what to do to fix it.

1. A Faulty Tank Vent

Every septic tank in the world should have a vent. This vent is specifically installed to take odorous sewer gas and vent it away from your home, thus keeping your home smelling nice instead of like a septic tank. If for whatever reason, your vent is faulty, not working properly, or was disrupted in a recent renovation, then you will smell the results. A trusted septic tank expert can solve this problem for you and ensure that you get regular septic tank maintenance to prevent other kinds of septic tank odor issues.

2. Cold Weather

When the temperature is cold enough or the conditions wet and icy enough, your septic tank vents can freeze shut or completely over. When this happens, sewer gas won’t go through the vents and instead vent back into your home, causing a terrible odor. That’s when you need septic tank maintenance.

3. Your Septic Tank is Full

Probably one of the most common reasons experts like those at Drane Ranger get called for septic tank odors is related to the tank being full. This is usually the result of irregular pumping, meaning the sewage and other elements simply sit in the septic tank until it’s full. Regular septic tank maintenance can prevent this and catch faulty pumps before you smell the problem.

4. Dry Drains

Most septic tanks have a special u-shaped pipe that’s designed to trap water and block sewer air from moving along the pipe. It works wonderfully—as long as there is water in the system. When there isn’t, then the air simply moves through the pipe and eventually into our nostrils. In these instances, you may need a new pipe, in addition to your septic tank maintenance, to help with the problem.

5. Surface Runoff

Cold temperatures are not the only weather-related reason for why your septic tank may smell. It could also be due to high rainfall. When you have a lot of water runoff on your property and around your septic tank, especially during periods of increased precipitation, your tank can get flooded, and that can lead to a smell. Septic tank maintenance can help, but an intercept drain to contain the excess runoff could be a more permanent solution. Drane Ranger can help you figure out the best solution for you.

Drane Ranger has experience in septic tank maintenance, repairs, replacements, and more. If you own a septic tank, be sure to have us in your contacts to ensure that it is regularly maintained and so you have someone to call when repairs are necessary. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.