Septic Tank Maintenance - Increase The Life Of A Drain Field In Middleburg

The purpose of cleaning a Middleburg septic tank is to keep the sludge from entering the field lines or drain field. Also, cleaning will keep the septic waste from returning to the house or filtering out onto the surface near or on the septic tank. Proper maintenance prevents smell and toxic material from contaminating the surrounding areas often used by humans and animals. Also, seepage from a leaking tank can cause damage to the lawn.

Simply put, a septic tank is just a holding tank for the household water and waste of a home or business. It is self contained with an outlet from the house for the water and waste to enter the tank and an outlet to move the excess waste water to the drain field system. The solids to sink to the bottom of the tank. Each outlet is on either end of the rectangular tank. Usually there are two to three lids on a septic tank, or it may have a manhole-type lid on the top for the entrance. Quite often the tank is buried under the ground from a few inches to a couple of feet. Most tanks are either 1000 or 1500 gallon tanks.

To determine how often a tank should be cleaned several factors are taken into consideration. Those factors include how many people are using the system, if there is a washer emptying into the tank, and whether there has been a lot of rain in the area in the last year or so. For a system that has 1 to 2 people about 5 years will suffice; if there are more people consider anywhere from 3 to 4 years. If there is a washer on the system and is used quite about 60% of water comes from that source alone. Also the use of detergent and bleach tend to break down the solid material in the tank at a higher rate thus causing the increase of a more watery tank. Heavy rains can cause the saturation of the ground and the drain field area thus slowing the ability of the drain field to remove the excess water out of the septic tank. Due to these factors 3-5 years is the proper time between cleanings.

Sometimes when a tank is starting to get full you may notice signs such as the slow emptying of the toilet and drains, there may be gurgling sounds in the toilet or worse yet, the toilets and drains back up. Other times, there may be standing water and low wet, mushy spots over or around the septic tank itself. Another indicator is if there is excessive green grass in the area of the tank or drain field this could indicate the tank is in need of cleaning.

Although the main purpose of cleaning the tank is to keep the sludge out of the Middleburg drain field, cleaning will keep the sludge from returning to house that could cause backup and clogs within the main line. Both of these situations can be costly expenses that can be avoided by having a maintenance plan in place. Drain fields can run $1800 to $8000 depending on the type of system needed and have a lifespan of 15 to 40 years. It is one of the worse things for a homeowner to have to hear that they are are going to need a new drain field system on a relatively new system when a septic cleaning plan would have kept the septic drain field working properly in the first place.