If you’re used to living in a home that’s connected to a city sewage system and have recently moved into a home with a septic system, you’re probably feeling a bit of unease, or at the very least, have some questions about what life is going to be like without the city’s waste management system to serve your needs.
Actually, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Sure, there’s an adjustment period, but in our view, Fauquier County VA septic tanks offer a number of compelling advantages over the alternative, and our hope is that by the time you reach the end of this article, you’ll agree! Let’s start by talking about those advantages:
1) The Cost Factor – The simple truth is that it takes time and money to tie a house to the municipal system. The farther a house is from the nearest point it could conceivably tie onto, the more expensive the process is. You don’t have to be too far from town for it to just become prohibitively expensive. Home septic systems offer tremendous value for the money.
2) Durability and Longevity – Even the most modestly priced home septic system is incredibly rugged and durable. With proper care and regular maintenance, you can expect your septic system to provide you and your family with decades of mostly hassle-free service. Can you imagine if your car was that well-built?
3) Fostering Better Habits – When you lived in a house that was connected to the city’s sewage system, how much did you really stop and think about the things that got flushed down the toilet or poured down the sink? If you’re like many people, you probably didn’t get it much thought. Sure, if you poured the wrong thing down the drain, it might clog things up, but once that was taken care of, whatever you poured down the drain was off to the sewage treatment plant. Out of sight, out of mind. People who own Fauquier County VA septic tanks are much more mindful. They have to be, because everything you flush or pour down the drain winds up in the tank. Sooner or later, you’ll have to deal with it.
4) Independence – One of the reasons an increasing number of people are buying solar panels, windmills and the like to generate their own power is because they’ve grown tired of being beholden to someone else to provide the basic services they need to live. That’s a sensible attitude, and it applies to home septic systems too. Sure, it requires a bit more in the way of personal responsibility, but most people think that’s a good trade.
As robust as Fauquier County VA septic tanks, they’re not immune to damage, and they will struggle from time to time. When they do, you’ll see signs and symptoms. Some of them are easy to overlook unless you’re paying attention, and others are pretty ‘in your face’ and impossible to ignore. Here are some of the more common things to keep an eye out for:
- Sinks that drain with a painful slowness, and none of the usual fixes seem to help.
- Toilets that refuse to flush properly, and no amount of plunging seems to make any difference.
- Pipes that rattle and groan, making your house sound like it’s haunted, every time you turn on a faucet or flush a toilet
- Areas of persistently wet or soggy ground in and around your drain field
- Foul odors that waft up from your sink drains or toilets, or linger in the area of your drain field
- Grass growing over your drain field that is a notably different and brighter shade of green than the grasses elsewhere in your yard
If you see any of these, give our office a call right away so we can send someone out to inspect your system. We also recommend having your tank pumped and your system inspected every three to five years in order to minimize your risk of a major problem.
Common Problems Seen In Fauquier County VA Septic Tanks & Drain Fields
Here’s a quick overview of some of the more common problems we see when our customers call on us because their system is struggling:
Full Tank
Tank pump outs are one of the biggest things we get called out for. As we mentioned earlier, we recommend having it done every three to five years, and while we’re about it, we can inspect your system to look for other potential problems.
Grease Capping
This is what ultimately happens when you pour grease down your sink drain. Some of the grease winds up escaping your tank and making its way into the drain field. Once there, it rises to the surface and hardens, forming a cap that prevents the soil in the drain field from getting the oxygen it needs to do its job. It’s fixable, but we’ll need to repair the drain field and usually pump the tank out to get you up and running again. The lesson here is that it’s never a good idea to pour grease down your drain!
Baffle Damage
Your baffles connect your septic tank to the drain field. Their job is to keep solids in the tank while allowing liquids to escape. Time can damage baffles. So can roots growing in from nearby trees and the act of moving heavy equipment across the drain field. It matters because if the liquids stop being able to make their way to the drain field, they’ll inevitably back up into your house.
There are plenty of other potential problems you might encounter with your home septic system, but whatever form the trouble takes, help is just a phone call away!