What should be considered as individual wastewater treatment plants located at your Warrenton, VA home, septic systems treat waste water using the soil surrounding your home. Septic systems and septic tanks are commonly used in areas that are not connected to a centralized wastewater treatment line such as “city sewer” like rural areas or newly constructed subdivisions. When a home cannot be connected to a centralized wastewater treatment system, the septic system does the work instead.
Homeowners in Northern Virginia with a septic tank must be especially careful with what is put down the drain – no matter where that drain originates from within the house. For example, anything flushed down the toilet, drained out of the bathtub or chopped in the garbage disposal all go to the same location – the septic system. Many Arlington VA homeowners do not think about what happens once they complete the task at hand, but we all should. Whatever is put into the septic system will eventually end up in the water supply through the groundwater. So if you don’t want to drink it, don’t put it down the drain – with the exception of the obvious “matter” here.
Keeping your septic system in good condition is vital to the use and longevity of your septic system. Routine maintenance and septic tank inspection can reduce the likelihood of a septic system failure, and in turn saves you time and money. Serious health threats can arise when a septic system fails, not to mention the negative impact that will be had when selling your home with a failing septic system.
If you see water or general liquid (hopefully it’s just water) on top of the septic drain field, call the septic tank professionals as quickly as possible. You may see water collecting on top of the drain field after a heavy rain, which many unknowing homeowners believe is just from the rain and dismiss it as such, and you shouldn’t. Water collects on top of the septic drain field because the septic tank is too full of solids and the water has nowhere else to go but up.
If you think your septic system is failing, or to prevent septic tank failure in the future, contact the professionals at Soils and Environmental Services. Serving residential and commercial markets since 1987, SES specializes in septic system design and repairs in all of Northern Virginia.