4 Reasons to Hire Septic Tank Maintenance Before Thanksgiving Dinner

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, you should consider hiring professional septic services for inspections and maintenance on your septic system. There are multiple things to look for to help prevent any major problems, and the preventative care will help avoid any disasters around Thanksgiving.

As guests visit your home, the bathroom use during the visit can double or triple the usual daily amount. If guests stay for multiple days, then you can have a lot extra buildup in your septic tank. Waste and toilet paper will fill up the tank, and the increase in usage may not provide enough time for the tank to properly break everything down.

Before guests arrive, hire a septic service to pump out the tank. When your tank is pumped, the sludge and debris will clear out of the tank, giving the tank plenty of space to manage all of the extra guests using bathrooms and sinks within the home.

If you left the tank untreated, then more buildups could occur, and you may have to deal with messy leaks and spills on the lawn near the septic tank. The pumping process will help prevent this issue.

Along with a buildup in the tank, you may find one of the more common areas clogs occur is through the septic tank filter. The filter is supposed to block out solids and grease, but too much can result in a major filter clog.

As you cook and prepare Thanksgiving meals, fat and grease may get washed down the drain, along with excess food particles. As the grease cools and hardens, the debris on the filter will slowly build up until nothing can get through and deposit into the septic tank.

A filter clean out will remove excess deposits and return the filter to a clean and clear state. Once the filter is clean, the essential part of the septic tank will capture items as intended and keep everything flowing smoothly. During the clean out, a septic tank professional will also examine the filter to look for damage and replace the filter as needed.

The natural bacteria found in waste is supposed to break down items in your septic tank and help reduce the amount of sludge that grows on the bottom. Unfortunately, if the sludge buildup grows too much without any septic tank care, then the natural bacteria may not be effective enough to break down the sludge.

A full inspection of your septic tank will determine your current water and sludge ratio deep inside the tank. If the levels in your septic tank are rising too high, then you may need additives to help break down materials faster. A septic tank service will apply the additives directly to the tank and help increase the way the waste is treated.

The additives typically include extra bacteria to eat away at the sludge and improve the condition of your septic tank. Introducing the extra bacteria before Thanksgiving is ideal because if you already have the bacteria present and active, you can reduce the chances of clogs or backed-up systems as you host guests in the home.

Some of the septic tank problems you run into may not apply directly to the tank. A septic tank includes a series of drain line systems to help push items from the home and into a septic tank. Because of this, the drain lines may have multiple problems that could lead to major issues when you have extra guests who rely on plumbing.

One of the common issues found with drain lines includes tree root growth. As roots grow and expand, they can push on pipes and penetrate multiple materials. If a tree root runs through a drainpipe, then excessive toilet paper can cling to the roots, waste can build up, and your yard may flood as a result.

A full inspection will examine any possible drain line issues or problems you may have when you open your home to multiple guests for the holidays. After the inspection, you will receive a list of recommended repairs if needed. If you hire someone to complete the repairs before Thanksgiving, then you can prevent any major problems as you celebrate with family and friends.

For more information on septic tank services, contact us at Walters Environmental Services. We will help ensure you have a clean and functioning septic tank for all of your holiday celebrations.