| Why Maintain Your System? There are three
important health reasons for maintaining your septic system.
- The first reason is the health of your
pocket book. Poor
maintenance results in failed systems requiring repairs at
a minimum and sometimes replacement. Repairs or replacement
costs can be thousands of dollars, whereas a periodic inspection
and pumping costs about $300-$400.
- The second reason is the health of your
family, your community and the environment. Untreated sewage contains disease-causing
bacteria and viruses, as well as unhealthy amounts of nitrate
and other chemicals. Failed septic systems can allow untreated
sewage to seep into wells, groundwater, and surface waterbodies,
where people get their water and recreate.
- The third reason is the health of your
economy. Contamination
of waterbodies by failed septic systems pollutes water supplies,
closes shellfish beds and recreation areas, and creates offensive
odors. Quality of life, recreations opportunities, livelihoods
and tourism decline, and with them go the property values and
economic vitality of the area.
How Do You Maintain Your System? Proper care of your system
requires day-to-day management as well as periodic maintenance.
It also requires that you know where your system is located.
The more you know about how your system operates and how it should
be maintained, the better able you will be to protect your investment
in your home and property, protect your family's health, and
protect your environment.
In Order To Maintain Your System, the tank
needs to be accessible for pumping and the drainfield should
be protected. Locating your system is not always an easy task.
If you do not already have one, contact your county health department
for a copy of your septic system permit, which will indicate
the approximate location of the system and the size of the tank.
The completed permit may have a diagram of the actual system
installation and include other information about your system.
Keep your permit in safe location for future reference and to
pass on to the next homeowner.
- Make a sketch locating your septic tank and drainfield (the
trenches or bed) in relation to surrounding reference points.
Begin by sketching your house, driveway, water well, and other
landscape features such as trees or fences.
- A good starting point for finding the exact location of the
tank is to look to see the direction in which the house sewer
pipe enters the soil. Then, gently push a thin (3/8 to 1/2
inch diameter) steel rod into the soil about 5-10 feet away
from the house to feel for the tank. Of course, you should
first call local utility companies to make sure there are not
any underground utilities (such as buried electrical cables)
in the area.
- When you have your septic tank pumped, measure and record
the distance from the house to the access port on the tank.
You may want to have the access manhole extended up to just
below ground level and marked clearly with a stake, rock or
birdbath. This will help you find it again.
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