Signs of a Failing Septic System | Southern Sanitary Systems Inc

Your septic system needs maintenance to keep it operating correctly. If it is not working the way it should, there are some telltale signs that you may notice.

1. Water Pooling

You may often have water in your yard after a heavy rain or storm moves through, but if you see water pooling when there hasn’t been any rain, you might have an issue that needs addressing. Water around or over the drain field is an indication that the field is not working correctly.

A properly working drain field helps the liquid coming out of your septic tank leach into the ground. If the drain field has a blockage, or the field itself has a problem, the system can't do its job, and the result is the lake forming around it.

2. Bad Odors

The water in your septic system is a mix of gray water from your shower, washer, and the drains in the home, and the black water coming from the toilet. Both the gray and the black water have pungent odors, but when you mix them, the smell can be awful.

If you have a strong odor outside your home near the septic tank or the drain field, you may have a leak from the tank that is allowing the liquid to escape before the tank breaks it down. Leaks can be in the pipes that connect the tank to the house or the drain field, but if the leak is coming from a crack in the tank, you have a big problem.

3. Slow Drains in Your Home

One common sign of a septic system issue is related to the drains in the house. Often if the septic tank is full or the baffles leading into the tank are clogged, the drains from the home will be very slow. A slow drain could also be a clogged pipe in the house, so before assuming this is a septic system issue, have your plumber come and clean the drain line.

If cleaning the drain line does not correct the problem, you need to have a septic system service come and inspect the septic system. The problem is more than likely in the septic system somewhere.

4. Greener Grass Near the Septic System

The grass over your drain field should look like the grass everywhere else on your lawn. If you notice that the grass near the septic system looks greener or healthier, you may have a leak in the system that is allowing raw sewage to leach into the ground.

Essentially, the grass near the tank or drain field is growing better because of the natural fertilizer coming from the tank. The raw sewage can contaminate the water in the area, including your well, if you have one on the property. While it might look nice, the problem needs correcting immediately.

5. Slow Flushing Toilets

If you notice that the toilets in your home are no longer flushing like they did when your house was new, you may want to have the septic system inspected. The slow flushing can be a result of the septic system struggling to process waste. The tank may be getting full, or you may have a clogged baffle in the tank.

Fixing both situations is easy, but you need a septic service to determine the problem. If all you have is a blockage in the baffles or a full tank, the septic service can deal with that quickly and easily for you.

Southern Sanitary Systems Inchas been serving our customers since 1994 and can inspect your septic system, pump out your tank, or replace the entire system for you if needed. We have the expertise to get your system corrected quickly. Give us a call or come see us today.