Have you ever had that sinking feeling that your septic isn’t working properly? The tip off might literally be a sinking feeling – or a stinking feeling, for that matter.
It’s important not to turn a blind eye – or nose – to the tell-tale signs that you’ve got a problem. Doing so could pollute the environment, make your family or pets sick and could even lead to sewage backing up inside your home.
Here are some possible signs that your septic system may have an issue and should be inspected by a licensed septic installer as soon as possible.
- Odour – If you smell sewage when you’re out in your yard, you may be smelling sewage seeping from somewhere in your septic system. When a system is functioning properly, there should be no solids entering the septic bed from the tank, and your septic bed should filter the liquid matter. Bottom line, if it’s working, any fluids have been filtered before entering the soil in the ground around the septic.
- Puddles – If your septic bed area is wet, that’s not good. It means, for one reason or another, the liquids are not flowing through the septic system where filtration happens. Instead, they are ponding.
- Spongy ground – In extreme cases, the ground around a septic bed can actually feel like Jell-O. If you step in one area and see the ground literally jiggle nearby, your septic needs help ASAP.
- Sewage backing up – If there is a blockage leading into your septic bed, eventually the holding tank will become full. When that happens, the liquids and solids – sewage – will have nowhere to go and will back up into your house.
- Visible damage – If someone has driven a vehicle over your septic bed, for example, you may see the ground sunken in where the pipe or shell has been crushed.
If in doubt and not sure if your septic has a problem, have someone come out and take a look. Some issues can be easily corrected, saving you money while also keeping things clean and green.