Feb
24
A septic tank is a sewage-treatment system that is quite common in areas not connected to the main sewer line. While urban areas have a sewage system in place, many rural communities rely on separate septic tanks for each property.
Maintaining your septic tank requires more than unclogging a drain when things back up. Because your septic tank is vital to keeping your home safe and secure, regular maintenance is crucial to avoid problems down the road.
The most basic maintenance, which is draining the septic tank, should occur approximately every four years, depending on usage. This prevents buildup of sludge and grease and keeps leakage from seeping into your drain field. This simple procedure is low cost to you and easy for the professional with the right equipment. Read more
Nov
4
How To Clean Up After Your Sewer Backs Up
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When your sewer backs up, it can leave a horrendous mess for you to clean up. The sewage that enters your home and/or your yard can contain harmful bacteria. It is a mess that must be dealt with and it must be dealt with in a timely manner. The longer you leave sewage to sit, the more risk you are taking with your health and the health of your family. Knowing how to clean up after your sewer backs up can help prevent any potential problems.
Put on safety equipment before cleaning up the sewage. This can include rubber gloves, rubber boots, rubber coat, and a face shield. It is important to protect your body from the accidental splash of sewage.
Make sure all of the utilities to your home are shut off if the sewage has backed up into your home. This includes gas and electricity. Appliances and outlets could be affected by the sewage, so have your local providers turn the utilities off until the problem is resolved.
Remove any standing water with a pump or a wet/dry vacuum. Once the water is gone, you can begin sorting items into two piles – keep and toss. Your “keep” pile is for items that can be cleaned and used again. The “toss” pile is for items that must go to the garbage, such as carpeting and toys. Read more
Oct
20
Sewer problems are a mess – literally.
Having issues with your sewer can lead to a variety of problems within your home. For instance, you could have raw sewage back up into your home, exposing you and your family to dangerous bacteria.
If you are experiencing sewer problems, you have to determine where the problems start. Only by getting to the root of the problem can you begin to make needed repairs. Read more
May
26
Buying a house is a lengthy process. Potential buyers have a vision in their minds about the kind of house they want. They know what they are looking for and they have the upper hand because if they do not like a home, they can walk away.
It takes time and effort to find the perfect home. Once a buyer finds a house that they like, there is still a process to be followed.
An important part of the house-buying process is having the house inspected. Buyers should never buy a home without having it inspected from top to bottom. While obvious factors should be inspected, such as the roof and the foundation, one area that many buyers might overlook is sewage or septic contamination. Read more
May
19
Can Your Toilet Paper Clog Your Toilet?
Filed Under Sewers | 2 Comments
There is nothing quite as distressing as flushing your toilet and watching the water start to rise. A clogged toilet can cause a lot of damage, especially if it is not fixed quickly. There are many reasons why your toilet could be clogged. Small children have a tendency to flush things. Sometimes tree roots break through the pipes and cause clogs. Another reason why your toilet could be clogged is the toilet paper you use.
People tend to overlook their toilet paper as a clogging culprit. The truth is that while marketers have been doing a better job with promoting extra strong and soft toilet paper benefits, the same benefits that are a plus to you may be a minus to your pipes and sewer system. If you have older pipes, you may be even more at risk.
While some countries resort to not flushing anything, including toilet paper, that isn’t an option for us here in America. We like the convenience and cleanliness of flushing. So the key then becomes finding the best toilet paper available that gets the job done, and keeps your pipes and sewer system at minimal risk. Read more
Apr
7
Do you ever stop to consider what happens when you flush a toilet, take a shower, or wash the dishes? The wastewater flows down the drain and out of your home, but what happens to it then?
Modern plumbing consists of a complex series of pipes, lifts, and treatment plants, but what is the significance of all this? Is it really that important to properly dispose of and deal with sewage? To answer this question, let’s consider what could happen if sewage seeped into ground water.
If sewage seeped into ground water, one of the most obvious affects would be the contamination of drinking water sources. Wastewater is full of coliform bacteria like E.coli. We are all aware of how sick that can make you. So, if sewage did infect ground water, our drinking water (and the water animals drink) would potentially be polluted by harmful, even deadly bacteria. Read more
Mar
30
Modern sanitation is a true marvel. Americans enjoy a cleaner (less smelly) environment largely due to the amazing advances in plumbing. We all know basically what happens when you flush one toilet. But what would happen if every toilet in the US were flushed at the same time?
Since no one has ever attempted such an experiment before the true results are a bit of a mystery. However, with the science and mathematics available, sanitation experts can give us a pretty realistic scenario. But before we can appreciate the answer, we need to gain a better understanding of the system itself. Read more
Mar
4
How To Care For A Septic Tank
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Your septic tank is a vital part of your home’s plumbing. The septic tank is the place where all the wastewater from your home goes. This means everything from your dishwater to your toilet water ends up in your septic tank.
If your septic tank ever stops functioning, it can mean a big mess, days or even weeks of heartache, and many costly repairs. It is very important to take care of your septic tank to keep it operating efficiently.
The first step in the proper maintenance of your septic tank is having it checked on a regular basis. This does not mean that you need to walk outside and examine the area where the tank is located. You need to have a professional come in about once a year and make sure your septic tank is functioning correctly.
While a septic tank uses a simple process for sorting out the waste (heavy waste falls to the bottom, giving it time to break down, while gray water stays on top and is released from the tank), it still needs regular maintenance. A professional can make sure that the tank is releasing only the gray water and ensure that it is not full.
Should your septic tank ever become too full, you will have to have it pumped. Scheduling regular pumping of the tank will help to prevent it from overflowing. If the tank overflows, you will have costly repairs to make to remove the waste and contamination. Read more
Sep
10
A sewer line inspection sounds like the most boring aspect of buying a new home. However it could possibly be one of the most important things you do prior to closing the deal. The reality is that the sewer is a detrimental part of your home, without a functioning sewer line your new house can suddenly become unlivable. Make sure you know what you are getting into before finalizing the paper work.
What You Can’t See Can Hurt Your Home
Sewer line inspection should be done prior to the actual home purchase. This could come into play as a significant bargaining tool, or may reveal problems you are not prepared to deal with that could change your mind about the home. What makes the sewer line so problematic is the fact that when a problem exists, you can rarely see it. Decades can cause roots and damage to pipes that worsen over time. In a few days, weeks or months you could be facing a backed up sewer in your dream home.
Fixing Sewer Lines is Expensive
The cost of repairing sewer problems can vary significantly. If you do not perform a sewer line inspection prior to buying the home, you will wind up taking on the responsibility of that bill. Some problems require a basic snaking, which will run about $100 to $200. Serious issues, such as crushed pipes, can go well into the thousands, even up to $10,000 or more depending on whether street or sidewalk needs to be destroyed in the process. Your home could end up costing you a lot more after the fact if you do not have a sewer line inspection performed.
Peace of Mind is Important
After dealing with the stress that can come with finding a new home and moving into it, the last thing you want is to worry about what problems might be lurking where you cannot see. The older your home is, the more important a sewer line inspection becomes. Buy your new home with confidence and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with thoroughly reviewing the home and all potential issues that may come with it!
Jul
7
We all have the need to call a plumber at one point or another. In many cases calling a plumber means the sink or toilet are plugged and fixing the problem is relatively simple. However, not all problems are simple and clear cut. There are large, labor intensive problems that pop up and require a full service plumber immediately.
Such is the case with sewer services. A simple back up of a toilet or downstairs drain quickly escalates into a huge problem.
Sewer lines can be blocked by a variety of things. Plumbers are best known to “snake” the line by inserting a long flexible wire into the pipes until the obstruction is removed. But it doesn’t stop there. Plumbers also use closed circuit cameras as a routine part of their business, and no longer have to guess where the problem is – they can pinpoint its exact location. They can identify blocks in the sewer lines deep below city streets and driveways, or beneath your overgrown landscaping without having to dig or drill.
Plumbers also install and repair equipment related to the sewer system. Have a new construction project under way? Consult with a plumber to get the sewer system installed during the process. Have a home reconstruction? A plumber can help there too, and provide advice on the most effective way to install top-notch plumbing materials.
Have an older home? A plumber can help keep it in top working condition. A plumber will start by locating roots growing inside the sewer line, and will not only locate where roots may cause a block in the line, but also have the tools and expertise to fix the problem.
Worried about rusty, broken, and leaking pipes? All are a part of a plumber’s job description. Concerned about the affects of frozen pipes during the winter months? If the problem goes ignored, flooded out basements, cracked drywall and flooring, and sewage backups may result. These are all unpleasant and expensive problems to correct, but a good plumber is able to keep the problems under control and save homeowners a great deal of money in the process.
Blogroll
- Quality 1st Plumbing website - Quality 1st Plumbing website
- Troubleshooter - Tom Martino – The Trouble Shooter
- WaterSense