The Pumper's Wife

Though we have (so far) experienced a relatively mild start to what are considered winter months in Nebraska, I wanted to take the time to talk about weather and how it can effect your septic system.   Nebraska is one of those fortunate states that gets to experience all four seasons every year.     Our springs are typically cool and wet, summers hot and dry, crisp falls, and cold, snowy winters.     During any one of these seasons, we can experience extreme weather.     For instance, the fall of 2018 was extremely rainy and led into a winter that has been colder than we have seen for a while.     That particular 2018-2019 winter  also gleaned quite a bit of snow as well.   Why am I taking the time to tell you this?   Your septic system is sensitive to what Mother Nature does.  If we have a wet fall or spring and the ground is overly saturated, this can cause problems for your system.  Typically, it is the older systems that struggle more during times like these, but we have seen newer

You and your spouse just bought some land.     Both of you are excited about building and looking at floor plans.     You are looking at different flooring and bathroom tiles, while your husband is dreaming about his new shop/outbuilding with built in man-cave.     You find yourself a builder and that’s it!     Right?   Well, sort of….   Now I know it isn’t the most exciting thing to consider, but one of the most expensive items in your house when building in the country is your septic system.  You will spend somewhere between $8,000-12,000 on it depending on the number of bedrooms in the house.  I’m no mathematician, but I doubt you’re spending that kind of money on other appliances.  If you’re going to be writing that big of a check, don’t you think it would be wise to make sure you give this “appliance” your attention?   “What?!” you ask.  “You want me to be more concerned about my wastewater than my flooring and tile and window dressings??!!”   Yes....yes, I do.     But not because

  In the last few weeks, I have covered many different ways to care for or maintain your septic system.     Many of the items I have discussed have been ways to be mindful on a day-to-day basis (water usage, care when flushing, and lateral maintenance).     However, one of the most important things you can do for your system is pump it regularly.     Here’s why… The diagram above shows what an average septic tank contains on a daily basis.  You will see sewage or wastewater comes in from the house, then liquid, sludge and scum get trapped in the tank, and finally wastewater seeps on out to the lateral field.   Though you may find all these components completely gross, it’s actually important that each are there in their respective amounts.  However, what’s most important is to regularly pump it out.     Just like you change the oil in your car to get the bad stuff out, your septic system needs the same type of care.  If the solids that collect at the bottom of the tank aren’t cleaned o

Today I will elaborate on the septic system drainfield and the best way to care for it.   In the diagram above, you can see all the components of a septic system.  There is a tank and a leachfield/drainfield.  When I talk to customers, many of them are confused as to what makes up a septic system.  I would say many think that all they have is a tank and that is it.  However, the bigger portion of the septic system (and also the most expensive part) is the leachfield/drainfield/lateral field.  This part of the septic system is where the final treatment takes place.  It is also very important to know where your lateral field is located.  If this portion of your system becomes damaged or inhibited in any way, it will ruin the functionality of your septic system.   Below are two examples of what is being installed today for lateral fields.  The top picture is an example of EZ Flow lateral.  The lower picture is an example of plastic gravelless chamber.  Both of these types of systems behav

This week, I'm going to dive into the subject of toilet paper.  Now, earlier this year, toilet paper became the new object of obsession.  Of all things people would stock pile, who knew it would be toilet paper? Personally, until I knew I was out and in trouble, I was buying more chocolate to survive the homeschooling, quarantine, and all the other nonsense inflicted upon us this spring!  I guess to each his own! But what about toilet paper?  Is there something a septic-living-homeowner needs to know?  You bet there is!   Unfortunately, all toilet papers claim to be “septic safe.”  This can be really confusing to the “new to septic” homeowner.  I’m sure all toilet papers will eventually break down once they get to the tank, but here’s the problem – if they are thicker, 3 ply, quilted toilet paper, they struggle to make it to the tank.   Here’s why…   When you use cheap, single ply toilet paper, the minute it hits the water and gets even the slightest agitation, it will start breaki

  So, if you read my previous ever-so-eloquently-written-wastewater-post from last week…You’ll notice the first thing I mentioned when avoiding septic system “messes” was WATER USAGE.     Today, I’m going to elaborate on that.   I had written how septic systems are sized according to the number of bedrooms.  It is assumed that there is at least one person per bedroom using approximately 100 gallons of water a day when sizing a system.  Obviously, there is no way to know exactly how much water will be used in the home, but to date this is the most logical way to assume approximate water usage.   One thing septic systems are good at, is showing you when you’ve used too much water.  (Think about trying to fit 20 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket…)  Typically, you’ll see standing water over your drainfield first, but sometimes too much water can lead to a back-up in the house as well.  Below, I have listed the most common areas that lead to or can cause standing water over laterals or

SEPTIC SYSTEMS 101 If I were still in college and needed an elective, I doubt this class would make my top 10.  However, if I were a new homeowner LIVING on a septic system you can bet I would sign up!  I wouldn't want to misuse the system designed to take my wastewater AWAY from my house!   Join me (won't you?) for your very own "class" on septic systems! As I have stated before in previous posts/blogs/articles, so many people don’t really know how their wastewater systems work.     Because they don’t know how they work, they don’t understand simple “dos” and “don’ts” of a septic system.       I totally get it!     Until I got drug into this business I never pondered what happened every time I flushed.     I doubt you do either.     However, when it comes to your own on-site wastewater system (i.e. septic systems) if you don’t ponder it just a little bit, it can lead to big, messy, gross, disgusting, expensive problem.       Today, we will learn the basics on how a s

  So, I tend to write about traditional septic items – how about something septic related but on the side of “new” or “advanced”?     (Technically it’s not really new…but it is new to Nebraska!)     Did you know technology exists to clean up your wastewater better than ever?     For years, the main treatment of septic wastewater has been in the tank.     The water drains in the tank first and because it is typically air tight, the bacteria in the tank conduct anaerobic respiration to break down all the nasty stuff that is in the water.     After the tank treatment, the water slowly drains out to your lateral field where the soil performs a final treatment.     In the drainfield, water is either absorbed into the ground or evaporated through the plants (transvaporation).   So why would an alternative to this treatment that has worked for years be necessary you ask?  Well, there are several reasons!   1)       As wastewater system installers, we are concerned about the environment.  We w

  If you’re building in the country, something you might not know is you have to install a wastewater system – or a place for all your wastewater to go.     In town, there is plumbing and city sewers to take care of all that, but if you build in the country you have to provide your own sewer system!     The most popular types of wastewater systems are septic systems.   Septic systems work in conjunction with Mother Nature.  The largest part of a septic system is the drain field (also known as a lateral field or leach field).  The drain field is the portion of your septic system that uses the soil to absorb ALL of the water that comes out of your house.  Every time you flush, do a load of laundry, take a shower, run the dishwasher, wash your hands, etc., the water drains out of the house and eventually ends up in the soil right outside.   But there’s actually a little more involved with where your septic system is placed and what kind of soil is best at absorbing water….   Before you ca

  Nebraska is one of those fortunate states that gets to experience all four seasons every year.     Our springs are typically cool and wet, summers hot and dry, crisp falls, and cold, snowy winters.     During any one of these seasons, we can experience extreme weather.     For instance, the fall of 2018 was extremely rainy and led into a winter that has been colder than we have seen for a while.      We have also gleaned quite a bit of snow during the 2018-19 winter as well.   Why am I taking the time to tell you this?   Your septic system is sensitive to what Mother Nature does.  If we have a wet fall or spring and the ground is overly saturated, this can cause problems for your system.  Typically, it is the older systems that struggle more during times like these, but we have seen newer systems have problems as well.  It all depends on the amount of water a household uses, the soil type your system is placed in, and the amounts of rain (or snow melt) we have received from Mother Na