The Pumper's Wife

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, falls are crisp, 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 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 Nature.

You and your spouse just bought some land.    Both of you are excited about building and are spending all your spare time looking at floor plans.    You are up to your ears in flooring and bathroom tile samples, 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?” Yes....

In the last few weeks, I have covered many different ways to care for or maintain your system.  Many items 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 that seeps to the laterals 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 on 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 out from time to time, they