The Pumper's Wife

As I have written several times in this blog, one the best things you can do for your septic system is pump it regularly.  And every time I discuss the subject of septic pumping, my brain always thinks about one of my favorite SNL skits with Hans and Frans....I'm sorry, I'm just that weird.  They wanted to PUMP.....YOU UP!  I want to PUMP...YOU OUT! Anyway... It is recommended that you pump your tank every 3-5 years based on activity levels in your home.  The more people you have living in your home the more solids you produce.  When we come pump the tank even though we take all the water with us, what we are actually after are all the solids that collect over time (your poo, toilet paper and garbage disposal items).  If too much of these build up they can seep out to your lateral field and plug it up. 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 s

Winter is upon us and if you live in Nebraska you're aware of how the seasons do change!  I grew up in Kansas and thought our winters got plenty cold, but then I moved to the Lincoln area and wow....just a tad bit colder! (I might also note, I think I'm as far north as I ever want to really live -- God bless those who do!  Hardy people you are!  My hats off to you!) But what does this matter and why would I have a blog post about it? Well, if you've read anything I have posted over the last seven or eight years you might have picked up on the fact that the weather actually determines a lot of the work we get to do.  If it is rainy and the soil is wet we can't dig or sometimes pump because the ground is too soft.  If it is cold and the ground is frozen we also can't dig.  We always need the ground to work with us as we dig and do our install work.  So, unless we get an abnormally warm winter, we do not do much for installation work past November. How does that effect

With so many new people living on septic (at least in our area of Lincoln, Nebraska) I get this question a lot -- do I need to do anything to prep my septic tank before winter hits? If you live on an acreage this makes perfect sense to think that along with all the other items you make sure are "winterized" -- why not the septic system? But, on this issue you can relax.  Nothing needs to be done.  The best maintenance you can do for your septic system is just making sure it is pumped every 3-5 years.  As long as you're staying on top of that, all the rest should be good to go! Here is just my top "hit" list of other items to be aware of -- but not necessarily seasonal issues: 1) Keep tank pumped every 3-5 years 2) Know where your laterals are and stay away from them! Nothing heavier than a lawn mower should ever be on top of the djainfield.  Also, do not build on top of this area either 3) Use cheap, lesser play toilet paper -- no adult or baby wet wipes 4) Be m

It's that time of year that our family loves -- cool crisp fall days, deer season, sweatshirts, campfires, Thanksgiving...bring on the pumpkin spice too! But winter is coming... So does that mean we can't pump septic systems?  Well, not really.  In fact, many people like to have their tanks pumped in the fall and winter months because we don't screw up their grass since most of it is dormant at this point.   Whenever we pump tanks -- no matter what time of year it is -- our issues are the same, gaining access.  If the tank is too far from a driveway or road and we have to drive in a field, yard, pasture, etc, we have to be careful of the weather.  In the spring and summer, we have to be careful of rain.  (Well, we had to be careful of rain any year prior to this year...still wondering if rain has just decided to bypass the state for good...)  In the winter months, we have to be careful of snow and ice.  There is also that issue that some tanks have to be dug up to gain acce

What would we do without the luxury item of toilet paper?     None of us truly saw its value until 2020, but what a wonderful item it is, right?     However, as much as we appreciate toilet paper, it can be a stinker (no pun intended…) at causing problems with your septic system.   Here’s why…   Right out of the gate, all toilet papers claim to be septic safe which unfortunately they are not.  As a new homeowner living on septic, this can cause you issues.  How do you know what toilet paper is good when they all claim to be?  Toilet paper that is more expensive, quilted and 3 ply has a tendency to maintain its integrity even after it gets wet.  This becomes a problem in two ways.  One, when it reaches the baffle region of your septic tank and two when it doesn’t make it all the way to the septic tank but stops in the line on its way down.   Let’s deal with problem number one.  All septic tanks have a region known as the baffle.  It is a box-like area around the incoming line of the tan

Happy Thursday Folks!     It’s a cloudy day in Nebraska with a few sprinkles.     Most of the time I don’t like the rain because rain always slows our company down.     When it comes to installation work, we need the ground to work with us and wet soil does NOT do that!     However, currently in Nebraska we are experiencing such a drought that we could probably get a 4-inch rain and still not really notice it!     It is that dry.     So, I will take any rain that wants to come to Nebraska!   Why do I bring this up?   Well, unlike some businesses, ours is impacted A LOT by weather.  Just as I shared above, if it rains, we typically can’t work for 2-3 days.  We need the soil to be dry in order to dig for our installation work.  When it rains, we have to allow time for the soil to dry out, so rain (in a typical year) can give us grief.     Today though, I want to address the winter months.  As many of you know, Nebraska can have some pretty harsh winters.  Once the temperatures start drop

  I had the sweetest lady call today with a few questions about her septic system.     Though she had lived on septic before, she recently moved and had a brand new septic system and wanted to know about using Chlorox and other cleaners.     We did a quick little “septic system lesson for beginners” and I figured this might be a good update or reminder for you guys as well!   So….here’s what we covered:   What kind of cleaners can I use in my house if I live on septic? For the most part, you can use what you have used when living in town on city sewer.  Chlorox is fine so long as you aren’t pouring gallon jugs down the drain every day.  Very few people use enough Chlorox or other cleaners to disrupt the good bacteria growing in your tank.  The only people we get concerned about are those who might run cleaning businesses from their home and maybe even use those industrial or commercial grade cleaners IN THEIR OWN home.  If that isn’t you, then make your house sparkle using what you nor

  Despite the little “surprise” shower we got earlier this week, it kinda feels like there’s a state- wide ban on rain showers, doesn’t it?     It’s like Nebraska has some sort of magnetic field that has been repelling all moisture from the state.   Does anyone else feel this way?   Because we are so dry, I got an interesting call the other day from one of my customers.  She, like many of us, has noticed how dry and cracked the ground is everywhere on her property – even above her lateral field.  So, she called to see if it would be wise to water her laterals.   Considering how dry it has been, I totally understand why she called!  Honestly, I think Arizona has received more rain this summer than we have.  Soon we will see armadillos and cacti overtaking the Nebraska cornfields!  But to her question, I had to answer NO.   Here’s why….   Every drop of wastewater that comes out of your house is eventually absorbed by your laterals.  The reason your laterals work (and are effective) is be

It’s that time of year when everyone is calling to either get their tank pumped or discuss issues with their septic systems.     An item that is a biggie with many systems is water usage.     Why?     Septic systems are designed to handle only so much water.  So, if you go over that amount, your systems will let you know….kinda like Christmas dinner makes the pants tighter?     Too much water will show up in standing water on laterals or sometimes back-ups in the house.     I can’t help you with your snug-fitting jeans (shouldn’t we just be able to eat what we want without consequences?), but I can assist with trying to figure out water usage issues!   First and foremost, your system is sized based on the number of bedrooms in your house.  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

If you’re building in the country, something you might not know is when build a new house you also 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 absor

Given the nature of my business, I "get" to talk about poo and toilet paper almost daily.  How lucky am I?Believe it or not, toilet paper causes most of the issues people have when dealing with septic back-ups.  Now hopefully, we won't have to deal with toilet paper shortages again.  But if we do, and you live on septic, grab the cheap stuff!  Leave the expensive paper for everyone else!   Why do I want you grabbing the cheap stuff?   Here's why....   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.   Why is that?   When you use cheap, single ply toilet paper, the minute it hits the water and gets even the slightest agitation, it will start breaking down into tiny pieces.  This is perfect for a septic system because t

You and your spouse just bought some land.     Both of you are so 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 $12,000-15,000 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, yes I do.     But not because I don’t want you to en

 If you live in Nebraska (or the midwest in general...) you know the weather can change from day to day.  I have lived in both Kansas and Nebraska and the same saying goes, "Don't like the weather? Stick around, it will change!" I'm guessing if you live remotely close to me, you can appreciate this meme.  While we haven't seen snow in a while, this week was lovely with 90 degree highs followed by 75 degree high.  I'm a HUGE FAN of the 70 degree weather....I know very few people who like 90 degree + temps (tack on some humidity and you have yourself a heat stroke waiting to happen!) but I digress....   How does weather effect your septic system? Well, there are a few ways.... One, when we have wet seasons -- and I mean excessively wet weather, your septic (especially if it is older...) can give you some problems.  Why?  As you probably know, the ground acts as a sponge to absorb EVERY LAST DROP of water that comes out of your house.  Your bath water, shower wat

Let's talk about water usage and your septic system today.  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…) When you live on a septic system, water usage is a REALLY BIG DEAL.  Your system was designed for one single household.  It was also designed to only absorb so much water so when you "feed" it more water than it was designed to handle, you'll see those signs showing up on your lateral field.   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 potential back-ups due to excessive water usage.   1).  Adding extra rooms/finishing basement rooms:   When someone calls me for a bid for a septic system on a newly constructed home, I always ask “How many bedrooms?”  But I also