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, an...

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 t...

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 t...

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 and where all the water from your house is eventually absorbed.  The laterals can be looked at as one giant sponge that cleans up as it soaks up the wastewater.  For this reason, it is 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...

This week we will talk about TOILET PAPER!! Yay!  What fun?! What fun?!  Who doesn’t LOVE talking about the substance we use to wipe the most disgusting items from our body?! Hip hip hooray!! I know I have you going on a toilet-paper-celebrating-frenzy, but to be honest, toilet paper is no laughing matter when it comes to your septic system.  Believe it or not, using the wrong toilet paper can clog your system and leave you with a HUGE mess.  So, how do you know if you’re using the wrong toilet paper?   Let me help…  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 mi...

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 ...

HAPPY JANUARY!!  Oh the joys of new beginnings!  Or if you're like me, you can more closely relate to the meme below.... No matter what your opinion on January or resolutions, one thing that I would recommend to put on your list of "things to do" or "goals of 2020" is to learn more about your septic system! The more you know, the better it will serve you in the long run...I promise!    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....ahem....I mean, happily invited 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 ...