Properties located in rural areas or outside city limits typically have septic tanks. If you don't receive a monthly sewer bill from your municipality, you likely have a septic system on your property.

A septic system consists of four primary components: a pipe from your home or business, a septic tank, a drainfield, and the soil. Wastewater from your toilet, bath, kitchen, and laundry travels through a pipe into the septic tank. Microbes in the soil then digest or remove most contaminants from the wastewater before it reaches the groundwater.

Certain items should never be flushed, regardless of packaging claims. Baby wipes, diapers, adult wipes, tampons, tampon applicators, dental floss, cotton swabs, cigarette butts, grease, and toys should not enter your septic tank. These items won't break down like organic material. Additionally, household chemicals such as gasoline, oil, pesticides, antifreeze, and paint should never be flushed. These chemicals destroy the beneficial bacteria in your septic system and can disrupt or halt the breakdown of solids in your tank.

The frequency of tank pumping depends on your household size and tank capacity. Generally, tanks should be pumped every three years. A household of five with a 1,200-gallon tank may require pumping every two years, while a single-person household might extend to five years between services. Installing risers on your tank provides easy inspection access. Simply lift the top to check if solids and toilet paper have accumulated. If they have, contact us to schedule service.

You can locate your septic tank lids or manhole covers by gently probing the ground with a steel rod, starting approximately 10 feet from where the pipe exits your house. Another method is to observe where snow melts first after a light snowfall. Your local county health department may also have records showing the location of your septic tank and drainfield.

Several symptoms indicate potential septic system problems: odors, surface sewage, and wet spots in the drainfield area; plumbing or septic tank backups; slow draining fixtures not caused by local clogs; and gurgling sounds in your plumbing system.