A typical septic system is a “personalized” or “private” wastewater treatment system that was designed, constructed, and installed according to the needs of your household. It only has the capacity to accommodate the number of people that produce waste inside your home. Your responsibility as the homeowner is to make sure that you and your family members use the drains, sinks, and toilets the proper way. Also, the maintenance and care of the septic system should be observed on time. These are what should be basically done. You knew about all these but due to unavoidable circumstances, you weren’t able to keep your end of the deal.
It was a beautiful day. When you woke up, it seemed that there was nothing that could ever go wrong. You and your family were supposed to go visit your mother in the country. It was going to be her birthday celebration in two weeks and you all planned to stay there until that day. Your family wanted to make all the arrangements, from food to invitations. Your ten-year-old daughter was the first one to stir. She headed straight to her bathroom to have an early start. But before she could even fully enter, she immediately turned back and went to you instead. She said that there was something wrong with the toilet. You went with her to her toilet and to your grim surprise, the toilet was backing up. You hurriedly checked all the other bathrooms in the house and they were all the same. All the drains and sinks were like that as well. Strong septic smells came out of them and this was unacceptable.
When you looked out into your yard, you saw that there was a pool of foul smelling sewage. It was definitely from the lateral lines of the leach field. You needed to call your septic expert immediately. This should be remedied as soon as possible. After a few minutes, everyone in the house was awake and needed to use the bathroom. Your wife decided to call your nearest neighbor and asked to use their bathroom. When your family left to go to the neighbor’s house, the septic expert arrived. The septic expert gave you and I-told-you-so look that you really deserved. The lateral lines were completely blocked. You didn’t remove the tree that was threatening to block that area years ago. You didn’t pump out the septic tank on schedule. Most of all, you didn’t follow the monthly septic treatments that your septic expert recommended. The drains, toilets, pipes, and sinks were thoroughly checked for blockages. There were non-biodegradable substances present there like tissue paper, tampons, and hairballs. The septic expert just shook his head as he collected the evidence of neglect. Your face was flushed with embarrassment.
After pumping and treating the septic tank and also the leach field and its lateral lines, the septic expert didn’t leave until you agreed to the terms of keeping the regular pumping out and monthly treatment schedules. Of course, you agreed. The septic expert left you with information that the biological additive that he used contained non-pathogenic bacteria that will improve the condition of the bacteria in the tank and in the leach field. The toilet back up because of the blockage in the lateral lines will be gone pretty soon. The bacteria will continue working even if you left to visit your mother.
Cleaning the yard and the inside of your home was the longest part of the septic service. You and your family left a day after the septic incident. It was to make sure that everything was okay. Your housekeeper said that she would be reporting about the septic system regularly. It has already dramatically improved overnight and would probably be much better in the following days.
Ever since the toilets in your home backed up because of the lateral line blockage, you swore to take care of your family and part of it was to make sure that they were safe and healthy. And part of your responsibility was to maintain a smooth running septic system.
