How Often Should I Inspect My Cesspool?

Anyone who has a cesspool has at one point or another, had to deal with the cesspool backing up and clogging the entire disposal process. This is a problem that often confuses a person about how this can happen and what you do to prevent it and treat it once it has happened. Luckily, cesspool systems are fairly easy to inspect and are less complicated in design compared to leach field or lateral line systems.

Most professionals recommend a light inspection of the cesspool every year, followed by a more thorough inspection every 4 to 5 years. The light inspection will include visually observing the entire area which the cesspool encompasses, looking for trouble signs such as leak, grass discoloration or odors. Also, be aware of any foreign odors emanating from surrounding areas or within your home.

Detailed inspections will include an internal check-up provided by a septic professional who will examine all components of the system while performing permeability tests on the system drainage soils. The inspection is usually very thorough and should only be conducted by a professional familiar with cesspools.

Taking a little time to understand the entire operation of how a cesspool works, will give a person the chance to see where the problem might be and how to fix it. The cesspools’ biggest issue is that a person will overuse it at times. If you come from a urban area that had a sewer system, then you are used to the constant use of the toilet as well as the bathtub and sinks. When you own a septic system you have to be a little more careful about when you do things and how you do them in regard to the generation of waste water.

A system that uses a cesspool will not be able to handle as much volume in the way of usage. This means that you need to make sure that you are careful in the amount that you use the toilet and wash clothes. It is advised that you time these events as to prevent overloading the system.

There also needs to be interest paid to make sure to avoid large roots. Tree roots are one of the biggest areas of concern. These can have a detrimental effect on the entire disposal process and cause a person some serious issues if they are not careful. Weeds and plants will not be an issue as these have very little roots and pose very little risk to these systems.

Taking a little knowledge away from this, you are able to ascertain that you can have a huge impact in the life of your cesspool. These can many times be avoided if you take a little time to simply look at all the issues that are present and see ways that you are able to avoid any serious issues. The biggest of these issues is that of helping to make sure that you are not overusing the system and in turn running the chance of the system backing up and not being able to flow correctly.