The beginning of every project leads to either success or failure, however it would be grand to always have a successful project. That would assure confidence to anyone who wants to start a business or an investment because it’s always a sure win. But real life doesn’t really work like that and neither do sand mounds. No matter how intricately designed, sand mounds will either function for many years or like fail to provide proper riddance of waste. In either case, there are things that any homeowner can do to help restore a failing sand mound and once you become familiar with all of the components and workings of the mound, your odds of restoration greatly increase.
Consider your home a project. You have started beautifully with it. You have even installed a sand mound so that the soil type of the property could have a wastewater treatment system. Even if it is a bit of an eyesore, the sand mound is an unconventional yet reliable type of septic. It’s elevated so as to help adjust the percolation rate of the soil. It has a special construction fabric lining it so that the temperature inside will remain warm to support the metabolic rate of the resident bacteria. This special fabric should always be inspected for tears or perforations because if left neglected the rain, sediments, and even snow will enter the system. This is stressed before winter because the sand mound system might freeze over during winter season if the construction fabric isn’t replaced before the first snow day. This will lead to an array of sand mound problems.
Like the conventional septic, the sand mound has two divisions—in this case, the tank and the soil absorption system. The tank is the collecting vessel of the raw wastewater that’s produced every single day. Here, the first stage of wastewater treatment is performed. It contains the resident anaerobic bacteria that break down the solid waste products. The soil absorption system contains the resident aerobic bacteria that digest minute particles of solid waste in the pre-treated effluent and regulate the biomat that removes the pathogens from the effluent before it’s released into the surrounding environment. These sand mound components should be well taken care of so that they may function at their best possible conditions. To do this, the sand mound should be pumped out regularly. A fixed schedule should be set with the help of the septic expert. The pump out schedule depends on the number of people that live in the house. Next would be the regular checking of the construction fabric. This could be done by the homeowner or any member of the household. Then, the sand mound additives should be chosen correctly and used professionally to keep the system in tip top shape.
If the sand mound is not cared for, it will eventually fail. Many homeowners are too busy to inspect and treat their sand mounds. They tend to do the following things that lead to system failure:
- Throw non-biodegradable materials and grease into the drains and toilets
- Pour strong acids and bases down the drains and toilets
- Plant trees on or around the sand mound area
- Place construction projects and vehicles over or near the sand mound area
- Direct the rain gutter to drain over the sand mound
- Excessive water use though washing machines and dishwashers
- Irregular pump outs
These negligent activities either clog or damage the sand mound. If these are done continuously, the system will inevitably fail. When it does, the local septic expert should be called immediately. The first thing he will do is perform a thorough inspection and then begin the restoration process. Sand mound restorations products that are ideally used are bacteria-based additives. They are made up of organic microorganisms that voraciously eat up the solid waste products and even eliminate foul smells. They work extra hard to bring back the sand mound to its former glory. With bacteria-based additives as sand mound restoration products, you won’t have to worry about system failures anymore.