That weekend, you told your students that you didn’t want any phone calls because you needed to rest. They understood and left you alone. They didn’t want to get on your nasty side so they respected your wish. You brought out a slice of apple pie and a pitcher of ice cold min tea. Just as you sat down and felt the hug of your chair, you smelled something awful. You stood up and checked your area. The smell came from the yard itself. You knew that odors coming from the back yard can mean trouble so before it completely ruined your day, you immediately phoned your septic expert.
When the septic expert arrived, he agreed that there was definitely something wrong with your septic system. Issues like that were not new to him anymore. You asked the professional if odors coming from back yard can mean trouble and he told you that many homeowners experience the same thing. He told you some reasons that may have caused the smells:
1) Pumping the tank during heavy rains
During heavy rains, a continuous flow of mud and silt run into your yard. If you decided to have your tank pumped out as the rain falls, then you only allowed the mud and silt to enter the system and clog it even further.
2) Antibacterial solutions
If you are a fanatic of antibacterial solutions, then your septic system would definitely have trouble. The solutions kill the resident bacteria in the system and this stops the wastewater treatment from working. The bacteria are the main working components of the septic system. If they die, everything is suspended.
3) Grease and fats
Fats and grease clog the system. These are not easily digested by the bacteria so they stay in the tank until they are dispersed into the drain field or soil absorption area. The fats and grease block or clog the drain field and these results to back up sewage in to your home or onto your back yard.
4) Tree roots, construction, or vehicles over the system
If you have any trees planted over the septic system, their roots will penetrate the components, resulting to damages and clogs. If there’s any form of construction or vehicle over your system’s area, it is recommended that you remove them because their heavy weight damages the system’s components.
5) High water load
When you have your laundry in one heavy batch in a week, have the rain gutter directed to flow over your system, or have more members of the household, then your water load will exceed the system’s capacity. You should have a dry well installed, redirect the rain gutter, and make necessary adjustments with the size or the number of tanks that you have.
6) Non-biodegradable materials
The septic system is not an incinerator. It cannot break down the non-biodegradable materials that you dump into it. The items will clog the system and this eventually leads to failure.
7) No pumping
The accumulated sludge should be regularly pumped out. If you don’t adhere to your schedule, then this could lead to malfunction and failure of the system.
Your back yard was telling you that it needed help. Everything was just too demanding at work, that you really didn’t have the time to pay attention to your home anymore. If it weren’t for your weekly housekeeper, you would already be covered with filth. Odors coming from back yard can mean trouble most of the time. Lesson learned, you thanked your septic expert and told him to check on your system especially when the scheduled day of pumping was near. When the expert left, you breathed in and smelled only the fragrant fruits and flowers along the periphery of your yard. You definitely wanted to keep it smelling the way it did after the situation was fixed.