Think of your house as a well-oiled machine, chugging along with every element in sync, including the parts you can’t see. One of the very important yet often overlooked hidden components is your septic system. If your house is not connected to a city sewer system, everything that goes down your sinks, showers, and toilets gets mixed in this system. An inspection should occur every one to three years, and you must take some measures to ensure it functions effectively between inspection visits.
Prepare for the Inspection Visit
Even before the inspector arrives, ensure they can access your septic tank. The main access lids, or “lids,” are generally buried immediately below the ground. So, you’ll want to figure out where they are. Sometimes, there are also access points for the drain field line. If you know roughly where your septic tank is, you can search for dim outlines in the grass or use a metal detector to locate the concrete lids. Once you find them, sweep away any dirt, leaves, or even small shrubs. You may need to use a shovel for this step, as the lids can be heavy and resist your efforts to pry them open. If the inspector has to spend an hour digging around to locate a tank, that adds time and cost to your visit. So, uncovering everything and making it easy to get to is a big help.
Postpone Heavy Water Use
This tip is a big one. Try to limit your water usage for the day of the inspection, and if possible, a few hours prior. Don’t run the dishwasher, and don’t wash five loads of laundry. You can also encourage everyone to take shorter showers. This is because inspectors like to conduct a “load test,” in which they run a large volume of water through the system to assess its capacity to handle water flow. If your tank is already stocked with a stressful morning, they won’t get a fair idea of how it will perform under normal conditions. They want to observe how the water in the tank flows out into the drain field, so an empty tank creates a good starting point.
Have Your Septic Records on Hand
If you’ve done anything before and have old records, try to pull that information together. This can be dates of prior pumpings, receipts from repairs, or prior inspection reports. It informs a new inspector about the system’s age, the type of care it has received, and whether any lingering issues have been identified.
If you haven’t had a professional inspect your septic tank in a while, now is the time to schedule a service call. Contact Brown Aerobic for a septic system inspection to maintain the safety of your Houston, TX home.