06/18/2025
Did you know all of this rain can create problems for your septic tank? Let's talk about how heavy downpours can impact your septic system and what you can do to prevent problems before they arise! ☔️
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬?
Heavy rainstorms can potentially cause a variety of septic system-related problems. These issues likely stem from ground flooding and/or clogged drain fields.
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
Significant rainfall tends to fill roadside ditches with water. This makes it difficult for your septic system to dispose of water as it should! When rainwater merges with wastewater, the tank may have more liquid than it can handle. With no where else to go, water can come out of the septic tank and pool in your yard. Even worse, 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦!
𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝
Heavy rain can sometimes collect in your septic system's drain field, and when this area becomes saturated, it is unable to absorb wastewater properly. Again, the water won't have anywhere else to go, and it can potentially overflow your septic tank! This overflow can creep into your plumbing and cause 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘴.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐊:
𝟏. 𝐁𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧. Wipes, feminine products, cotton balls, band-aids, condoms... they're all clogging your tank! Only flush septic-safe toilet paper to ensure your tank isn't filled with unnecessary gunk.
𝟐. 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝. Runoff water combined with an already saturated ground can cause your drain field a lot of problems... Redirect runoff water so that it moves away from your drain field, and direct gutters away as well.
𝟑. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝. Cars and other vehicles can compact the soil around the drain field, decreasing the area's absorption.
𝟒. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬. When it's raining, try to avoid heavy water usage, such as long showers, baths, and laundry. Give your septic system time to catch up!
𝟓. 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐩𝐮𝐦𝐩-𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. The best way to keep your septic system in good shape is to keep it maintained. Call to schedule a septic tank cleaning 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 it becomes a problem! Our office number is 985-345-9411.