Category Archives: Residential

Your children and pets want to play in the backyard, but there is a leach field out there. As a concerned homeowner, you have probably wondered if there is a chance that the leach field can be hazardous. Although it is associated with raw sewage, a leach field will not harm you or your family if it is properly maintained. With some background information and a few tips, you will be able to keep your leach field from creating an issue.

What a normal leach field should look like

When you have a properly working leach field, it should be filled with short, green grass. It should not have trees or shrubs nearby that have roots that will clog the leach field pipes. It should also not have large pools of water collecting in places. When you have a leach field with green grass and no puddles, you have a properly maintained septic system that is regularly pumped. When your sewer is clogged, your leach field will start to collect sewage water. When there is sewage water in the leach field, it is unsanitary for children or pets to play in.

Do not turn your leach field into a parking lot

One of the worst things you can do for your leach field is to use it for parking. The heavy vehicles will start to damage the pipes that are buried about six inches beneath the surface. While it may be a temptation to park in an empty space, the end result is costly repairs. If having people park on your leach field is an on-going issue, one solution is to build a fence around it.

Reconsider growing vegetables on a leach field

When you want to raise your own food, it can seem like a real sacrifice to avoid using your leach field as gardening space. Unfortunately, the issue is not only that the plants could clog the leach field pipes. In some cases, growing food in leach field soil is ill-advised. For instance, clay-based soils are quick to remove contaminants from leach field soil. Sandy soil, on the other hand, is unlikely to remove all of the harmful microorganisms from soil that will end up in the plants you grow.

Check for signs of rust

If you want to keep your family safe in the backyard around the leach field, be sure to check any of the exposed equipment for rust. For instance, the cover to your septic tank should be free of corrosion. In the untimely event that there is an accident with a rusty tank cover collapsing, the injuries related to falling into the tank could be fatal. Rescuing someone from an active septic tank can also be fatal due to the gases trapped inside the tank.

Call us for leach field maintenance

If you suspect you have a problem with your leach field, or if you want to make sure that everything looks ok, call us and we will inspect your property. We will also examine your septic tank to ensure it is in good working condition. If we detect a problem, we can work with you to get the solutions you need. To learn more, contact Earthcare today or request service now.

Image via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septic_drain_field

If you’ve recently moved into a new home you might find yourself in the position of trying to locate the septic tank. Hopefully you were able to get this information from your real estate agent but many people don’t think to ask about the septic system plans until there is a problem.

You can always have the septic company locate your septic tank cover for you but this could end up costing you extra money. To save a few bucks try to find and expose the septic tank cover yourself. Here are 4 ways to help you locate your septic tank cover:

1. Head to your local Board of Health.  In the city records there will be a drawing of your property which includes the septic system. Just ask for a copy so you can give the diagram to the septic pumping technician.
2. Speak to your landscaper or contractor. If the home has recently been built you can simply call up the landscaper or the builder and ask where the septic tank is.
3. Find the pipe to the sewage outlet in your home. Pay attention to where it is inside the home and then go outside to locate where it exits. It should lead you to the septic tank cover. Make sure you have a professional open it though. Having an exposed hole in your yard is a safety hazard.
4. If your cover is under the ground ask the company about their digging policy. Usually the company will charge you a digging fee after a certain amount of inches. So if you’re septic tank cover is far down you may want to try to uncover it to save yourself some money.

One of the best reasons to move to a place like Warwick, NY is all the old historical beauty. The land, the homes, and the town itself have a rich history and a lovely vintage style. My husband and I bought a turn of the century home in Warwick, NY and loved every inch of it, except for the septic system. As soon as we moved in our battle with the septic system began. I started by calling our local septic service company right away.

They came in a fixed a pretty serious clog and then informed us that our septic tank was old and needed a little extra TLC. Since we didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars to replace the tank or have to pay for frequent septic service we decided to find out more. I was stunned to discover that something as simple and inexpensive as baking soda can actually help save your septic tank! Here are some tips.

1. Use baking soda for cleaning your bathroom. What you put down your drain is so important to keeping your septic system in good working order. Any harsh chemicals like bleach can actually eat away at the good bacteria in your drain. This causes clogs and back-ups which could lead to future septic repairs.
2. Use baking soda to unclog a drain. If you have a clogged sink or drain you can try using baking soda first. Mix together one cup of hot water, baking soda, and vinegar. Pour down the drain, wait ten minutes, and then use your plunger. Easier and cheaper than calling in the Warwick septic service company!

It can be hard to figure out what you can do to help keep up with septic system maintenance. For first time home buyers, renters, or those running a business the septic tank, pipes and drains are not something they thought they would have to think about. But if you own a business or residence it’s really important to make septic system maintenance a part of your life.

If you ignore your septic tank and drains you could end up costing yourself time and money with clogs, bad plumbing problems, or worse thousands of dollars getting your septic system replaced.

One way to keep your drains and plumbing in good order is to start in the bathroom. When you’re cleaning your bathroom you can make a couple easy changes to the cleaning products you use. If you skip all the bleach and harsh cleaning chemicals you will be keeping good bacteria alive in your septic system and drains that help to eat away at waste. This is a good thing and keeps the drains and septic system running smoothly for a long time.

But what can you use if you don’t buy the over the counter harsh products to clean? This can be an issue, especially in a business where the cleaning standards need to be fast, cost effective, and well done. You can save tons of money by, mixing your own cleaning agents from things like vinegar, baking soda, lemon, tea tree oil, and essential oils. Vinegar is one of our favorites. It can be used to remove bathtub film, clean shower doors and tubs, clean the toilet bowl, and even unclog a shower nozzle! Give it a try along with lemon and baking soda and use the tea tree oil as a disinfectant.

If you own a home with a septic tank it’s important to understand how everything works. You can actually extend the lifecycle of your septic tank by taking the proper care and precautions with your system. This includes scheduling routine septic pumping services, cutting down on the water consumption in the home, and using the right chemicals in your drains. You can also help your septic system by being able to spot red flags. This means learning about the different components of your septic system and understanding when something isn’t working correctly. A septic tank baffle is part of the tank’s inlet and outlet on the pipe. The baffles are found inside the tank on either side of the pipes inlet and outlet. The function of the septic tank baffle is to help with the flow of the wastewater. The baffles will dispense the water down into the bottom of the septic tank. This keeps the water from exiting too quickly and causing problems. During a septic inspection or pumping you should make sure the baffles are checked out. They will want to look for any type of rust or deterioration. You can save thousands of dollars by replacing your baffles with pipe tees instead of replacing your entire septic tank. The best way to help increase the lifecycle of your septic tank is by reducing the amount of pressure you put onto the tank. This can easily be done by cutting down on the amount of water that is used inside the home.

As a homeowner with a septic system, you may be curious about how the system works and what its components and setup are like. Some older septic systems were built with a seepage pit rather than a leaching field. Understanding the difference between these effluent processing systems can help you to ensure that your septic system gets the maintenance it requires.

Seepage Pits

Seepage pits are dug vertically into the ground to collect the gray and black water from a septic tank. The vertical orientation of a seepage pit is the most important difference between it and a leaching field. Most seepage pits are built so that at least four to six feet of soil covers the top of the pit. Because the pit is buried so deeply into the ground, most of the waste water processing is done by anaerobic bacteria. The seepage pit is made of poured or cast concrete and is surrounded by rocks so the waste water can percolate into the ground after processing. Seepage pits are more strictly regulated than leaching fields because less processing of the effluent takes place. If a seepage pit fails, the untreated waste water will flow back into the residence.

Leaching Fields

Leaching fields are arranged vertically and buried about three feet below the surface of the soil. The leaching field consists of an array of perforated pipes that allow processed waste water to slowly percolate into the soil where it is further processed by bacteria. The pipes of a leaching field are typically made of PVC. If a leaching field fails, the water most often builds up in the surrounding area, causing mud or ponding of water to develop above the location of the leach pipes.

Caring for Seepage Pits and Leaching Fields

A seepage pit requires regular inspection and pumping so the biomat at the bottom of the pit does not become too thick and prevent the permeation of treated water into the soil. Every three to five years, the seepage pit may need to be pumped. With a leaching field, the septic tank that it is connected to requires similar maintenance as a seepage pit. The leaching field’s septic tank should be regularly inspected and checked for scum and sludge buildup as well as for blockages in the leaching pipes.

Learn More

To learn more or for professional assistance, contact Earthcare today or request service now.

As a homeowner, you may have been told that you have a leach field associated with your septic system. But what the purpose of this field and is it ok to build over it? To learn more, keep reading.

What is the purpose of a leach field?

Not every home septic system includes a leach field as they are usually associated with suburban and rural areas where public sewers are not as developed. When you use the sinks or flush the toilet, that organic sewage and water goes into a septic tank where it is processed. When the water is released from the septic tank, it goes through a series of pipes with holes perforated in them and that area with perforated pipes is called aleach field. The breakdown of solid material from flushed toilets is vastly improved by the oxygen the perforated pipes provide since the sewer system has no major city sewer to dump into.

How does a leach field stop working?

Simply put, a leach field that is flooded has stopped working. When you dig up the pipes, they will be full of debris that blocks them. More often than not, this clog will not be from sewage, but from roots. For this reason, growing trees and shrubs that have long roots too close to leach field will cause the leach field to lose its ability to shed water. Since the clogs cause sewage buildup in the leach field and could block drains and toilets, professional septic system repair specialists will be needed to repair them.

Can I build over my leach field?

You will not want to use a leach field for building, growing food or leisure time because it could have sewage water in it at any time. In addition, paving over the top of a leach field seals it and defeats its purpose. Building gardens or field flowers over the top of a leach field will result in clogging the tiny perforations in the pipes. Grass that is kept short is ok because will take much longer to clog pipes, but any type of plant where its roots can cause damage is not a good idea. Overall, it is not recommended to build over your leach filed and you should also not put anything heavy on top of it, such as parking a vehicle.

Have your leach field inspected by us

If you are having questions about the effectiveness of your leach field, give us a call. We can find the location of your leach field, help define the perimeter, check the surrounding landscape for potential problems, and repair any issues that we find. Contact Earthcare today or request service now.

Nothing is more dangerous to your septic system than putting in things that don’t belong there.

Certainly some items are worse than others. Putting the wrong thing down drains or flushing them down the toilet can be costly and time consuming to repair. It can back up your pipes, causing clogs and eroding the tank to the point where you will have to call in professionals to pump it out.

If it goes on too long you could end up paying thousands of dollars for a new septic tank!

To keep this from happening to you, here are the 3 worst things to put in your septic system:

1. Grease. Your mom always told you never to pour grease down the drain and she was right! Grease won’t break down the way water and waste will and you will end up clogging up your drain which means nothing will be able to get through. Clogged pipes lead to the septic system backing up and this can cause serious damage to your septic system. Be smart and pour your grease in a can to solidify and throw away. It’s also a good idea to wipe your pans clean with a paper towel to make sure you don’t let any grease get down the drain.
2. Anything other than waste and toilet paper into your toilet. You would be surprised by the types of things people toss down the toilet. A good rule of thumb- a toilet isn’t a garbage can! Never ever thrown away cat litter, coffee grounds, sanitary napkins, tampons, diapers, baby wipes, cigarette butts, or anything similar down the toilet. It will not properly break down and you will end up with a serious clog and back- ups. This will cause more damage to your septic system than you can imagine.
3. Hazardous chemicals. Any heavy chemicals such as bleach, motor oil, poisonous chemicals (even those for rats and bugs) are big no-no’s for your septic tank. If you toss these down the drain you will be killing off all the good bacteria that help to break down waste and keep your system running the way it should. You’ll also be contaminating your soil and that is a hazard for everyone! Dispose of these chemicals properly and use environmentally safe cleaning products for your sinks and bathrooms.