Fairfax Va Septic Tank Drainfields
Fairfax VA septic tank drainfields don’t get nearly as much attention as septic tanks. Though they’re an often overlooked part of a home septic system, it would be a mistake to discount them. Problems in your drainfield can keep your system from working properly, or even stop it in its tracks. Below, we’ll talk about some of the more common problems Fairfax VA septic tank drainfields are likely to encounter.
The Gutters On Your Home
This one takes a lot of people by surprise. After all, your gutters definitely aren’t a part of your home septic system, so how on earth could they have any impact? The answer might surprise you.
The simple fact is that soil can only handle and process so much water at any given time. If you force too much water into your drainfield too quickly will supersaturate the soil. Any water the drainfield can’t process just collects in standing pools. When your drainfield is in that state and more liquid flows in from your septic tank, it joins the standing water already there and pools in a disgusting, smelly pool that can pose a genuine health hazard to you and your family.
If the downspouts connected to the gutters on your house are aimed in the direction of the drainfield, then every time it rains, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Gutters aren’t the only way that excess water can wind up in Fairfax VA septic tank drainfields though. If you have a toilet that runs constantly or a faucet that has a slow, steady drip, all that water winds up in your tank and it has to go somewhere. Inevitably, it winds up in your drainfield too.
Dealing with this issue is a fairly simple matter. Address all plumbing issues related to dripping faucets and constantly running toilets as soon as possible, and be mindful of the angle of the downspouts that are connected to the gutters on your home, relative to the position of your drainfield and you shouldn’t have this issue.
Soil Compaction
When you first purchased your property, odds are excellent that you worked with a septic service company to have a perc test performed. Perc, in this case, is short for percolation. It’s a measure of how quickly a given volume of water percolates through the soil of your drainfield.
This, however, is not a static number. As the quality and condition of your soil changes over time, this value will also change. Even if you don’t do anything unusual, you’re the soil in Fairfax VA septic tank drainfields will gradually compact on its own.
Of course, there are things that will speed this process along. If you have an outbuilding where you keep boats, ATVs or other recreational vehicles, and the route you use to get them out happens to pass over your drainfield, your soil is going to compact much more quickly.
Soil compaction is bad for your drainfield for two reasons. First, tightly compacted soil percolates more slowly than loose soil. Second, your drainfield needs plenty of oxygen to function properly and there’s simply less of it in tightly compacted soil.
The good news is that this is also a relatively easy problem to fix. Many do it yourselfers can fix it themselves by aerating that part of their yard, but if it’s not something you care to tackle on your own, just give us a call and we can assist!
Grease Capping
People who live in homes that are connected to city sewer systems sometimes develop bad habits. After all, they don’t have to deal with the things they flush down their toilets or pour down the sink. Sure, some of the inappropriate items might cause a clog, but once that’s handled, whatever was poured or flushed makes its way to the water treatment facility and that’s the end of that.
People with home septic systems don’t have that luxury. Everything you flush or pour down the drain winds up in your tank, which means that one way or another, you’re eventually going to have to deal with it.
When you pour grease down one of your sinks, it winds up in your septic tank. Some of it remains there, taking up valuable tank real estate and progressively serving to clog up the system. Normally, we recommend having your tank pumped out every three to five years, but if you’re in the habit of pouring grease or other inappropriate substances down the drain or flushing them down the toilet, you’ll almost certainly require more frequent tank pump outs.
Some of the grease though, will escape the tank and wind up in your drainfield. Once it’s there, it will float to the surface where it will harden, forming a grease cap. Again, the soil in the drainfield needs plenty of oxygen to do its job properly, and the presence of the cap cuts off the supply. When that happens, your drainfield can’t do its job and any liquids flowing in from the tank simply collect there, creating a stinky health hazard.
As you can see then, there are all sorts of things that could potentially cause your drainfield to stop working the way it’s supposed to, and they can lead to serious problems with your system overall.
Whatever type of septic system issue you’re having, give us a call. As the top-rated septic service company in the region, we’re happy to assist and we’d love to add you to our growing family of satisfied customers!