Your Home Buyer’s Guide to Septic Systems

If you're planning to purchase a new home, chances are you've given some thought as to what kind of plumbing and drainage system your home will have. If the home you purchase has an on-site septic system, that means that all of the waste products from your sink, your showers, your toilets, and other drains will be draining into a septic tank. A septic tank is designed to retain all solids and allow the flow of fluids into a drain field. A septic system that has been properly installed and designed is incredibly sanitary and quite efficient. In the United States today, more homes have septic systems than any other type of waste disposal system.

If you are planning to buy a home and you know that your home of choice has a septic tank and a drain field, there are a few steps you should take to ensure that the home you’re purchasing has an adequate and sanitary septic system. Read on for a little education in the home-buyers guide to septic systems.

First of all, ask your realtor or the current homeowner about the septic system itself. You should know where it is, every component that has been installed, if there have been any problems in the past, and if the system has been recently inspected and pumped. You should also make your own assessment and visual inspection of the sight. Look around and make sure that you see no signs of impending septic trouble. If possible you should perform the septic tank guide test. Most home inspectors will know how to perform this test, but many do not unless made by special request. If you get any negative feedback for the first three-steps, you should immediately consider pumping the septic tank. If you have a sneaking suspicion that there's a problem with your new or future home’s septic system, you may require a physical investigation. It's also a good idea to educate yourself on septic system care and learn about the components of the septic system through outside resources. And, as a side note, it's probably a good idea to ensure that your neighbors have not had septic problems. Often times, neighborhoods are constructed by a single source. As a result of this, problems at any of the neighbor’s homes can mean future problems at your home.

It’s a good idea that you do everything in your power to ensure that your septic system is adequate. If you have elected to purchase a home, your first step should be to install a laundry lint filter for your washing machine. While this may seem like a small step, it is imperative for ensuring that the solid waste in your septic system can be processed properly.

The Septic Tank – What’s in There?

Every morning after you brush your teeth and hop into the shower and then shuffle to the kitchen for your morning coffee, the water you use to take a shower is draining into your septic system (that is, if your home is on a septic system). Along with the water that drains through your pipes are the contents of that water. Virtually everything you've washed from your body; your skin cells, soap, dirt and grime, all of it has to have a place to go. Most homeowners don't think twice about the contents of their septic system until they experience a problem. So, today, it might be wise to consider all of the things that wash into your septic system and what you can do to better care for your septic system.

As we all know, waste products from flushing the toilet end up in a septic tank. But that's not the only contents. One of the most prominent contents of the septic tank is the material gathered from laundry wash water. That's right! Your dryer is not the only place where lint accumulates. The difference is, when you wash your clothes the lint is spun out in the rinse cycle and washed down the drain into your septic system. The bad news is that laundry lint is not biodegradable. Virtually every piece of lint that has washed down your septic system is still there to this day.

While this may not seem like a big deal, the overabundance of accumulated lint in the septic system can cause major damage to not only your septic tank and septic drainage, but also to your law. No matter how many over the counter products you put into your toilet tank to help lower the level of waste, laundry lint will not respond. Because of the fact that laundry lint is not biodegradable, the enzymes and flushable products homeowners use to combat this problem will seek only to lower the level of actual human waste. You're basically flushing money down the toilet.

The best way to combat the issue of laundry lint is through the utilization of a laundry lint filter on your washing machine. Laundry lint filters are relatively inexpensive and can end up saving homeowners thousands of dollars in terms of septic repair. If you'd rather not have your lawn dug up, it is wise to consider purchasing a laundry lint filter. While the utilization of a laundry lint filter may seem insignificant but, the second a problem arises you're certain to think twice about the choice you made to buy one. Be smart and cut problems off at the pass. You'll be very happy you did.