Backup Maintenance

Septic System Backups

There are a number of reasons drains can become backed up. Individual pipes can get clogged and cause a single sink to drain slowly. This is not a septic issue. Septic backups occur when a component of the septic system is malfunctioning causing the rest of a home’s whole drainage system to be backed up. If you are experiencing a septic backup call us as soon as possible! Septic backups can cause thousands of dollars of damage if not addressed, not to mention the smell.

Signs of a Septic Backup

1. Brown, smelly water in toilets or drains
2. Slow draining toilets and multiple drains running slowly  across the house
3. Gurgling heard from drains
4. Damp or flooded soil above your drain field. Bad smell around the drain field.
5. Unusually or distinctly lush grass above the drain field
6. Problems increase during rains

Causes of Septic Backups

1. Improper maintenance, if your tank is overdue to be pumped.
2. Cleaning chemicals and non-biodegradable materials being poured down drains. These can kill the bacteria that decompose the solid waste
3. A clogged pipe in the septic system
4. A damaged or saturated drain field

If you are seeing any of these signs or suspect any of these causes might put you at risk of a septic system backup, do not hesitate to call Freshwater Septic. Our professionals will assess your system and an early call could save you thousands of dollars. We know dealing with the frustration and smell of a backup is no fun and work to solve each problem quickly and efficiently.