Septic Tank Flooding And Other Problems
Drainage problems with your soakaway or septic tank can be caused by various issues, the most common of which is septic tank flooding. This is usually due to problems caused by the receiving soakaway.
Septic Tank Flooding isn’t the only problem that can occur though – things like bad smells and even pollution of nearby ditches and streams are also issues (dealt with below).
Septic Tank Flooding
Septic tanks work via a pipe that moves the largely liquid effluent from the septic tank to a septic tank soakaway, which then disperses the effluent over a long period.
Can Rain Flood Your Septic Tank?
Yes. A heavy rainfall can effectively block the soakaway, resulting in septic tank flooding. But it’s not the only cause…
Other Septic Tank Flooding Causes
Other factors can also be at play when you experience septic tank problems – if the soakaway has been located in unsuitable soil types (such as sandy clay or silt clay), the effluent will have problems dispersing, which can cause an overflow. Also, during the winter, the natural water table rises – if this change results in the soakaway becoming below the natural water table, again flooding can occur. This issue can be dealt with, however, by installing a septic tank conversion system or Water Treatment Plant. Tree and shrib roots, if nearby, can also cause problems by interfering with the soakaway pipe work.
Additionally, soakaway pipes can break, systems can be overwhelmed by too much wastewater and a process called Sodium Binding can cause soakaways to fail as a result of too much detergent (washing powders etc) being put through the system. Finally, sometimes septic tank flooding is simply the result of having an ageing soakaway where sledge solids have built up over the years.
Other Septic Tank Problems – Smell
Septic tanks use a process called ‘anaerobic digestion’, which is designed to reduce the sludge volume. This digestion process does produce some rather unpleasant smelling gasses such as hydrogen sulphide and methane. As you can imagine, then, it’s important that your septic tank has the necessary ventilation properly fitted to allow these gases to drift off into the atmosphere.
Other Septic Tank Problems – Pollution
Septic tanks discharge their effluent into a drainage field or soakaway. It is absolutely essential that this effluent doesn’t find it’s way to a stream or ditch, and indeed it is an offence to let this happen under rules introduced by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) and the Environment Agency.
(See the Government site for more info on Septic tanks and treatment plants: permits and general binding rules).
Septic Tank Flooding Solutions
Just give us a call on 01903 815377 and we’ll be delighted to have a friendly, no-obligation chat to discuss any septic tank problems you may be having. At Boxall Ward, we have over 20 years experience in the business, so there’s not much we haven’t seen before – we have the solutions to deliver you peace of mind.
