Septic system care procedures. Here is an exhaustive index to every septic system care & maintenance topic you could imagine:

How to install, test, maintain & repair private septic tanks and drainfield systems. This article series answers just about any question you might have about buying or owning a property with a septic tank & drainfield or soakaway bed system. Here we provide complete detail on how to maintain and repair septic tanks and all other components of septic systems.

We discuss how to provide septic system care to avoid replacing the septic system unnecessarily. Septic cleaning and septic maintenance procedures, septic inspection methods, septic repair guides are provided here in articles for home owners, home buyers, and septic system designers, installers, and septic system maintenance contractors. We include tables for septic tank pumping frequency and other septic maintenance procedures.

Here we discuss just about every septic system topic, question, problem, design, or repair such as septic tank design, septic tank size, septic tank pumping frequency, septic tank cleaning, and septic tank inspection.

Guide to Septic System Maintenance & Repair

This page organizes and links to our detailed septic system inspection, test, repair, and design articles, including our online septic systems book. Septic testing class presentations, photos, sketches, tables, links to products and consultants are provided.

Procedures for Septic Tank & Drainfield Care, Inspection, Maintenance & Repair

If you own or are buying a home or any other property that uses a private, onsite wastewater disposal system - that is, a septic system, the articles below point you to key references that you'll want to read.

If you do not quickly find the information you need you are welcome to POST a QUESTION at the end of any article found at InspectAPedia.

"Septic tanks" are what home owners or home buyers think of when buying or maintaining a home with a private septic system. But we should be thinking about the whole septic system - since the drain field or leach field makes up half of a typical septic system cost.

Septic tank care and septic tank cleaning need to be done on a regular frequency (we provide a septic tank pumping schedule table) in order to avoid ruining the drainfield. Septic tank maintenance is not enough. Proper septic system design for the level of usage and soil conditions is critical if the system is going to have a long useful life.

We are also quite concerned with septic system health and safety since there are potential collapse hazards which can be fatal, and there are bacterial and pathogen hazards for both site occupants and for the environment if a septic system is not working properly. The articles listed at this website form an extensive guide to septic systems care, inspection, testing, and installation.

• If you are buying a home and are in a rush
  
  See HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS inspection & testing - what to do, step by step to inspect and test a septic system when buying a home and then
  
  see SEPTIC TANK & SYSTEM CARE BASICS An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's.
• If you don't know if the building is connected to a septic tank system or to a public sewer,
  
  see SEPTIC or SEWER CONNECTION?
• If you are having a problem with your septic system, start
  
  with BLOCKED DRAIN REPAIR METHODS.
  
  Or see SEPTIC DRAINFIELD FAILURE DIAGNOSIS.
  
  And Septic Tank Inspection Procedure details are
  
  at SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE how to inspect septic tanks for damage
• If you want to avoid septic system backups,
  
  see SEPTIC BACKUP PREVENTION when you're having a big party or
• If your drains are backing up,
  
  see SEPTIC BACKUP REPAIR
• If you want to know when to pump the septic tank 
  
  see SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE. Regular septic tank cleaning is the single most important step you can take in maximizing the life of the septic system.

Index to Septic System How-To Articles

"How-To" Articles at our Septic System Information Website are in four groups:

1. SEPTIC SYSTEM CARE GUIDE - you are on this page - an index to septic maintenance and septic care instructions for home owners and home buyers; steps to take when buying a home with a septic tank and septic fields
2. SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN & INSTALLATION, and alternative septic designs and septic products,
3. SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTION AND TESTING, how to find and diagnose septic system problems
4. SEPTIC SYSTEM MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR, septic system care, maintenance, repair or replacement procedures and products

Also see our complete ARTICLE INDEX found at the end of this page.

Septic System Design, Installation, Maintenance, Inspection & Repair Procedures

• ABANDONED or NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM inspection & testing methods
• ABANDONMENT GUIDE FOR SEPTIC TANKS - how to safely find & abandoned unused septic tanks, cesspools, drywells
• ADDITIVES, CHEMICALS, TREATMENTS for septic tanks or septic system maintenance. Are septic products needed? Are septic treatments legal?
• AEROBIC SEPTIC SYSTEM SUPPLIERS - separate article
• AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES including piping, plumbing fixtures, septic systems, cesspools, drainfields
• ALTERNATING BED SEPTIC SYSTEMS may provide a retrofit repair for a failing drainfield or a means of extending drainfield life
• ALTERNATIVE SEPTIC DESIGNS for problem sites, poor soil percolation, limited space: septic system designs, designers, suppliers & products for Aerobic, Alternating Bed, Biogas, Cesspools, Disinfection, Drywells, Evaporation-Transpiration, Filters, Fixed-Film, Gravelless, Greywater, Lagoon, Latrines, Media Filter, Mound, Outhouses, Pressure dosing, raised bed, sand bed, sequencing batch reactor, sewage treatment, toilet alternatives, vegetative submerged bed, wastewater treatment, & wetland septic systems
• ABANDONING A SEPTIC TANK - how to safely find & abandoned unused septic tanks, cesspools, drywells
• AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES including piping, plumbing fixtures, septic systems, cesspools, drainfields
• CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR diagnosing septic backups and septic system failures versus clogged drains - key step in septic repair
• BACKUP SEPTIC PREVENTION: extra steps to avoid a septic backup such as during a party or when you anticipate heavy use of the septic system
• BACKUP SEPTIC REPAIR: what to do when the toilets or drains are backing up
• BASIC SEPTIC DESIGNS for septic systems, tank size, field size, design notes, septic maintenance and septic care instructions for home owners and home buyers; steps to take when buying a home with a septic tank and septic fields, and basics septic system information about: Septic soil & percolation tests, septic tank size, septic tank depth, septic tank tees, filters, graywater, clearances septic system to other site features, drainfield size, drainfield shape, tank pumping frequency, tank pumping procedure, tank repair, septic treatments & chemicals, steep slope systems
• BIOMAT FORMATION in the Septic System Drainfield Absorption System - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
• BLOCKED DRAIN REPAIR METHODS - do-it-yourself steps you can try to clear a clogged drain before calling a professional plumber
• BUY SEPTIC BOOKS at Amazon.com - our list of recommended books on septic system maintenance, design, and alternative designs available at Amazon.com - septic system education materials
• BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems inspection & testing - what to do, step by step to inspect and test a septic system when buying a home
• CESSPOOLS home buyer's or Owner's cesspool maintenance advice
• CESSPOOL SAFETY warnings about cesspool, drywell, seepage pit collapse dangers
• CLOGGED DRAIN & SEPTIC BACKUP DIAGNOSIS - is the problem the septic system failure or a building drain system clog?
• CONTAMINATION how to test buildings for bacterial contamination from sewage and septic backup, remediation, & references
• CURTAIN DRAINS or intercept drains can protect septic drainfields in areas of wet soils or surface and subsurface groundwater
• CONTAMINANTS IN SEWAGE which may be released from sewage spills from residential septic systems and wastewater disposal systems
• DESIGN GUIDE FOR SEPTIC SYSTEMS complete list of detailed "how to" articlesr
• DESIGNS FOR SEPTIC SYSTEMS - Master List of Septic System Designs & Types, named and described
• DISTRIBUTION BOX - SEPTICD-BOX INSPECTION provides for help in finding and inspecting the septic system drainfield distribution box
• DISTANCES & CLEARANCES from septic system components to other site features, property boundaries, waterways, etc. - Avoid property being declared insalubrious or uninhabitable due to septic system space or function problems.
• TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST these things into a septic system: a list of what's ok and what's not ok to put into septic tanks and building drains offers important septic maintenance advicens
• DON'T PUMP the SEPTIC TANK Before Testing: warnings for home buyers about septic tank pumping
• DRAIN CLOGS, SLOW DRAINS: how to diagnose & repair slow or clogged drains; find out if the problem is in a drain or in the septic system, a key step in septic repair
• DRAIN LINE REPLACEMENT diagnosing a clogged drain leads to drain line replacement - step by step photo-illustrated guide to drain replacement
• PLUMBING DRAIN NOISE DIAGNOSIS: may indicate defective or clogged plumbing: how to diagnose and cure drain sounds
• DRAINFIELD INSPECTION Septic Leach Fields - how to inspect, test and diagnose septic drainfield failures
• SEPTIC DRAINFIELD SHAPE septic drainfield or leaching bed shape and placement considerations
• DRAINFIELD LOCATION: how to find the septic drain field, soakaway bed, seepage pit, drywell, cesspool, or leaching bed
• DRIVING or PARKING OVER SEPTIC is it ever acceptable to drive or park over septic system piping, tanks, or drainfields?
• DRYWELL DESIGN & USES home buyer's or owner's advice for drywell installation, testing, and maintenance
• DEFINITIONS of septic system terms, an online septic system dictionary
• SEPTIC DRAWINGS © drawings of septic system components, fields, layouts. These are educational, not engineering drawings and are © protected. Sample engineering drawings and plans wanted for the website.
• FILTERS for SEPTIC SYSTEMS - how and where filters are used to protect septic drainfields and other septic system components
• FILTERS for SEPTICs - WHERE TO BUY, Septic Filters & Wastewater Treatment Systems Using Filtration Methods Products Directory
• FLOOD RESPONSE what to do after a septic system has been exposed to flooding, key septic maintenance and repair tips
• GARBAGE GRINDERS vs SEPTICS and garbage disposal units - effects on septic systems and on the need for septic tank cleaning
• GASES, SEPTIC METHANE and other septic system gas hazards such as hydrogen sulfide
• GRAZING ANIMALS OVER SEPTIC SYSTEMS, is it a problem?
• GRAVELLESS SEPTIC DESIGNS - "no-rock" septic designs using galleys, chambers, media, etc.
• GRAVELLESS SEPTIC SYSTEM SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY LIST Leach Field Septic Systems Products Directory List
• INSPECTION & TESTING SEPTIC SYSTEMS complete list of detailed "how to" articles
• LEACH FIELD INSPECTION PROCEDURE septic leach fields - how to inspect and diagnose septic drainfield failures - soakaway beds, leachfields, seepage trenches, seepage pits, etc.
• SEPTIC LIFE EXPECTANCY and septic system components and the relationship of field life to septic maintenance
• MAINTENANCE for SEPTIC SYSTEMS: Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, septic maintenance suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• SEPTIC D-BOX INSTALL, LOCATE, REPAIR provides for help in finding and inspecting the septic system drainfield distribution box
• SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS, septic maintenance and septic care instructions for home owners and home buyers;
  
  steps to take when buying a home with a septic tank and septic fields, and basics septic system information about:
  
  Septic soil & percolation tests, septic tank size, septic tank depth, septic tank tees, filters, graywater, clearances septic system to other site features, drainfield size, drainfield shape, tank pumping frequency, tank pumping procedure, tank repair, septic treatments & chemicals, steep slope systems
• SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN ALTERNATIVES, septic system designs, designers, suppliers & products for
  
  Aerobic, Alternating Bed, Biogas, Cesspools, Disinfection, Drywells, Evaporation-Transpiration, Filters, Fixed-Film, Gravelless, Greywater, Lagoon, Latrines, Media Filter, Mound, Outhouses, Pressure dosing, raised bed, sand bed, sequencing batch reactor, sewage treatment, toilet alternatives, vegetative submerged bed, wastewater treatment, & wetland septic systems
• SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTION LEVELS - describes the parameters of visual inspections, tank and field inspections, dye tests
  • SEPTIC INSPECTION WORKSHEETS for use with various types and levels of onsite septic inspection and testing
  • SEPTIC INSPECTION BOOK - online text describes septic system inspection, diagnosis, repair, design
  • SEPTIC INSPECTION COURSE - online documents
• SEPTIC TANK DEPTH - how deep will we find or install a septic tank
• SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION Procedure - how to inspect septic tanks and evaluate the septic tank condition, baffles, sludge levels, damage, evidence of septic failure, etc.
• SEPTIC TANK LEAKS can prevent a valid septic loading and dye test and can damage the drainfield
• SEPTIC TANK, HOW TO FIND - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING REASONS why relying on the septic tank pumping schedule table or advice from pumping contractors isn't enough
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING FREQUENCY GUIDE for septic tanks: when, how, what to watch for when pumping or cleaning septic tanks - the key septic maintenance schedule
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE step by step photo guideline of how to pump and clean a septic tank - septic tank care
• SEPTIC TANK SIZE: how to determine the size of a septic tank, septic tank size and capacity vs. usage determine the required septic tank size, calculate size of an existing septic tank
• SEPTIC TANK & SYSTEM CARE BASICS - an engineer explains what a septic system is, how it works, and what care isneeded
• SEPTIC TANK TYPES: characteristics and inspection guide for steel, concrete, plastic, fiberglass, and home made septic tanks
• SEPTIC PUMPER TRUCK OPERATION Procedures. How the septic tank pumping truck is set up for septic tank cleaning operations.
• SEPTIC TANK SLUDGE AND FLOATING SCUM: what makes up the contents of residential sewage
• SEWER GAS ODORS diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells
• METHANE & SEWER GAS HAZARDS and other septic system gas explosion or asphyxiation hazards such as hydrogen sulfide
• SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT diagnosing a clogged drain leads to drain line replacement - step by step photo-illustrated guide to drain replacement
• SWIMMING POOL CLEARANCE distance to septic components
• SEPTIC LIFE EXPECTANCY and septic system components
• MAINTENANCE & REPAIR OF SEPTIC SYSTEMS complete list of detailed "how to" articles
• NEIGHBORING SEPTIC SYSTEM PROBLEMS - advice for dealing with a neighboring septic system producing odors or seepage
• OUTHOUSES & LATRINES - types, design, inspection, safety warnings;
  
  also OUTHOUSE / LATRINE FIRE & EXPLOSION - methane gas explosion and fire
• PLANTS & TREES OVER SEPTIC SYSTEMS trees, shrubs, gardens, groundcover over or near the septic system: what can you plant over or near septic system components without causing a problem?
• GARDENS NEAR SEPTICS, vegetables, fruits, other types of gardens
• Pumps Septic pumps, sewage ejector pumps, grinder pumps, effluent pumps, sump pumps, & septic pumping stations compared; pump alarms. Advice.
• PUMPING STATIONS describes sewer system pumping stations.
• REFRENCES BOOKS CODES DESIGN GUIDES for septic system maintenance, repair, design, installation
• ROOT KILLERS in SEWER LINES or SEPTIC PIPES, is there a concern?
• ROTO-ROOTERS & POWER DRAIN SNAKES to clear clogged septic fields
• SAFETY: Septic System, Septic Tank, & cesspool safety warnings for septic inspectors, septic pumpers, and homeowners
• SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY - septic system, septic tank, & cesspool safety warnings for septic inspectors, septic pumpers, and homeowners.
• SEPTIC D-BOX INSTALL, LOCATE, REPAIR provides for help in finding and inspecting the septic system drainfield distribution box
• SEPTIC or SEWER CONNECTION? - how to determine if a building is connected to a septic tank or to a public sewer line
• SEPTIC TANK ABANDONMENT GUIDE - how to safely find & abandoned unused septic tanks, cesspools, drywells
• SEPTIC TANK DEPTH - how deep will we find or install a septic tank
• SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE - how to inspect septic tanks and evaluate the septic tank condition, baffles, sludge levels, damage, evidence of septic failure, etc.
• SEPTIC TANK, HOW TO FIND - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• SEPTIC TANK MAINTENANCE - Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE Frequency Guide for Septic Tanks: When, How, What to Watch For when pumping or cleaning septic tanks
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE - step by step photo guideline of how to pump and clean a septic tank
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING REASONS why relying on the septic tank pumping schedule table or advice from pumping contractors isn't enough
• SEPTIC TANK SIZE: septic tank size and capacity vs. usage determine the required septic tank size, calculate size of an existing septic tank
• SEPTIC TANK SLUDGE AND FLOATING SCUM: what makes up the contents of residential sewage
• SEPTIC TANK TREATMENTS for drainfield restoration or rejuvenation; septic tank additives, septic field chemicals, pressures,
• SEPTIC TANK TYPES: characteristics and inspection guide for steel, concrete, plastic, fiberglass, and home made septic tanks
• SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS - what contaminants are found in sewage or septic effluent
• SEWAGE & SEPTIC BACKUPS and what to do about sewage spillage in buildings
• SEWAGE CONTAMINANTS potentially released from onsite septic systems and wastewater disposal systems
• SEWAGE CONTAMINANTS in FRUIT / VEGETABLES - is it OK for you eat fruits and vegetables grown over a septic drainfield?
• SEPTIC TANK LEVELS of SEWAGE - what are normal and abnormal sewage levels in septic tanks and what do they mean about tank condition, leaks, etc.
• SEWER GAS ODORS in COLD / WET WEATHER - Septic Odors or Sewage Odor Diagnosis & Repair Guide for diagnosing and eliminating cold weather sewer gas odors
• SEWAGE PUMP DAMAGE & REPAIR - list of items that clog and damage or destroy different types of sewage pumps, grinder pumps, and ejector pumps
• SEWER GAS ODORS diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells
• METHANE & SEWER GAS HAZARDS and other septic system gas explosion or asphyxiation hazards such as hydrogen sulfide
• SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT diagnosing a clogged drain leads to drain line replacement - step by step photo-illustrated guide to drain replacement
• SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS - what contaminants are found in sewage or septic effluent
• SEWAGE CONTAMINANTS in FRUIT / VEGETABLES - is it OK for you eat fruits and vegetables grown over a septic drainfield?
• STEEP SLOPE SEPTIC DESIGNS - how to install sewer lines from building to septic tank; how to install septic drainfields, leach field systems at steep or sloped sites.
• SWIMMING POOL CLEARANCE distance to septic components
• TEN STEPS TO KEEPING A SEPTIC SYSTEM WORKING, septic maintenance suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits with additions by DJF
• TOILET OVERFLOW EMERGENCY: how to stop a toilet from overflowing
• TOILET TISSUE CHOICES and TOILET TISSUE TEST: Toilet paper: what kind of bathroom tissue to use in septic systems, testing toilet paper for septic tank breakdown
• TOILETS, Composting Toilets, Biological Toilets, No-water/Low water toilets, Waterless toilets, Chemical Toilets, Incinerating Toilets and related products list
• WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS maintenance, adjustment, and water softener effect on drinking water; potential effects of salts on septic systems
• WET WEATHER OR COLD WEATHER SEPTIC ODORS OR SEWAGE ODOR DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR GUIDE diagnosing and eliminating cold weather sewer gas odors
• SEPTIC TANK & SYSTEM CARE BASICS An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's
• WHEN NOT TO PUMP A SEPTIC TANK to avoid damage, unsafe conditions, or wasting money. Don't pump the tank right before a septic test.

Directory Lists of Septic System Parts & Supplies

Now found at

SEPTIC SYSTEM & PRODUCT SUPPLIERS - home

...

Continue reading  at SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE for specific advice about the septic tank, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• SEPTIC DRAINFIELD LIFE
• SEPTIC LIFE EXPECTANCY
• SEPTIC LIFE MAXIMIZING STEPS
• SEPTIC SYSTEM CARE GUIDE- home
• SEPTIC SYSTEM TROUBLE: WHAT GOES WRONG
• SEPTIC TANKS - home
• SEPTIC TANK & SYSTEM CARE BASICS
• SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE
• TEN STEPS to KEEP a SEPTIC SYSTEM WORKING

Suggested citation for this web page

SEPTIC SYSTEM CARE GUIDE at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SEPTIC SYSTEMS

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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