Septic Tank Safety – Tips for Protecting Your Family and Property

If you own a home with a septic system, it’s essential to understand how septic systems work and what safety measures should be taken to protect your family and property.
Septic tanks are hazardous installations that can kill without warning if not adequately cared for. Toxic gases are released during sewage treatment in septic tanks, and overcoming them can be deadly or falling into one.
Keep the Area Around the Septic Tank Clear
The best way to ensure your family’s and property’s safety is to clear the area around your septic tank. This is especially important when children are present.
Keeping the area clear means that debris, dirt, or other material cannot enter the system. This will prevent blockages in the septic tank Orlando FL or the drain field.
Keeping the area around your septic tank explicit means you won’t need to pump it as often as necessary to keep the system working correctly. This can help your septic tank last longer, saving you money in the long run.
Keep the Septic Tank Covered
There are several ways to keep your septic tank cover. You can use light artificial rock, statues, or even potted plants.
A septic tank is a container designed to hold wastewater until it has been treated by settling and flotation processes, then discharged into a leach field.
Solids settle to the bottom of the septic tank, forming a sludge layer. Oils, grease, and other materials that are lighter than water float to the top, where they form a scum layer.
Aerobic bacteria digest the floating solids in the sludge, giving off gases and eventually producing effluent (liquid wastewater). Once it exits the tank, the effluent enters a buried drain field and disperses into the ground.
Don’t Dig Around the Septic Tank
It is best to avoid digging around your septic tank for many reasons. Among them are the dangers of septic tank cave-ins or collapses and a deadly mix of toxic gases that can kill you within minutes.
In addition, septic tanks are also home to various microorganisms that can cause disease if not properly managed. These include hepatitis, shigellosis, dysentery, gastroenteritis, and diarrhea.
Don’t Lean Over the Septic Tank Opening
A septic tank is an underground container that houses the wastewater from your household. The septic tank uses bacteria to break up feces and other solid waste.
You don’t want to lean over the septic tank opening because you could fall into the tank or become overwhelmed by toxic gases that can make you sick and possibly fatal.
Septic tanks need regular inspection and pumping to keep them running efficiently. If a problem arises, you must contact a professional to repair it.
The best way to ensure that a septic tank is accessible to service providers is to place riser pipes and lids on the opening. These allow access to the tank from the surface, making it easier for technicians to reach.
Don’t Light a Fire Near the Septic Tank
Water travels down a drain into a septic tank when you flush the toilet, wash clothes, or use a sink. These underground tanks store sewage until it can be treated.
Several chambers inside a septic tank separate liquid waste from solid matter. This allows the heavy solids to settle to the bottom and light solids, like oils and fats, to partially decompose before being released back into nature.
A fire pit can be hazardous near a septic tank. It could ignite the tank and produce a large amount of methane gas which can be deadly.