Basic Septic System Maintenance

HEALDSBURG — Due to a case of “out of sight, out of mind,” residential septic systems are often neglected. In some cases, homeowners will go for two or three decades without having their systems serviced, which is comparable to driving a car 100,000 miles without ever changing the oil. This lapse of maintenance often results in a costly situation, whether in terms of labor-intensive service or system repairs.

Since there aren’t any visual indicators of when a septic system needs to be serviced, homeowners often don’t know there’s a problem until it manifests itself in an outward manner (i.e. sewage backing up through sink or shower drains). To avoid such a situation, you should have your system serviced on a routine basis. Frequency of service will vary depending on the size of your tank and household, so consult a local pumping company to determine an appropriate interval for your system. In most cases, service intervals range from once every 10 years for a household of two to every three to five years for a household of four.