Why Inspections Are Key To Proper Tank Maintenance
If your septic system is fairly new and hasn't shown signs of malfunctioning, clogging, or wearing out yet, you might think everything is working as intended. If you haven't needed any sort of repair or gotten any indication that something might be going wrong, why would you arrange for an inspection?
However, annual inspections are key to consistent septic tank maintenance. There are other tasks that should be done regularly to maintain the tank and keep it in good shape, but you also want the maintenance person to inspect the system at least once a year to ensure there are no surprises in store for you.
Problems Don't Always Show up Early
If something is going to go wrong with the septic tank, it likely won't show up in its early stages in a way that you can identify. You won't realize something is wrong until the problem has gotten so bad that it's stopped part of the system from working as it should, which means you will find leaks, back-ups, and other problems suddenly appearing out of nowhere. At that point, the problem is likely big enough that solutions will cost you a lot more than an inspection would have. But if you have the maintenance crew checking out the tank every year, you've got a better chance of finding out about these problems when they're still in an early stage.
It's Easy to Put Things off When Nothing Seems Wrong
Don't become complacent when everything works well. The reason things work well is that they've been maintained well, and if you ignore maintenance and inspection needs, that influence will slowly wane as parts start to wear out. If all has seemed well, don't put off maintenance or inspections. You'll be taking away the things that prevent the tank from malfunctioning completely.
It May Uncover Other Problems
Something people don't realize about inspections is that, while they concentrate on one specific thing (in this case, the septic tank and system), the inspector can spot problems with related systems or locations. The inspector may see that the soil in the drainfield around the tank appears to be eroding away, or they may spot a leak from a plumbing pipe near your home. They could notice aggressive tree roots getting ominously close to the tank, too. This allows you to take action about those before they affect the septic system.
Contact your regular septic maintenance company and ask them to schedule an inspection. You can have this done during regular maintenance or at a different time of the year so that your septic system gets more attention.
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