Northrup Septic Service

You don’t know what you don’t know. We are human. We all do it. Buy a gadget and quickly Learn just enough to use it. We don’t tend to read directions or go exploring the intricacies of how it works. We just know it does! Until it doesn’t. On site septic systems are like this. We buy/build a house and vaguely know that it has a septic system. We use the bathroom-flush-and voila! All set! But there are things about a septic system you need to know to keep it working as long ...as possible. Replacing an entire system is 10s of thousands of dollars-not 39.95! We have mentioned maintenance pumping and checking the inlet AND outlet baffles. Now let’s talk about tree plantings and letting your septic area go natural. Your distribution fields, distribution box, and tank are very susceptible to root systems. Trees planted on top of, or very close to any of the above mentioned parts of your system can destroy it. Have you ever noticed how quickly Mother Nature reclaims a field? While driving to work everyday have you noticed an old farm field that has been left fallow (not used for farming anymore). How after one season there may be small bushes growing where grass once was? Berry bushes come and then a few shrubby plants. Next a small tree or two shows up and in about 5-7 years there are trees fifteen feet tall. Well if your septic system is left to nature-not mowed as lawn or at least brushhogged twice a year-in 5-10 years you will not be able to see where it is for all the growth. If you can’t see it-you can’t tell if there might be breakout problems. And eventually the growth will create root problems that cannot be fixed. Sooooo-please keep your septic system free of all growth except a nice lovely lawn if possible. If not-hire someone a couple of times a growing season to clear it off. Promise that cost is much less than the cost of replacing it! See more

If you think it might be time to pump your septic tank, keep these things in mind: How often should I pump it and why pump it if it ain’t broke -first off-your tank is a giant separation area. It fills with fluids quickly as you use water to flush, shower, wash clothes, dishes etc. the solids break down and separate into a scum layer-rises to top, and a sludge layer-falls to bottom. The liquid effluent runs through the middle. Eventually you fill up all the space in the tan...k and solids either backup in Your house or flow out into your dispersal area (leachfields/drywell/absorption pit etc). Wow that’s a huge mess and expensive to repair/replace!! So how often? It depends. Gotta love that answer. If your habits are normal, you don’t have a garbage disposal, no one in the house is having chemo treatments, there is a rule of thumb you can go by. -4 people in house/average sized tank 1000 gal -5/6 year frequency. Make sure the baffles are checked each time and tank is pumped from cover-not vent stack!!! -2 people in house- 7/10 years. All of above applies (baffles-pumping from cover on tank) Also remember it’s way easier to deal with any of this when the temp isn’t 15 degrees Fahrenheit, wind blowing, and snow 2 feet deep! Also please keep track of this all especially if you have been staying home way more than usual because of this virus. Many systems are older and the added stress of at home work/school and lack of social life it taking a toll on your system.

We may have mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating. Your septic leach field cost a lot of money-whether when your house was built or if you need to replace them. That is a large portion of your onsite waste water system. It’s important for two reasons to keep this area clear of trees and woody stemmed growth-including vegetation like golden rod and tall grasses. WHY: 1) root systems of woody growth grow right into your dispersal system-clogging it eventually making... your dispersal field (leachfield) unable to work-either backing up your effluent or going the path of least resistance up onto the ground where it causes an unhealthy stinky mess. 2) if this happens you may not know it-causing ecological health issues -because your ground cover of tall thick grasses is covering it up. Not being able to see sewage run all over your property (and potentially other people’s property) doesn’t mean a problem doesn’t exist-it just means it may go undetected longer. Please keep your leachfield/dispersal area mowed at least twice a season and dont plant trees anywhere in or close by. Thanks! By the way-this only helps you In The long run. See more

People ask about additives all the time. We do not recommend them. For more detailed information about this please look at the site: Homereference.net. Here is an excerpt from them. Do Septic Tank Additives Really Work? By Henry Parker... Residential Septic Pumping kaliantye / Adobe Stock Because your septic system is such a critical part of your home, it’s natural to want to do whatever you can to keep it running reliably. Manufacturers of septic tank additives know this and offer products that promise to reduce the need for pumping, dissolve clogs or otherwise improve your septic system. In reality, though, these additives aren’t necessary and often do more harm than good. Before you decide to add anything to your septic tank, get to know how these systems and the most common additives work.

If you find yourself needing your septic tank pumped (being home all of the time may be putting a bit of a strain on your system-along with our spring weather)-please remember to continue social distancing when our guys are at your home. Helpful customers can sometimes forget that we are vulnerable. Masks are not easy or practical for us to wear-we have had to learn early on in our career not to touch our faces-as our hands sometimes -even with our gloves-are in contact with undesirable stuff. Our hoses, shovels, and other essential equipment all have that same matter. (That’s why you should not try to help us by handing us our equipment-it’s dirty). We appreciate the thought but seriously-the less contact we have the better for both of us. Thanks!!

Just something to keep in mind as the days go by. If you run out of toilet paper (yes I know it’s not easy to find it right now), don’t get creative and use paper towels, hand or any type of wipes-including wipe that claim they are flushable, and then try to flush them down the toilet. The toilet may flush-but there is a good chance the non toilet paper substitutes may never make it to the intended destination (either your septic tank or the public sewage treatment plant that your plumbing runs to. )They will get stuck somewhere in the plumbing and cause expensive, disgusting messes. If you have to use something other than toilet paper-put it in the garbage-don’t flush it.