If you own a septic system for your home, there are a lot of things you might want to know about it, including details about septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA. Septic tank pumping is done by professionals who come to your home, hook a hose up to the tank, and suck the sludge out from the tank. Once the tank is cleaned out, it will operate efficiently and effectively once again. IT’s something that has to be done on every septic tank, even if you maintain it well over time. Here are some facts you might want to know about the process.

Septic Tank Pumping Needs To Happen Every 3-5 Years

You aren’t going to want to go more than 5 years without septic tank pumping. Most people have to do it more often than that, but if you near that 5 year mark, you know it’s definitely time. If you aren’t sure how often you need to have it done, you will want to consider how large your tank is and what kind of use it gets. If you have a larger family or a lot of guests on a normal basis, you are going to need to have it pumped out more often. The professionals can offer you advice as to how often you might want to consider having it done.

Watch For Odors Or Leaks Between

Between the pumping sessions, you are going to want to watch for signs that something is going wrong. If you see leaks in your yard, slow drains, backed up pipes, or smell odors from the tank area, that might be cause for concern. You might want to have an inspection done so you can figure out if repairs are needed or what might be going on.

Have Rules Around Tank Usage

It’s wise to have rules as to how you and other family members will treat the septic system as a whole. Make sure everyone knows that you can never flush anything down the toilet other than waste and toilet paper. You also don’t want to use antibacterial cleaners or soaps or they can kill off the good bacteria in the tank that is doing its job in eating away the waste. And, you will want to prevent your family from using too much water at once. Don’t let someone take a bath or shower while the dishwasher is running and so on.

Consult With The Pros When More Info Is Needed

If you feel like you don’t know enough about your septic system, there are professionals available to help you with any questions you have. You can have an assessment and consultation whenever you need one and you can ask them to repair and pump things out whenever necessary.

Every septic system needs septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA from time to time, no matter how good you are to your system. Contact the professionals when something seems to be amiss so you have peace of mind about getting things back on track.

Since you live in a beautiful area of the country, it only makes sense that family and friends from other areas are going to flock to you for vacations. They might use your home as base for their time away from their own house or they might just stop by when they are between sightseeing activities and beach time. Either way, when you have guests come through, your septic tank is ripe for issues. You might want to have septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done to help you prevent those issues from occurring in the first place.

Someone Flushes Something They Shouldn’t

Guests may not know what septic tanks can and can’t handle, and that makes perfect sense. When someone arrives at your home, there’s always the possibility that they might flush something they shouldn’t. The only things that should be flushed are waste and toilet paper. Anything else can clog up the system and cause an issue. That could easily happen if you aren’t careful when guests are around.

Over Usage Occurs

If you have a lot more family around, using the shower, flushing the toilets, and using the dishwasher, your septic system could get overused. When that happens, the water might not drain away fast enough and process the way it should. If there’s too much water being used at once, you might have a backup in your house, among other issues that could occur. If the septic tank was already pretty full, it might fill up fast as well, causing all sorts of issues.

The Tank Fills At The Wrong Time

Your septic tank needs to be pumped out every few years. You should never go longer than 5 years without pumping the tank. Even if you treat the tank well, you are going to fill it up. And, with your luck, that time could come when you have guests. You are using more water, which means things are going to fill up faster.

Give Guests Direction, Perhaps

If it’s possible, you might want to inform your guests that you have a septic system and let them know they can’t flush anything but waste and toilet paper. You can also try to space out showers, laundry usage, dishwashing, and other such things so the system can process everything that is happening as it should.

Monitor Usage

You know how much your septic tank can handle and you can space things out accordingly. Avoid running the dishwasher in the morning when everyone wants to shower. Save those things for late at night once everything else is out of the way.

If you know you will have a lot of guests coming through, you might want to have septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done before they arrive, and the summer months hit. You could have that chore completed and then, you can rest easily throughout the visits. The tank won’t fill up as fast and you’ll be much safer overall. The professionals can check things for repair needs at the same time.

There are certain times of the year when caring for outside things, like septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA is just easier. When the spring and summer months come around, you might consider caring for your septic tank with certain maintenance items. That way, you have a nicer time of the year and you are able to get things in order for the busy times that might be on the horizon. Here are some reasons to get septic tank pumping done this spring or summer.

Easier To Access The Tank

When the spring and summer months hit, it’s easier for your professionals to access the tank they need to access. In the winter, the ground might be harder and it can be harder for them to get to the tank around fall leaves, frost, and other such things. Spring and summer is ideal temperature-wise for the pumping process. When you see the spring temperatures coming, get something scheduled.

Fix Leaks Before They Become Issues

If you have noticed issues with your septic system as a whole, you will want the professionals to come to your home to look things over. There might be a leak and you are going to want to get that fixed before you embark upon a summer vacation and come back to a real mess. Those leaks can kill your home’s efficiency, but they can also back things up in your home if things aren’t running properly.

Possibly More Usage

You live in a beautiful area of the country. That’s probably why you live there in the first place. You might have family and friends come through the area on vacation during the spring and summer months. On their way to other destinations in the state, they may visit your home. You will want to prepare your home for the usage it might get over the busier summer months. If the tank gets too full, overflows are a true danger. You don’t want that for yourself, your home, or your guests.

An Easy Time To Remember Tune Ups

There are a lot of things you might do during the spring and summer months. You may already have spring cleaning plans, in fact. Place other things on that list, like getting your septic tank tuned up. You can get pumping done every year, every other year, or however often you need to have it done. You can place this maintenance item along with other options that you will likely take on during this time of the year.

When you are reaching for the spring and summer months with both hands, you might want to get septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA done so you can prepare for those warmer times of the year. It’s nice to get things out of the way so you can concentrate on visitors you might have coming through, your own summer vacation, and home projects that you might want to take on when things are warmer and more pleasant outside in the area.

If you purchase a home that has a septic tank included with it, there are things you are going to want to know about that system so you can treat it right. One thing you should recognize is that yes, septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA is necessary for every system, whether you treat it right or ignore it. Here are some details that go along with that answer.

Yes, Never More Than 5 Years Apart

Every septic tank is going to need to be pumped out on a regular basis. How often you will have to pump out your septic tank depends on how many people live there, how large the tank is, and how much water you use on a regular basis. But you will want to know that you shouldn’t wait more than five years to have the tank pumped out. If it’s been almost 5 years, have the tank pumped, whether you are seeing any signs that it needs it or not.

Yes, When Homeowners See Signs Of The Tank Filling

There are certain signs that can show you the tank is getting too full. You will want to know those signs and you will also want to watch for them after it has been a while since the tank has been cleaned out. If you notice differences in the drain field, for example, that can be a sign. The professionals can give you a list of other signs and you can also look them up online.

Yes, When Back Ups Or Slow Pipes Occur

You know how your pipes are supposed to operate, and if they start to slow down or back up, that’s a sign that the tank is filling up and needs to be pumped out. If you notice water pooling at your feet in the tub when you shower, or if you wash your hands and there is water in the sing, there’s either a clog or the tank is getting too full to take much water at a time. Have the professionals take a look and get tank pumping done if they recommend it.

Yes, When Things Are Clogging The System

It’s wise to ensure that you don’t put anything down the drain that can harm the septic tank, but things happen and you might think certain things are okay only to learn later that they are not. For example, if you flush wipes that say they are flushable, they don’t disintegrate as they should and they can fill up the tank a lot faster. If you use anti-bacterials, that can also cause issues in the tank that might make it fill up faster than you might anticipate. If your system clogs up, have it pumped out and that can help put things back on an even keel again.

If you think you might need septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA, call the professionals and they can give you advice as to whether or not that’s the best thing for your septic system.

If you have had a septic system for a while, you may have already learned certain things about the system. When you first moved in, perhaps the realtor told you that septic tank pumping in Novato, CA was something that you would have to do on a regular basis. But they weren’t septic system experts and they didn’t know the reasons behind that service. Here are some such reasons to help you grasp an understanding on the necessity.

1-To Save Money

It might sound counterproductive to have professionals come to your house and pay them to pump the septic tank in order to save money. How is that even possible? Well, when you spend a little money for a necessary, preventative measure, you save money in the long run. You will have less issues with the tank, which would cost a lot more than having the tank pumped out. Spend a little now, save a lot later.

2-To Prevent Issues

Septic tanks can have a lot of issues if you let their tanks fill up and those problems can be hard to remedy and expensive at the same time. When you have a septic tank pumped out, it can help you to prevent issues from arising in the future. The tank won’t fill up and overflow into your house, for example. You won’t have messes and damage in the house. You can ward off the problems with this regular service.

3-To Prolong The Septic System’s Life

You want your septic tank to last as long as possible. No one wants to have to go through a replacement process. It’s quite a chore and expensive, too. Since that’s likely what you think, you are going to want your septic tank to last as long as possible. When you treat it right, in part by pumping things out on a regular basis, it’s going to last longer than it would if you put too much pressure on it. Making the system last longer can help your home a great deal.

4-To Preserve Home Value

You want your home to be worth the same, if not more, than it was when you bought it if you were to sell it someday. The septic system can cause your home to maintain its value, or decrease in value, depending on how you care for it. If you have proof that you maintained the tank well, with regular pumpings, that will help you to preserve your home’s value. Anyone who wants to buy the house will see that you took good care of that product and they should have no worries with it themselves. That will make them more willing to pay for the home to get the nicely preserved septic tank.

There are a lot of other reasons to get septic tank pumping in Novato, CA don on a regular basis. If it’s been awhile since you’ve had it done, contact the professionals to see if you are due and need it done soon.

Odors in your house can be annoying, but there’s a difference between smelling your son’s dirty sweat socks and an odor coming from the sink or another drain in the house. You can wash sweaty socks, but what can you do about the drains? There are small things you can do to mask the odor, but you might be getting signs from your septic system that septic tank pumping Sonoma, CA is necessary. Here are a few things you will want to try and do to figure out the issue before it gets worse.

Clean The Sink’s Overflow

If it’s a sink that is the issue, check the overflow and clean it out. There’s usually a hole under the faucet, or just across from it. The overflow can get clogged up and that can cause odors to enter the bathroom. Just use a small bottle brush and a solution of bleach water to clean the buildup. If the scent clears up, you can move on from the problem after the clean occurs.

Clean The Drains

You might have scents coming from a variety of drains at once and there can be tons of different materials going down them. Sinks can clog with toothpaste and soaps and showers can clog with hair and shampoo. The buildup can lead to odors and you don’t want to smell any of those things once they rot and get gross. Try placing a solution of vinegar and baking soda down the drain and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, flush the drain. You can repeat the process a few times to get rid of the smell. If that doesn’t work, investigate further issues and methods.

Look For Leaks

Odors can also come from leaky pipes. If there’s a pipe leaking somewhere, the sewer smells from the septic tank can leak into the bathroom, and that’s certainly something you don’t want. You can look for signs of a leak through standing water, drips, or water damage on the walls, ceiling, or other areas.

If you have tried all of these things and you are still smelling things coming from your drains, you might want to check into septic tank pumping Sonoma, CA. This is a process that has to be done every few years as the septic tank will fill up, no matter how nicely you treat it and how well you maintain it. If you suspect there’s something up with the septic system, it’s best to get things checked over by the professionals before anything gets worse than it already is. Call

American Sanitation Inc and we can come to your home for a free consultation and assessment. We can let you know what we find and give you an estimate for any repairs or maintenance items you might need to run. We can also give you advice as to what you might want to do to keep things running smoothly—and odors at bay in the future.

More people are working from home now than ever before. There are a lot of things that change in your home when you work from that space instead of in an outside office. For example, you might notice that your energy bills are higher because you want the heat and air to be at a comfortable level throughout the day. Plus, you are using your computer, printer, and other electrical devices. You might also notice that you need septic tank pumping Petaluma, CA more often than you did in the past.

It makes sense that more people are working from home these days and your family might be spending a lot more time at home in between other schedules. Those items are going to have an impact on the septic system as a whole. Here are a few reasons why that is the case and what you can do about it.

Further Water Use

When everyone is away from the house eight or more hours a day, the septic system isn’t working on transferring water. When you are at home, however, you are sing the restroom, preparing meals, washing dishes, showering, flushing, and doing other such things. You can use dozens if not hundreds of more gallows of fresh water a day through simply being home and living every day life. That means your septic tank will have to process more water than perhaps it did in the past.

Less Septic Rest

Your septic system perhaps was used to processing water and waste during the evening hours and even overnight. But during the day, it gets a break when you and your family are away from the house. It can catch up on processing anything that is needs to and it can eat away at the waste in the tank through the bacteria that is always working hard. But when you start working at home, the septic tank and the system as a whole doesn’t get the break it is used to having. IT has to work harder, which can cause further issues at times.

More Chances For Something To Go Wrong

You might be very careful about what you place down the drains, but everyone is using hand sanitizer these days and you might buy other products with anti bacterial in them and that can kill off some of the bacteria that is trying to work for you in the septic tank. There are other mistakes you can make with our septic systems and you are more likely to make those mistakes if you are home more often.

The more you use the septic system, the faster the tank will fill up and you are going to have to have septic tank pumping Petaluma, CA done more often than you did in the past. That may feel like a small price to pay for being allowed to work at home. The professionals at American Sanitation Inc can advise you as to how often you need to have that process done.

Most of the time, your septic system is going to operate well and you can get used to that norm and the status quo. However, there may be times when you notice your septic system isn’t acting as well. In those times, you might need septic tank pumping in Novato, CA, or there might be something else going on. The septic system can tell you a lot of things about what is going on if you are willing to pay attention. Here are a few things it might be trying to get across to you.

There’s A Blocked Pipe

If you have a clog in your pipes somewhere, the septic system can tell you that’s what’s going on by causing a backup. Things can’t go down the pipes if there is a clog that is causing items to sit in the drains and pipes instead. Eventually, that pipe will fill up and things will start to come back up the drains instead of going down. When the pipe is truly blocked, you will have a backup and that will need to be addressed.

There’s A Partial Clog

When you have a pipe that is partially clogged, you might see that your drains are running slowly. Things will still go down and you can pass water through the pipes, but you might notice water sitting in the sink, waiting to drain, or you might see water in the tub when you shower because it can’t drain fast enough. While a partial clog isn’t an emergency, the faster you address it, the easier it will be to clear things up.

The Septic Tank Needs To Be Pumped Out

If your septic tank is filling up, you can see slow-running drains and, eventually, a backup into your house. While the septic tank doesn’t have to be pumped out every year, you do want to keep an eye on things as you will want to have it pumped out on a regular basis. Even if you treat your tank well and don’t put things down the drain that shouldn’t be in the tank, it is going to fill up and need attention. Giving it that attention can help you to keep things running smoothly.

If you have any of these things that your septic system is trying to show you, it’s best to have professionals come out and assess what’s going on. One option is to have septic tank pumping in Novato, CA done and that can help you to clear things up and start off fresh. Keep track of how often you do this and make sure you don’t go five years without having the tank pumped out. If you have questions about your septic system and how to treat things, or how frequently you need pumping done, the professionals at American Sanitation Inc are here to help. Give us a call for a consultation, assessment, or for advice to operate your system well. We want things to flow well within your house.

Your septic tank isn’t something you think about on a regular basis. In fact, it might not even cross your mind until you have a problem or, worse yet, an emergency. Replacing a septic tank system is going to cost you a pretty penny and it’s really in your best interest to keep up with maintenance, getting septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA on a regular basis, and to know warning signs in case something was to occur.

Signs Of Septic Emergencies

Since most of the septic system components are underground, it can become a bit of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ situation. But there are signs to watch out for that can show you things are bad and that you need help right away. Here are a few:

-Blackwater Overflow Or A Backup

If your toilets or drains are flowing up instead of down, that’s a huge problem and considered an emergency. It could mean the tank is blocked or that there is a clog somewhere along a pipe. You are going to want to stay away from the blackwater that is coming into your home and get the professionals out to remedy the problem as soon as possible.

-A Flooded Drain field

You might notice the drain field in your yard being wet from time to time, but if the area is completely flooded, that’s an emergency situation. There might be a broken pipe or the drain field might be failing. Either way, you don’t want to wastewater or have the septic tank receive further damage because of the issue. Have professionals check things out.

-Slow, Clogged, Gurgling, or Bubbling Drains

While your drains running in a slow manner isn’t an outright emergency, it can quickly lead to that if you don’t address things. It’s better to stay on top of these problems instead of waiting for them to get worse. They aren’t often going to work themselves out on their own so it’s a waste to wait.

What To Do In Emergency Situations

If you notice any of the above things occurring, you are going to want to call a trusted septic provider for an emergency visit. They can assess the problem, give you an estimate, and get things solved quickly and efficiently. The longer you wait, the worse the issue can become.

Stop Using Water

It’s best that you stop using water as soon as you notice a problem so you aren’t putting even further stress on your septic system. The more water you use, the worse the problem can become.

If you notice something that is out of order, or if you have an emergency situation with your septic system, septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA may be the answer to your problem. Give the professionals at American Sanitation Inc a call and you can have peace of mind that your system is in good hands. We’re here to help things run well in every circumstance for the duration.

Things happen, right? The kids play with keys and those keys can get put into the toilet. That rubber bouncy ball they got at the store? That can bounce into the toilet opening as well. Things can get flushed when you don’t mean for them to and that can lead you to wonder what’s happening with your septic tank. Do you need septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA? OR can you resolve things in another way? Here are some tips on what to do when something like this occurs.

Don’t Panic

First of all, you don’t have to panic about the process. Most of the time, things are going to be okay. But you are going to want to look into things and act with extra care as you wait and see what’s going to happen. If there’s a backup due to the item that went down, you’ll know it soon enough. You will want to stop using that toilet and perhaps shut the water off to it as well until you get the professional to come out and help you.

Try Removal

If the item got stuck in the pipes, you might be able to get a tool that you can stick down the toilet and grab the item. That can help you to free the clog and get things moving again. You may not know how far down the item went, however, and it can be a waste of time and efforts to go that route.

High Pressure Jetting

If the item seems to be slowing down the system, it might be sitting in the pipes somewhere and the professionals can come out and use a high pressure jet to push the item through to the septic tank. That can help you to resolve the clog without worrying about backups.

Call Pros For Advice

If you are unsure as to what you should do, call the professionals for some advice. Let them know what got flushed down and what, if any, symptoms your septic system is showcasing. They may tell you that as long as you don’t have any backups or symptoms, the item will simply pass through the system and sit in the septic tank until it is pumped out in the future. Or, depending on what was flushed, they might advise you to have them out to your house to take care of the issue sooner.

Get Septic Tank Pumping

It’s possible that the item in question is going to harm your septic tank by sitting in it for a long period of time. If that is the case, the experts might recommend that you get septic tank pumping in Sonoma, CA done sooner rather than later. This process is something that you have to get done every few years as it is and it’s better to go through with it than to let the item sit and cause other problems. Contact American Sanitation Inc with any questions you have.