What Should You Do If You've Recently Moved Into A Home With A Septic Tank?
Adapting to a septic tank can be a bit of a challenge for those who are accustomed to standard sewer systems and plumbing, but after a few steps, you'll be on your way. If you have recently moved into a home that has a septic tank and have never dealt with a septic tank before, here's what you should be doing and looking out for.
Warning Signs
Typically, when a house is sold, the septic tank is serviced before the new homeowner moves in. However, this sometimes isn't the case, especially if you purchased the home on a foreclosure or directly from the homeowner, rather than going through a broker.
While you're moving your things into your home and starting to settle in, you should keep an ear open to listen for any potential gurgling that your toilet or drains make. This may indicate that your septic tank is full or even overfilled, and in that case, it needs attention from a professional immediately.
Septic Pumping
If you don't hear gurgling, you don't have to tackle this step while you're still moving into the house, but it should be done as soon as possible.
All homes should have their septic tanks pumped when you move in. This will not only ensure that you don't have a spillover but will allow your septic tank technician to inform you if you need a full cleaning or not. Septic pumping and cleaning are two separate things, but you'll only know if you need your tank cleaned after the free-floating fluids are removed from the tank.
Inspection
Whether or not you need a cleaning, once the tank is pumped you should ask for a full inspection of the tank. In some cases, septic tank damage can go unnoticed until it becomes a major disaster, potentially causing plumbing problems indoors or even causing irreparable damage to the tank itself.
Once the tank is pumped, your technician will be able to determine if there are any outstanding issues with the septic tank, and if so, they can walk you through how the problem can be addressed.
Having your septic tank pumped and inspected should be on the list of things you do as soon as possible after moving into a new home, like getting the internet installed or refilling the propane supply to your house. If you haven't taken this step yet, contact a septic tank pumping service immediately for help.