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The septic tank of your home needs regular maintenance to avoid serious damage to the system and plumbing in your home. There are also problems that affect the drain field, such as old materials failing or solids clogging lines. The following tips will help prevent some of the most common problems that affect septic systems.

1. Overflowing Tanks That Cause Solids to Block Drain Field Tiles

Overflowing septic systems is the most common problem that you will have to deal with when it comes to the tank. This is a problem that can be caused by various issues, such as leaking pumping, excessive water usage or the lack of maintenance and the tank not being pumped as needed. Make sure to have your tank pumped and inspected regularly to prevent issues with the tank becoming overburdened and causing damage to other components of the septic system.

2. Old Septic Drain Field Tiles That Collapse Due to Outdated Materials

Drain fields consist of pipes that are perforated to allow liquid waste to filter through the soil beneath your feet, and sometimes these materials are outdated. Old septic drain fields may have drain-tiles that are made of clay, cast iron or other old pipe materials. These materials may collapse or fail, causing them to need to be replaced. Sometimes, the drain tiles can be aerated and cleared with high pressure to fix problems, but this is a temporary solution and they should eventually be replaced with modern materials.

3. Blockages That Clog the Main Septic Line and Drain Field Tiles

Blockages of septic systems can come from different areas, such as the main line that goes from the plumbing to the tank or the tank's outlet that leads to the drain field. To prevent serious problems with your septic system and plumbing in your home, you will want to have any blockages cleared by septic maintenance or drain cleaning services. Routine pumping, maintenance, and inspection of your septic system will help prevent clogged lines from causing serious damage.

4. Saturated Drain Fields That Need to Be Removed or Replaced and Upgraded

Over the years, the drain fields of septic systems become saturated with contamination of waste that comes from effluents filtering through soils. This is a problem that can eventually lead to contamination of groundwater, problems with drain tiles, and effluent backing up into your tank. If your old drain field is becoming over-saturated with effluent, it may need to be removed or upgraded with a modern drain field replacement that includes features like liners and filtration medium integrated into the drain tiles. Talk with a landscaping service about options to restore the soil and materials that can be used for a better filtration medium to prevent over-saturation. This will prevent over-saturation of the soil due to the effluent that comes from the tank. 

These are some tips that will help you deal with the most common problems with septic drain fields. If you have problems with older drain fields and saturated soils, contact a topsoil and gravel service to help restore soil with fresh soil and filtration medium materials when you do upgrades to the septic drain field.