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An Easy Guide on How to find septic tank

find septic tank

A septic tank as the name suggests controls and manages wastewater from your place. It can carry 1250 gallons of wastewater, so if it is present above ground it would be hard to ignore. 

Due to its huge volume, it is built underneath the ground, so not knowing its whereabouts is understandable. 

However, it is better to be aware of everything about your house. If things go fine, you may never need to find your way to the septic tank. But in case of any emergency or sewer line cleaning, it’s better to be prepared beforehand. 

In this article, we will cover a brief guide to help you locate your septic tank.

Disclaimer 

Once you find the location of your septic tank, you should never excavate the ground from the location. Never remove the lid or try to access the septic tank. Its huge volume, depth, and poisonous gases can be a serious threat. So, always rely on professionals to handle the maintenance, repair, or any other septic tank-related work. 

Why You Need to Find Your Septic Tank

For several reasons, it is important to know where your septic tank is located.

  • Maintenance and Pumping

To avoid blockages and system breakdowns, regular septic tank maintenance is essential. The position of a tank guarantees that it can be pumped quickly.  Most septic tanks require maintenance every three to five years.

  • Preventing Damage

You run the risk of seriously damaging your property and system if you drive over or dig into a septic tank by accident.

  • Legal and Environmental Issues

Maintaining your septic system correctly can help you stay out of trouble legally and prevent groundwater contamination.

Ways to Locate the Septic Tank

There are various ways to locate the septic tank but a few of them are:

Follow the Sewer Pipes

An excellent yet easy way is to follow the Sewer pipelines. They are generally 4 inches in width located either in the basement or crawl space. Look where the pipe exits and follow it in the yard. It will take you to where your septic tank will be installed. It would be a minimum of 5 feet away from your house. Ideally, it should be 10-25ft away from your place. 

Skip the Area to Limit Your Search 

A septic tank is installed under strict regulations. However, you don’t know its location you know where it can’t be legally. So, you can skip those locations where it can’t be and look for the place where it can be. Anyways, some of the locations where the septic tank can’t be present are; underneath or right next to your house, close to a tree, under any hardscraping, or right next to a water well. 

Spot the Greenest Part of Your Grass

It may sound unconventional but believe us if you find unnecessarily good lush green grass then it may be a sign of your septic tank failure. It can indeed be just a result of landscaping but if it’s not then it’s a sign of your septic tank leakage. 

So, congratulations in advance for finding the septic tank opening as well as the potential issue. Thus, contacting the professionals for maintenance would be a smart move.

Look for Hills and Dips

If your yard is smooth for the most part, but has a certain dip or hill, then it could be where your septic tank is.  Though it’s not an ideal approach mostly septic tank installers cover the top with soil. 

If they dug a hole that’s too big for your septic tank then there would be a dip. If the hole was small compared to your septic tank then there would be a hill to cover the top.

Troubleshooting Tips

  • If the Tank is Not Visible

If after trying every method you are still unable to find the tank, you might think about getting help from an expert. To locate your septic system without digging, they will use specialized equipment like ground-penetrating radar or electronic locators.

  • Several Tanks

Certain properties might have more than one tank or distribution box, especially the larger ones. One component you find may be a part of a broader system.

  • Prevent Damage

A septic tank should never be dug up or probed with heavy equipment as this might harm the system and be expensive to fix.

Conclusion

Finding your septic tank doesn’t have to be a challenging task. You can easily locate your septic tank using the tips we described. However, if you still face difficulty finding your septic tank, you can contact PrimeLine Plumbers anytime for expert assistance.

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