This article will help readers to better understand what to do when your cesspool overflows. Every homeowner needs to know what to do when your cesspool overflows. To have a fully functional household, every component in it should be in optimal condition. The appliances, furniture, electrical supply, and water supply should make life easier and lighter for everyone in the home. Even waste disposal units should be in tip top condition. If your household has the cesspool as its wastewater treatment system, you should take note that it is very prone to overflows.
It is much like the conventional septic system but it doesn’t have an outflow pipe that distributes the effluent to the surrounding soil absorption area. The cesspool is a collection tank with perforations or holes along its sides. These holes are the pathways of the clear effluent into the soil absorption area. The cesspool is a system that is known to take longer in treating the wastewater. As a responsible property owner, you should know what to do when your cesspool overflows.
What to do when your cesspool overflows? A cesspool overflows because of so many reasons. The most common ones are heavy rainfall and unattended leaks. During heavy rains and your rain gutter is directed to drain over the cesspool area, too much water gets inside the system. The incoming wastewater cannot enter the cesspool anymore. The sludge and additional water from the rain already occupies the spaces in the cesspool. It’s only to be expected that the cesspool will overflow at this point. This can be corrected with regular pump outs and the installation of a dry well to help decrease the water load. Never pump out your cesspool when it’s still raining heavily. This will only allow the entry of sediments and silt into the system. With this, clogging and eventual failure will take place.
Leaks could happen in the cesspool system as well. If you suspect a leak, then you should call your septic expert to repair the leaks immediately. Even if the leak is small, it can become bigger when left unrepaired for a long time. Leaks can be brought about by damages caused by too much soil compaction. Soil compaction is the result of having construction performed over or having vehicles running over the cesspool area. The heavy weight easily crushes the physical components of the cesspool. Deteriorated pipelines could also be a cause for leaks. To correct the leaks, have the damaged parts repaired or replaced immediately. Do not drive or build anything over the cesspool system.
If your household is fond of using antibacterial and harsh chemicals, then it is possible that the resident bacteria could be dying already. Without the bacteria, then the cesspool system is bound to fail because nothing will break down the solid waste materials. You should change your household cleaners into bacteria-friendly ones so that both the bacteria and the environment will not be harmed.
Another cause of cesspool overflow is the dumping of grease and non-biodegradable materials into the system. These just make the accumulation of solid wastes much faster and clog the holes along the walls of the cesspool. Even if you use your garbage disposal unit, their compositions are still the same. If you know that your household practices this, you should immediately set a regular pump out schedule with your septic expert. The cesspool will surely overflow if this kind of neglect is done.
Your cesspool could also be overwhelmed with trees and hardwood plants already that’s why it overflows. Trees and other plants with invasive roots damage and block the physical components of the cesspool. The flow of wastewater is interrupted and oftentimes, impeded that’s why the system overflows. If the cesspool in your property is already experiencing this, it would be better to ask your septic expert to help you manually remove the trees or other hardwood plants. Using chemicals to dissolve the roots would risk contaminating the groundwater.
You could talk to your septic expert about the treatments that you could provide your cesspool. Also see to it that you adhere to the pump out schedules that your septic expert recommends. Now you can say you are definitely a homeowner that needs to know what to do when your cesspool overflows.