What makes septic systems smell




















Food waste should not be put into a spetic tank. There could be incorrect ventilation. The soil stack should be above the roof line, to ensure any gas comes out correctly. The system may need de-sludging. A septic tank should be desludged once a year, contact us for more information The water in a toilet U-bend may have dried up. This can cause smells to come up and out of the toilet, this can easily be cured by flushing the toilet. If you are experiencing smells in the house and you have ruled out point 5, then it is possible that air could be getting in via a crack in the soil stack running up through the walls.

If it is a new build then contact the builder to discuss this. Take home message If your system is smelling, then firstly look to what you are putting in it and how frequently it is being emptied. The pH levels in these gases are too acidic for the microorganisms in the tank to digest the organic matter, causing the tank to smell. Not only are these odors unpleasant, but a high concentration of a combination of these gases can be explosive or even toxic.

Luckily, septic tank odors may be remedied relatively easily using a few common household products. A dry trap is the most common source. The trap usually provides a seal to keep out sewer gas. A smell will start to grow if the sink, shower or toilet goes unused for an extended amount of time and the water in the trap evaporates, allowing the sewer gases to come in and start smelling.

A clogged drain or blockage can also cause sewer gases to back up into the home. If the septic cover gets dislodged or damaged, the odors will escape and the odors will be smelt near the septic tank. If the drainfield gets clogged, the septic system will fail and that might lead to the emission of septic odors. Although full tanks often have septic odor problems, there are many septic system owners who still battle with these odors even after pumping their tanks.

The surest way of dealing with this is using biological additives which include a buffer that can help in organic waste digestion. The presence of septic tank smells in the yard usually means that your plumbing vent is not doing a good job of diffusing the odors. Homes situated in forested areas and valleys are especially susceptible to this problem. As the wind blows over the home, air currents which should ordinarily carry these odors away from the house might instead carry them down into the yard.

A failed septic system might also overflow and this could result in odors in the yard. A strong odor from the drainfield area is an indication of a failing or already failed septic tank or drainfield area. There are many reasons why a septic tank might fail but the commonest is the use of harmful products. Most of the household products that are used in the sinks drains and toilets contain toxic substances which drastically reduce the bacteria population in the septic tank.

This means that the organic waste will be forced into the drainfield before it is properly broken down in the septic tank and this is what leads to the failure of most drain fields. This partially broken down organic waste can result in odors in the drainfield. All septic tanks smell. Plumbing vents are usually installed to help eliminate these odors. The vent also helps in preventing the buildup of gases like methane because such a buildup could lead to explosions.

Ideally, the smell from the septic tank should only be noticed in passing from the roof but it should fade away with the wind or with the changing weather conditions. Sometimes, the septic systems might not have enough bacteria. Luckily, this can easily be corrected by using biological additives. The following are some of the reasons why a new septic system might smell. High pH levels — the microbes found in the septic tank needs the PH to be maintained between 6.

Too much acidity in the tank causes the release of hydrogen sulfide, which has a smell similar to that of rotten eggs. Full tank — even though it takes years for a tank to be due for a cleaning, some septic system owners can get their new tank full pretty quickly due to poor usage and maintenance. Bacteria need enough time to break down the organic waste but if the tank is too full, wastewater will be forced out of the tank prematurely to create room for more wastewater from the house and this might lead to septic odors.

Cold weather — cold weather can also cause the septic system to produce bad odors. The vent stack could also get blocked by snow thereby forcing the septic gases back into the house. Downdrafts during cold weather could also result in septic odors when they blow the septic gases back into the house through the air-conditioning unit.

Wind velocities are typically less in cold weather and this explains why odors are more common in colder weather as opposed to warm weather. Your septic tank produces lots of gaseous compounds that are not only unpleasant to breathe but also physiologically damaging.

Some of these gases include hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. In addition to the septic gases, industrial solvents can also become airborne and cause some health issues. However, these fumes are only harmful in extremely high concentrations so you should be fine as long as you do not enter the septic tank. The following are some of the problems that might be caused by inhaling septic fumes in high concentrations.

Flame retardants, solvents, cleaning products, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds can also result in the formation of toxic gases.



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