If you have a septic tank system, you are going to want to take precautionary measures to ensure that nothing goes wrong with your septic system this winter. Here are three common winter septic tank issues that your septic tank could experience as well as what you can do to prevent these issues.
#1 Frost Ruins Your Septic System
One of the things that can easily ruin your septic tank is frost. When frost is able to get through the ground all the way down to your septic tank, it can cause some major issues. Frost can easily make its way through your system and cause your tank to become frozen. When this happens, the bacteria inside of your tank will slow down and stop breaking down the material inside of your septic tank. Without the bacteria to break down your septic tank, it will quickly back-up and fail to work properly.
You can avoid this problem by keeping the area above your septic tank well insulated. This can be accomplished by putting an insulated blanket or septic tank cover on the ground above the tank. This will help keep the frost from reaching your septic tank and will prevent it from slowing down and freezing.
#2 Snow Becomes Compacted Over Your Septic Tank
Another thing that can happen during the winter time is that snow can become compacted on top of your septic tank. This generally happens when you allow the snow to build up on top of your septic tank and then walk or drive over the snow.
When snow compacts on top of your septic tank, it can cause a variety of problems. First, it can cause your septic tank system to freeze and prevent the bacteria from working, just like frost can. Second, when the snow becomes compacted it can also compact the dirt around the septic system. This additional pressure can cause damage to the pipes and the system.
You can prevent this from happening by not walking over the top of your septic tank or driving on top of it. When it does snow, remove the snow from the top of your septic tank. This will help prevent snow from piling up, becoming compacted, and compacting the soil underneath it.
You can prevent the two problems above by keeping your septic tank field free of snow and keeping the area above your septic tank well insulated. This is one of the best ways to ensure that your septic tank does not experience any issues this winter.
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