Regular septic maintenance is the kind of common wisdom that is regularly spread around. But, if you’re on a budget, is there really that much of a difference between religious septic maintenance and just calling a problem in when and if it arises?
There are, of course, the most common reasons to invest in regular maintenance instead of waiting for something to go wrong. Septic tanks, being filled with organic waste from things like the toilet, are not the most pleasant things to have problems with. Nor are they the most pleasant to fix. Nobody wants to flush their toilet only to have an awful smell wash back up, or have their drains backed up from how slowly the water is going down. If your property’s septic system is neglected for long enough, the backup might even be enough to damage your pipes, bringing down the value of your property.
However, there is also the matter of the local environment. Septic tanks are, by their nature, a holding ground for some of the worst, most toxic waste that a household can produce. Without proper septic maintenance, these tanks may develop cracks or other weaknesses. This can allow harmful septic waste to seep out into the local environment. This may turn your yard around the tank swampy and foul-smelling, which is bad enough in itself, and incredibly difficult to fix. But if your septic tank is near a source of water, it can also leach contaminants from your septic tank into that water, leading to environmental damage and even harm to those on your property if you depend on that water.