Let’s face it — septic backups aren’t fun. If you want to try to avoid one happening to you, it is a good idea to become familiar with the most common causes. Many are quite preventable with regular maintenance, inspections, and being attentive to how to protect your septic system overall. Here are the most common causes of backups and how to prevent them from happening:



• Broken Pipe – If the pipe leading from your home to the septic tank breaks, the resulting septic backups will affect every drain in your home. There are different reasons why a pipe breaks. One is that someone has driven a vehicle over the pipe. Be sure you know where your sewer line is so that you avoid this scenario. Another cause is tree roots. Never plant trees or any large root system landscaping near your septic system. Tree roots can go a very long distance, and they will often gravitate toward a septic tank in search of water and nutrients.
• Full Septic Tank – When the septic tank gets full, it cannot process any more waste, which results in septic backups. To prevent this from happening, get on a schedule for septic tank pumping and cleaning based on your household size and lifestyle. For example, a larger family or one in which many are home during the day will need more frequent visits for pumping.
• Drain Field Issue – If there are problems with the drain field, the liquid waste cannot flow through properly and the septic tank will become overwhelmed quickly. The best way to keep your home’s drain field healthy is to avoid putting grease and oil down the drains and practice water conservation so that the system doesn’t get overwhelmed.

If you would like your septic system inspected and pumped if needed, give us a call at American Waste Septic today.