{"id":22811,"date":"2021-03-31T14:43:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T21:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=22811"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:24:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:24:25","slug":"house-septic-tank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/house-septic-tank\/","title":{"rendered":"House Septic Tanks Don\u2019t Come with Care Instructions. Here\u2019s What You Need to Know."},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve ever lived in a rural area, you’re familiar with the term “well and septic.” As many as one in five households nationwide<\/a> get their water from a well and rely on a septic system to dispose of wastewater. That means one out of every five homeowners needs to maintain a septic system. The results of neglect aren’t pretty \u2014 and they don’t smell too good, either!<\/p>\n

All too often, homeowners take their house\u2019s septic systems for granted, neglecting and even abusing them \u2014 until disaster strikes and an expensive emergency repair is needed.<\/p>\n

To help you care for your house\u2019s septic tank, we’ll share some tips on maintenance and repairs with insight from a wastewater treatment professional.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Rene Lehmkuhl \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get to know your septic system and its location<\/h2>\n

You may have better things to do on a Saturday, but becoming acquainted with your home’s septic system, its location, and how it works could save you money and mess in the long run.<\/p>\n

Find your field<\/h3>\n

If you don’t know where your septic tank and drain field are, you need to locate this critical infrastructure<\/a>. Start by finding the sewer line<\/a> leading from your house. Once you encounter the 4-inch sewer pipe, probe the ground every few feet until you find the septic tank, which is required to be at least 5 feet from the house, although a typical distance<\/a> is closer to 10 to 25 feet, with a depth ranging from 4 inches to 4 feet.<\/p>\n

You can also check the county records or local health department for “as-builts” with diagrams. Just keep in mind that the older the record, the more difficult it may be to read the map, as landmarks such as trees and outbuildings may have changed since it was drawn, and not all older diagrams are to scale<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Verify which type of septic system you have<\/h3>\n

There are two basic types of septic systems<\/a>: conventional and alternative.<\/p>\n

The basic systems use gravity, while pressure distribution systems use a pump to distribute effluent from the tank through the drain field. Most newer installations use a pump.<\/p>\n

Alternative systems include:<\/p>\n