Three Actions That'll Ruin The Pipe Running Between Your Home And Your Backyard Septic Tank

25 June 2015
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If you need a septic tank for dealing with everyday waste products, you also need a large pipe to connect it to your home. While most pipes connecting homes and septic tanks are buried quite low in the ground, they are still sometimes damaged by outside forces. To make sure that the pipe that runs between your home and your septic tank remains undamaged for as long as possible, avoid doing these three things.

Planting Trees Or Large Shrubs

While flowers and other types of small plants won't sprout roots that are extensive enough to threaten a pipe buried deep underground, this isn't the case for trees or large shrubs. Even if you only plant young plants without very large roots, it'll only be a matter of time before your septic tank pipe is threatened by a vibrant and growing root system.

Obviously, it's a bad idea to put a large tree or shrub directly over the pipe. But since root systems can expand horizontally as well as vertically, it's also important to keep the immediate area around the pipe free.

Driving Stakes Into The Ground

There are several reasons why you might want to drive stakes into your backyard's ground. For example, it'll be more difficult to set up a tent or use signs to advertise a yard sale without them.

But if you do decide to put stakes into your backyard ground, always be cognizant of where your septic tank pipe is located. Even one hammer blow can impart enough force into a stake to cause a huge dent in one section of the pipe, drastically reducing the amount of waste that can be transported to your septic tank at once.

Failing To Install An Adequate Backyard Drainage System

While water itself isn't a huge threat to your septic tank pipe, instability in the soil is. Really soggy soil will cause the pipe to start bending under its own weight, reducing its structural integrity and increasing the chance that you'll have to replace it soon.

If you haven't done so already, install a small drain in your backyard so that excess water from a huge rainstorm will have a place to collect in. Since any pipe you install will only have to transport water that falls into the drain, it doesn't have to be nearly as big as a septic tank pipe.

It's easy to forget about your septic tank system when there's been no problems with it and you haven't needed to get it drained in a long time. But when you're planning to change the layout of your backyard in some way, the welfare of your septic tank pipe should always be a top priority. If you need help with your septic system's plumbing system, contact a septic professional, like Mr Bob.