Septic Tank Odors

While the contents of a septic tank are not too pleasant in nature, they can be even worse when a person starts smelling them. More often than not, when a person can smell the odor coming from their septics, they have an underlying problem that exists. These issues can be from a drain, pipe or something completely different. The only sure thing is that there is something that is not working as it should. These systems were designed to prevent any smells from escaping and this is an issue.

Understanding how these systems work is vital for understanding why these problems arise. In an ideal world, bacteria and other organisms eat through the waste and remove it for the homeowner, but this does not always work the way it should. If a tank is pumped by any septic tank pumping Portland company, it will lose all of these cleaners. Now these cleaners, or bacteria, can be put back into the system by a treatment. This, however, comes at an added cost that most homeowners do not want to pay.

The lack of bacteria causes many of the system’s most vital parts to start getting clogged. The gases that are vented out through the system have no where else to go but back into the person’s pipes. Normally, the vent is on top of the system. This means that if the system is being obstructed by another object, a homeowner can simply clear the clog themselves without needing to worry.

This, however, is the best case and a person is lucky if this is what is causing the problem. If this does not fix the odor, the problem will be deeper in the system. It could be a clogged pipe or a cracked pipe. This is something best left to a professional because they will follow all of the correct safety measures needed for a clean fix. However, this may end up not being the case either and the whole system will need to be diagnosed.

Normally, if the above were found not to be the culprit, a system will have an imbalance of chemicals. These chemicals work at all times of the day to keep the system clean and one small change can cause chemical reactions to occur that worsen the smell. This can be remedied by pouring agents into the septic system from a toilet or calling a septic company that deals with these types of issues.