Does your home have a septic tank? How long has it been since the tank was cleaned out? If you can't remember when it was last cleaned or the last cleaning was before you bought the property, chances are good that it is in need of a cleaning now. As a tank gets full, there are signs that indicate a necessary cleaning is imminent if you want to continue to use your septic system. Some things that you should be watching out for include the following.

Slow flushing: As the solids build up within your septic tank, it will become harder and harder for the processed liquids to exit into the leach field as they are supposed to. This will be most obvious when you flush the toilet. A toilet that drains slowly instead of flushing quickly can definitely be a sign that you are in need of a residential septic system cleaning and not an indication of an issue with the toilet itself. Your shower and sink drains may also start running slow, but this may not become obvious until your septic tank is completely full of sewage solids.

Smell: Although you may sometimes be able to smell your septic tank on a very warm day, smelling it on a regular basis can be an indication that something is wrong. But if your bathroom has a sewage odor to it, you should definitely make an appointment for a residential septic system cleaning as soon as possible. A full septic tank can result in sewage gasses being pushed back up the septic line and into your home. Because the toilet line is the largest and toilets are usually the closest fixtures to the septic tank end of the line, it's most likely that the smell will wind up in your bathroom. But it's also possible for the smell to make it to the kitchen or to your laundry room.

Damp ground: If you ignore the signs that you need a residential septic system cleaning, sewage solids will eventually get pushed out into the leach field. When this happens, the solids will clog up the leach field, resulting in a poor drainage situation. The water will have nowhere to go but up to the surface, where you'll notice wet or marshy patches. In some instances, the only solution is to either rebuild the field or relocate the tank. Since both of these options can be costly ones, it's a good idea to ensure that your septic tank is cleaned out on a regular basis, even if you see no symptoms of it being completely full. This should usually happen every 2 to 3 years, but can vary depending on things like septic tank and household sizes. 

For more information, reach out to companies like Eckmayer Inc.