If you live in South Florida, you know it doesn’t always take a hurricane to cause flooding. A few days of heavy rain can leave streets underwater, yards soaked and the ground completely saturated.
If your home is on septic, all that water can affect more than just your lawn.
It can affect your septic system, too.
So, what actually happens?
Your septic system needs the surrounding soil to do its job. When the ground becomes saturated after heavy rain or flooding, there may simply be nowhere for the wastewater to go.
That’s when you may start noticing things like slow drains, toilets that don’t flush quite right, gurgling sounds, sewage odors or unusually wet areas around your drainfield.
And if the conditions are bad enough, wastewater can even begin backing up into the home.
Your first thought may be: “I need to pump my septic tank.”
Not so fast.
This is something many homeowners don’t realize.
If your yard is still flooded or the ground around your septic tank is extremely saturated, pumping the tank right away may actually cause another problem.
When groundwater is high, there can be a lot of pressure surrounding an underground septic tank. If the tank is emptied while that pressure is still there, the tank can potentially shift or, in extreme cases, even begin to rise out of the ground.
That can damage the tank and the pipes connected to it.
Sometimes the safest thing to do is wait until the water goes down and the ground has had a chance to recover.
What can you do in the meantime?
The biggest thing is simple: use less water.
This probably isn’t the best day to catch up on five loads of laundry.
Try to limit long showers, unnecessary flushing, dishwasher use and anything else that sends a lot of water into your septic system.
And stay off the drainfield with cars, trucks or heavy equipment. When the ground is already soaked, the last thing you want is additional weight compacting the soil.
If you have sewage backing up into the house or coming to the surface outside, keep children and pets away from the area and call a septic professional.
Once the flooding is gone
After the water recedes, pay attention to how your plumbing is behaving.
Are several drains still moving slowly? Is a toilet gurgling? Are you smelling sewage? Is there an area of the yard that stays unusually wet?
Those are signs worth checking out.
A septic professional can determine whether the tank needs to be pumped and check for other problems caused by the flooding.
And remember, flooding doesn't automatically mean your septic system is ruined. Sometimes the system simply needs the surrounding ground to dry out before it can function normally again.
Have a private well, too?
There's one more thing South Florida homeowners should keep in mind.
If floodwater reached the area around your private well, don't assume your drinking water is safe just because it looks and smells normal. Floodwater can carry bacteria and other contaminants, so your well may need to be tested before you return to normal use.
When you're not sure, give us a call.
At Seacoast Septic & Plumbing, we've been taking care of South Florida septic systems for more than 60 years. We've seen what heavy rain and flooding can do, and we also know that pumping isn't automatically the answer every time.
If your property recently flooded and your septic system isn't acting right, give us a call. We'll help you figure out what's going on and what needs to happen next.
Seacoast Septic & Plumbing
Serving Palm Beach, Broward & Miami-Dade Counties
Licensed & Insured | Emergency Service Available