The Scoop on Poop - #5 
By Susan Bashor
Poop! What a distasteful subject. Many people can hardly stand to talk about it and certainly prefer not to even think about it. Can’t say we blame them. However, like all of the dirty jobs in the world, some of us are paid to think about it, talk about it and offer you solutions for it. If you are a homeowner you can certainly hope that your poop related issues will not ever surface (ha, ha) so that you won’t have to “deal” with it. You can read these articles and think “It’s been 25 years and I’ve never had my septic tank pumped and I don’t have any problems”. The truth of the matter is usually just the opposite.
I love those customers who want to argue about the subject. I’m thinking, “if you haven’t pumped your septic in 25 years and all is well, why are you calling me?” The fact of the matter is, (and argue all you like but we see, think, talk and deal with poop EVERY DAY) you wouldn’t be calling after 25 years if you weren’t seeing some symptoms arising from your home plumbing. The scenario gets even more interesting when Mr. Neglectful Homeowner decides he needs someone to blame this problem on. “Well I never had a problem for 25 years until you cleaned my septic, now nothing works right...” Yeah, okay.
Avoidance is bliss, except when it comes to raw sewage impacting your home or your home drainage system. Want to talk about it? Give us a call. But whatever you do, don’t put off this very important home maintenance matter.
Do you have signs and are you reading them correctly? When your septic begins to give you signals don’t wait a moment longer before calling for assistance. Slow drains, gurgling toilets and odors are pretty strong indicators that you’ve got some issues with your septic. Outdoors, if your children are playing in anything other than mud, you should call Sweet Pea right away because if Santa comes a calling and gets any on his shoes he may decide to move on to the next house.
Buying a new home? Here is a tip. When you have the roof inspected, and the foundation, and the hot water heater, why overlook the septic system? Buy a lemon and the replacement costs will be several thousand dollars. Well, that is if you can pass ground water monitoring and get a permit from the sanitarian’s office.
If you ask the owner of said house where the septic is and he doesn’t know, let this serve as a great big sign that the septic probably has not been properly cared for and possibly never cleaned. Shocked? You wouldn’t believe the stories we could tell (but won’t because we never pump and tell). More reason than ever to include a septic inspection in the contingencies.
Finally, beware of some guy from New Jersey calling your home around dinner time on a Friday night and promising you that you will never have to pump your septic again if you’ll just buy this product which makes poop magically disappear. Give it some thought. If such a product were available, I’d be writing an article for someone besides Sweet Pea because there wouldn’t be much action around here.
It’s fall. Fall is my favorite time of the year. The weather gets a little cooler, things seem to slow down a bit after the kids go back to school and we settle back into a more regular daily pattern. What’s left to do before winter arrives? Probably several home maintenance projects. Mine include a pumpkin patch that’s threatening to take over our entire yard and is quite frankly giving me nightmares reminiscent of something from the Body Snatchers (what’s in those pods)? What’s on your list? Septic maintenance!
Happy flushing and don’t forget to e-mail us with any questions or comments or give us a call at 728-3533 or 961-3377. Remember, it’s not glamourous but somebody’s got to do it!
Sweet Pea Sewer & Septic
#1 in the #2 Business Because We Know Our Shi Stuff!.
