Skipping septic tank pumping could lead to a messy whole-house backup that sends waste and wastewater back into all your plumbing-connected drains. However, an overfull septic tank isn’t the only issue that your septic system can develop. Tree root intrusion, age-related degradation, and advanced corrosion could cause your septic tank to leak. These are five ways that a leaky septic tank can damage your property.
1. Foundation Damage
Among the most noticeable signs of septic tank leaks are pooling water and saturated soil that never dries. Standing water around your home’s foundation can cause slab cracks, elevated moisture indoors, and humidity-related problems like mildew and mold. If allowed to progress, septic leaks and the resulting foundation damage could cause settlement cracks and other structural changes that affect the integrity of your home all the way to its roof.
2. Soil Contamination
The effluence that leaks out of septic tanks and saturates the surrounding soils is rife with dangerous biological and chemical contaminants. These contaminants can render vegetable and herb gardens unusable due to the presence of dangerous bacteria, such as e. Coli and Salmonella.
A leaky septic tank might initially make your landscape appear verdant, but it will take a long-term toll on the health and viability of your soil for future planting. High salinity and elevated levels of ammonia can kill nearby plants, grasses, and trees. Soil contamination from a septic tank leak can also affect local groundwater, surface water, and nearby properties.
3. Soil Shifting
As wastewater saturates the ground around your septic tank, your soil will compress, settle, or erode. Shifting soils undermine grading by creating voids, diminishing intentional slopes, and setting the stage for pooling water. Major leaks can flush loose soil away or make it more likely to move with runoff during the next heavy rain.
Whether your landscape experiences soil shifting, soil compression, or erosion, your foundation will suffer. Changes in soil integrity and your property’s grading can also lead to cracked or offset water supply lines and wastewater pipes.
4. Contaminated Well Water
Regulators work hard to prevent well water contamination from septic tanks by mandating minimum separation distances. However, if you use a well for fresh water, you should always have your water quality tested following any suspected tank leak. Even with a significant distance between these two important plumbing features, a septic leak could introduce harmful bacteria, elevated nitrates, and other contaminants into your water supply.
5. Moisture Damage in Low-Lying Areas
In addition to saturating your home’s slab, a septic tank leak could cause elevated basement moisture, crawl space flooding, and other problems in low-lying areas. If you have rank, moldering odors downstairs, a leaky septic tank is the likely culprit. Depending upon the layout of your home, the influx of wastewater from your septic tank could cause warped sub-floors and floors plus other structural issues.
You can prevent septic tank leaks by having a qualified professional inspect your septic system every three years. If you need a septic tank inspection in Winston-Salem, NC, contact Straight Flush Septic today!