If sewage backs up in a home on a septic system, avoid contact with it, stop adding water and call a septic service provider. EPA and Riverside County both treat a backup as a problem to deal with right away.
Keep people and pets away from the sewage and call a professional. EPA says sewage may carry harmful pathogens, and it advises contacting your local health department or regulatory agency for guidance. Riverside County's brochure says any discharge of sewage must be stopped immediately and properly disinfected, and that you should contact a qualified service provider for evaluation and repairs.
Cutting water use is the practical way to stop adding to the problem. The county brochure explains that an overloaded absorption field floods, which sends sewage to the surface or creates backups in toilets and sinks. Less water in means less to push out.
EPA's guidance for sewage that floods a home includes these steps:
EPA says most failures come from poor design or poor maintenance. Skipping routine pumping lets solids leave the tank and clog the drain field. A drain field built in unsuitable soil, on a steep slope or where groundwater is high can also fail.
A backup after a recent pump-out points somewhere else. Riverside County lists problems that persist even though the tank was pumped recently as a sign of a malfunctioning absorption field. Riverside County's Ordinance 650 includes sewage backing up into a structure because of slow soil absorption in its definition of a system failure.
In the unincorporated areas of Riverside County, Ordinance 650 makes it unlawful to let sewage flow onto the surface of a property. The Director of Environmental Health can order the owner to stop the discharge. Replacing, enlarging or modifying the tank, treatment unit or dispersal system counts as a major repair and needs a construction permit.
Several Temecula Valley cities, including Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar, have agreements with the county's Department of Environmental Health. Call the county or your city to confirm who handles your address.
Call a licensed septic pro the same day sewage backs up or surfaces. If a private well is on the property, tell the pro and follow EPA's well guidance.
It can if the tank was full. If the problem returns soon after pumping, Riverside County says the absorption field may be the cause.
EPA advises boiling water or a drain snake instead of chemical drain openers on a septic system.
No. EPA says an odor can come from a roof or vent pipe, and blocked or frozen vents can cause it. Soft, wet or spongy soil over the drain field, especially without recent rain, suggests a failure. EPA cannot diagnose odors remotely and recommends calling a septic provider or plumber.
EPA lists a local septic service provider and your local health department or onsite wastewater regulator. In Riverside County, that regulator is the Department of Environmental Health.
Temecula Valley Septic is a free referral service, not a contractor. Request a free quote from a local septic contractor.