Septic System Maintenance – Homeowner Basics

As a Homeowner in Silver Ridge Estates, Fort Worth and the State of Texas, there are certain responsibilities you have in order to maintain environmental compliance with your property and the OSSF (On Site Sewage Facilities) which manages the waste from your residence.

Although most of us would prefer not to deal with what goes down our sinks, drains and toilets, the maintenance of these systems on our properties is not only critical from an environmental protection standpoint, but also required by Environmental Health Regulations from Tarrant County and the State of Texas.

Maintaining your OSSF is not as tough as it may seem, and can be easily accomplished by either the homeowner or a service contractor.  Here are the key items to maintain:

• Air Compressor and Blower – Must be operating properly in order to provide air for the Aerobic Bacteria which is actively digesting waste in your OSSF System.
• Air Intake Filter for the Air Compressor – Must be clear in order to allow the compressor to freely pull in air for the aeration system.
• Tank Bubbler in the Intermediate Tank – Can be checked monthly by merely pulling the cap or listening for a bubbling sound at the intermediate tank breather cap.
• Collection Tanks and vents – Monthly visual checks to ensure that there has not been damage or restrictions which have occurred at the location of the tanks and vents.
• Piping and transfer elements – Monitor the operation of the system and watch for ponding, pooling, wet spots or irregular spraying patterns which would indicate damage to the piping system.
• Disinfectant / Chlorinator addition system – Monitor the addition point to keep it clear and accessible.  Also required to maintain presence of disinfectant.
• Discharge / Sprayer Pump – Monitor spraying activity for changes in pattern or decrease in pressure indicating pump issues.  Also view final collection tank on a quarterly basis in order to check for silt, solids or a build up of materials.
• Sprayer Heads – Monitor the spraying activity, pattern and distance covered.  Also physically examine the sprayer heads for physical damage from mowers, freezing, etc.  If the heads are damaged, not rotating or spraying properly, they need to be replaced.
• Solids level in collection and processing tanks – Once every five years (at a maximum) your OSSF Tanks need to be pumped out in order to clear sediment and solids which accumulate through the digestion and breakdown of waste by the Aerobic Organisms present in your system.
• Physical monitoring of systems to include excess odor – Be aware of changes in your OSSF System.  Under normal operating conditions, there should be only clear water discharging through your sprayers.  If the discharge is tinted or has a strong odor, your system is in need of service or maintenance in order to prevent environmental contamination.

The basic requirements include, monitoring and logging all activities with your system.  This is to be completed by the homeowner or contract service representative.

Listed below are two contacts with the Tarrant County Public Health Department and a description of system maintenance requirements and a history of the changing regulatory situation.  Please read through the notations so that you can better understand what your requirements and responsibilities are for maintaining your OSSF.

 Rod White (Sanitarian II with Environmental Health) with the Tarrant County Public Health Department.  Office Telephone number is (817) 321-4960.

David Jefferson, Environmental Health – Division Manager.  David will discuss the care and maintenance of OSSF Systems within Tarrant County.  David’s direct line is (817) 321-4969.

When discussing the Maintenance of OSSF Systems on private / residential properties in Tarrant County, the following is a summary offered by David Jefferson in August of 2009.

• Under the original plan, all OSSF Systems were required to be maintained by contract maintenance for the life of the system.
• Because of complaints about the performance of service vendors, the state legislature changed the rules and stated that homeowners could maintain their own systems, but that the individuals needed to be certified.
• Legislators who changed the original policies and created the new problems with regulating and maintaining the systems (because there was no training program) tried to fix the situation and undo what rule changes they had made.
• Now, individual Counties are having to make their own rules to control what maintenance should be completed on these systems
• Currently, there is a loophole of sorts that says:

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  • Homeowners can maintain their own systems after they have been active and maintained by a contract maintenance provider for at least two years.
  • The current Policy does not have any guidelines for what to do in order to properly maintain the OSSF Systems.

• In the current situation, a homeowner can maintain their system.  However, if a Regulatory Inspector finds that the OSSF is not properly being maintained, the Inspector can mandate that repairs or corrective actions need to be completed in order to fix the problem.
• The plan is for Tarrant County to create a policy for the maintenance of OSSF Systems in residential neighborhoods.  The policy would consist of:

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  • Breaking up the area (County) into groups and communicating with non-contract maintenance OSSF holders first.
  • Contract maintenance homes would be contacted second.
  • Homeowners would be given a list of basic OSSF items to maintain including.
    • Air Filter cleaning for the Aeration Pump.
    • Sprayer Head servicing and maintenance.
    • Piping and Transfer Line maintenance
    • Chlorinator servicing and maintenance (liquid or tablets)
    • Use of additives and what not to add into the OSSF System.
    • Pumping of and clearing systems for solids.
  • Under the proposed plan, homeowners would attend a 1 hour education class for about $10.00 in order to receive specific instructions on what they need to complete in order to maintain their systems.
  • The goal will be to have a program in place by the end of the 2009 fiscal year.  As of January 2010, this has not yet been completed.

To summarize…  Individuals can maintain their own systems, and at this time there are no procedures to follow in doing so.  Individuals who are maintaining or plan to maintain their own equipment must maintain a log of activities including keeping receipts for what tasks are being performed in order to maintain the system.  For example, when buy Chlorinated Disinfecting Tablets or liquid disinfectant, you must keep the receipt, and write the purchase down in your household log.  If you add tablets to your sanitizer, write down the date and how many were added.  When you clean your intake air filter on the blower/compressor for your aerator, note the activity in the household log.

Another subject many have questions with is with regard to residential systems which are not in compliance in our area or on neighboring properties.  David Jefferson stated that if someone were to notice a non-compliant system, (exhibiting strong odors, etc) that they should call David at his office, with the address of the non-compliant system and specific dates of the activities noted.  David would then have an Inspector of Compliance Officer go out to the address in order to investigate the violation.

Here are some additional website addresses with reference information available which explain and describe the requirements further.  Each has a bit different summary, but the central message is the same.  Residential On Site Sewage Facilities must be maintained or will be in violation of Environmental Requirements and Regulations currently in place with Tarrant County and the State of Texas.

Maintenance of On-Site Sewage Facilities (Septic Systems)

Overview of proper On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) maintenance, including when maintenance is required and what type of chlorine to use. How to become an OSSF maintenance company.

Two years after the initial installation of your aerobic treatment unit, maintenance can be performed by homeowners for systems that use secondary treatment systems, non-standard treatment systems, drip irrigation, and surface application disposal

What should I do to maintain my septic tank?

You should 1) Make sure you don’t waste water, check for water leaks, don’t leave water running etc., 2) Don’t use the toilet as a trash can and minimize the use of a garbage disposal - if you can’t digest it neither can your septic tank, 3) Make sure you keep the disposal field free of excess runoff water, fill in low spots, redirect drain spouts etc., 4) Have the tank(s) pumped out every 2 to 5 years.