Are you a first-time septic tank owner and have yet to pump the tank? If so, you may be wondering what signs you should be looking out for. If you don't act on the problem, you could end up with a plumbing system that doesn't work, leaving you with toilets and sinks that have nowhere to drain. Here are the signs to look out for to know it's time for a septic tank pumping.

Slow Moving Sinks and Toilets

When a toilet or sink starts draining very slowly, your gut reaction may be to get out of the plunger and get rid of the clog that is stuck in the drain's path. However, this can actually mean that your tank is getting full. If the slow moving drain is only happening in one drain of your house, chances are that it is just a clog. However, multiple drains that are slow moving means that there is a problem with the tank. Once you've verified that you have the problem with multiple drains, contact a septic tank repair company for assistance.

Soggy Yard

Were you aware that a septic tank is not a completely enclosed tank where all the waste goes? If so, the tank would fill up very quickly and need to be serviced constantly. It actually works by breaking down solid waste until it liquifies, and then having that liquid leave the tank and go underground into a drain field.

In normal conditions, you'll never be able to tell that the wastewater is being released underground into the drain field. It is designed to have water drain away from the source of well water so that there is no contamination. If anything, you may notice that the grass above the ground grows faster or is more green than the rest of the yard.

What you want to watch out for is when the drainfield becomes soggy. This can easily happen if too much water enters the tank and the tank becomes full. The excess water won't have anywhere to go, and it will be released from the tank into the drainfield. This can happen if you use too much water, either for showing or laundry, and do not give the tank any time to process the water and release it naturally. You'll need the help of a septic tank service company to drain the tank so that it can break down bacteria once again.