Septic tanks need to be cleaned every few years. If you don't have regular cleanings or have increased your usage without changing your cleaning schedule, then your tank might get too full and start to overflow.

When this happens, you can spot signs that you have a problem either in your home or in the area around your tank. How can you tell if you should have your tank cleaned?

Indoor Signs of a Full Septic Tank

Many people first notice problems with a sludged-up septic tank inside their homes. If your tank is too full, then your plumbing system will start to fail.

For example, water might start to drain more slowly out of your sinks, baths, and showers. This can be an indication that your tank is too full to take any more water. Your toilet water might also back up when you flush.

You might also start to smell a nasty odor around your toilets even when you haven't used them for a while. This smell of rotten eggs tells you that your tank is too full. It might be backing up into your home's plumbing system. Or, it might be so full that it doesn't have space to contain the gases it produces. These gases escape back out of the tank and come up through your plumbing.

If your tank is full to overflowing, then you might notice more serious problems in your toilets. For example, sewage might start to run back up through your pipes and into your toilet water.

Outdoors Signs of a Full Septic Tank

If there are signs of a septic tank problem in your home, then you should take a look outside at the area around your tank. This ground will usually change if your tank is too full and needs to be cleaned.

Again, overfull septic tanks can produce a rotten egg smell. If you can smell this odor around your tank, then you know you have a problem.

The condition of the ground around your tank is also a good indicator of whether your system is working correctly or not. For example, if your tank is so full that it is overflowing, then its water will affect grass in the area.

If the grass above or around your septic tank is greener, longer, or lusher than the rest of the grass in your yard, then your tank might be overflowing. This grass is thriving because it is being fed extra nutrients from overflowing sewage.

Flooding on the ground around a septic tank is also a sign that the tank is too full. If you don't have grass over the tank, then look at the earth. Wet brown patches are a sign of sewage contamination.

To clear your tank, contact residential septic tank cleaning professionals.