Is this a septic emergency, or can it wait for a visit?

Chosen when: What are you seeing: Sewage backing up into the house · or · What are you seeing: Sewage on the ground or pooling in the yard

Sewage backing up into the building or reaching the ground surface is a failure by EGLE's own definition. EGLE says to contact your local health department for guidance and not to service the system yourself, because of disease, dangerous gases and electric shock. Stop using water, keep people and pets away, and have a pumper with an EGLE septage license do any pumping. EPA says to avoid contact with a backup, to disinfect with 90 percent water and 10 percent household bleach, and to keep the area unused until it has been completely dry for at least 24 hours.

Emergency septic · Signs your septic system is failing in Michigan, and what to do first

Chosen when: What are you seeing: The yard or tank is flooded

After a flood, EGLE says not to pump the tank until surface water and groundwater recede, because pumping into high groundwater can float a concrete tank or crush a plastic one. A licensed septage hauler should pump it after the water drops. Mark the system and keep vehicles off it, shut off the electricity to a flooded pump chamber, and secure any open tank cover so debris and people cannot fall in.

Emergency septic · Winter and spring septic care in Michigan: frozen ground, thaw and floods

Chosen when: What are you seeing: An alarm is sounding

EGLE's yearly inspection includes testing the control panel alarm and pump, and the state Criteria require at least a visual alarm on a raw sewage lift pump. What the alarm means depends on your panel, so read its label. If sewage is also backing up or surfacing, treat it as the first result and call your county health department. If the chamber has been under water, keep the power off until a licensed professional has checked the connections, pump and alarm.

Pump and float · Signs your septic system is failing in Michigan, and what to do first

Chosen when: What are you seeing: Slow drains or gurgling in several fixtures; When was the tank last pumped: More than five years ago · or · What are you seeing: Slow drains or gurgling in several fixtures; When was the tank last pumped: I don't know

EGLE lists slow drains and gurgling as warning signs, and EPA says solids that leave a tank that was not pumped on time clog the drain field. EPA recommends pumping every three to five years, so a tank last pumped more than five years ago, or never recorded, is the first suspect. Book a licensed pumper and ask them to measure the sludge and scum and to check the baffles and filter. If sewage starts to back up, call the health department.

Septic pumping · How often to pump a septic tank in Michigan: the table, the agencies and your county

Chosen when: What are you seeing: Slow drains or gurgling in several fixtures

EGLE lists slow drains and gurgling as warning signs, but a recently pumped tank points away from the tank and toward the field or a local blockage. Ask for an inspection that includes a drain field walk, and check for leaking fixtures, which EGLE says to fix. Keep sump pumps and softener discharge away from the system. If several fixtures stay slow or sewage appears, call the health department.

Septic inspection · Signs your septic system is failing in Michigan, and what to do first

Chosen when: What are you seeing: A wet spot or bright green grass over the tank or field

EGLE lists wet spots and bright green, lush grass over the tank or field as signs of failure. EPA says a drain field over 25 to 30 years old can develop a thickened biomat that causes ponding or surfacing, and EGLE names roots as one of the leading causes of failure in Michigan. If sewage is on the surface, call your county health department. Otherwise book an inspection soon, keep vehicles off the area and point downspouts away.

Drain field · Signs your septic system is failing in Michigan, and what to do first

Chosen when: What are you seeing: A sewage odor inside or outside

Sewage odors are on EGLE's list of failure signs. EPA says a vent pipe can freeze during a prolonged cold spell and cause odors inside or outside the home, so an odor in a hard freeze does not always mean failure. If the odor comes with slow drains, wet ground or a backup, treat it as a failure sign and call your health department. Otherwise book an inspection.

Septic inspection · Winter and spring septic care in Michigan: frozen ground, thaw and floods

Chosen when: What are you seeing: None of these, I want the routine checklist; When was the tank last pumped: More than five years ago · or · What are you seeing: None of these, I want the routine checklist; When was the tank last pumped: I don't know

EPA says to pump every three to five years and EGLE says to pump when the tank is more than one-third full of scum and sludge. If the last pumping was more than five years ago or you cannot find the record, book an inspection and a pumping, and ask for a written record that includes the sludge depth.

Septic pumping · What a septic pumping receipt should show in Michigan

Chosen when: Any other answers

EGLE's yearly checklist for owners is to open and inspect all tanks, pump if over one-third full, clean the effluent filter, test the control panel alarm and pump, walk the drain field, check inspection ports for standing water and look for leaking fixtures. EPA says to inspect every one to three years.

Septic inspection · How often to pump a septic tank in Michigan: the table, the agencies and your county