With the holiday season upon us once again, we all look forward to spreading some hearty cheer! After a very challenging year, it’s time to reflect on our blessings and spend time at home with our families. However, if you’re not careful, or you don’t plan ahead, you can be in for a rather messy time afterwards. And we don’t mean a mess of wrapping paper and bows! Read on to find out how your cesspool can be strained by more people staying at home during the holidays.
What Is a Cesspool?
A cesspool is an underground stone or concrete container that stores your wastewater. Every time you flush the toilet, this is where it goes. Over time, a cesspool releases the wastewater into the surrounding soil. Unlike a septic tank, it lacks a filtration system and needs to be pumped regularly.
You only see cesspools in houses that aren’t connected to the sewer system or are too close to a body of water.
Under normal circumstances, this isn’t a problem. The size of your cesspool depends on your house and the average time between pumping is around three to six weeks. This is dependent on the number of people creating new wastewater.
For example, the size of a cesspool is usually determined by the number of bedrooms. For two people, it’ll be smaller, while a larger cesspool is needed for a household of ten members. But what happens when ten people contribute wastewater to a cesspool made for two?
That’s where things get messy.
How Is This a Problem?
When you have people over for the holiday weekend, it puts some definite strain on your cesspool. You’re indoors, making merry. Maybe Uncle Hob is telling you his favorite story. During this, your cousin excuses herself to go to the toilet. When she flushes, the cesspool overflows. Sewage, sewage everywhere.
Your cesspool can only hold so much sewage. If you don’t clear it out before you’re expecting a lot of people over for an extended period, you run the risk of it overflowing. Your cesspool is a container. Not only does it store wastewater, but also gas.
When it overflows, this combined force of gas and water goes everywhere and, in case of a backup, into your house. Embarrassing times with family is nothing new, but this particularly stinky situation is best avoided.
Overflows usually lead to cracked walls and punctures, resulting in external leaks. This makes the waste spill into your surroundings.
What Should I Do to Prevent This?
The best thing you can do to prevent overflows is to keep your cesspool clean. Instead of lifting the lid to check and letting noxious gas escape, you can install an alarm that warns you when the cesspool is at a certain capacity.
Be proactive. Contact us and get your cesspool cleaned out before the holiday season takes over!