FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you’re unsure about your new home’s septic system then this a good opportunity to find out where it is located and have it inspected and pumped that way you’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with.

One of our service professionals can conduct an evaluation to determine the efficient functioning of your system.

How often you need to pump depends on the size of the tank, the number of people in the household, and the amount and type of solids. You should have your septic tank/well  inspected annually to check for needed repairs and pumping, usually every 3 to 5 years. Some systems may need pumping more frequently. Our team can design a maintenance schedule to help you stay on top of your system.

Flush only human waste and toilet paper down the toilet—avoid flushing dental floss, hair, cigarette butts, cotton swabs, feminine hygiene products, condoms, paper towels, diapers, and disposable wipes. These items can easily clog your septic system components and cause a failure.

Absolutely. Many materials that are poured down the drain do not decompose and remain in the tank. Don’t pour fats, oils, and grease (FOG) down the drain or place coffee grounds and eggshells. Keep chemicals out of your system. These tend to harden any trapped FOG.

Septic systems are designed to provide long term treatment of household waste when maintained properly. A well-maintained system can last for 30+ years before any need for replacement. Once they have a good bacterial base, they will continue to work for many years.

Proper maintenance is the key to a long-lasting well functioning system. If your system has been properly designed, sited, and installed, the rest is up to you. Inspect your system annually and pump every 3-5 years, avoid excess water use, and watch what you put down the drain and flush down the toilet.

As a rule, you should pump your septic tank once every three to five years.
Don’t ignore the signs, the minute you experience any sinks and toilets backing up in the house it’s important to contact Septic Solutions Caribbean immediately and avoid the area. Other signs include slow draining toilets and drains, an odor of sewage, or contaminated well water.

Simply put, a grease trap is a receptacle that kitchen wastewater flows through before entering the sanitary sewer lines. This receptacle — technically defined as a grease interceptor — interceptors, captures, or “traps” grease. Grease, the industry term for animal fats and vegetable oils, is 10 to 15 per cent less dense than water. Grease also won’t mix with water. As a result, fats and oils float on top of water.

There are several signs that your grease trap needs to be cleaned. When your grease trap becomes too full it can overflow or backup in your sink. Gurgling sounds from the drain are also common. You may notice the sink at your home or restaurant has trouble draining. Additionally, a nasty odour from your drains is a sure sign that your grease traps must be cleaned.

Your grease trap is the lifeline of your septic well. Failure to have regular cleanings will eventually lead to a grease trap, a poorly functioning septic well, and frequent blockages. This creates the perfect habitat for centipedes, cockroaches and bad odours.

The grease trap is located after the drain normally before the sewer system. Once the water enters the trap, it begins to cool. This allows the FOGs in the water to harden, and float to the surface, as they are less dense than water. Debris on the other hand sinks to the bottom of the trap. This leaves a middle layer of clean water which is safe to discharge into the sewer system or your well.

An odour comes from four things;

1. The ventilation system – On the outside of your toilet in any house you will see a pipe going out to the roof; that pipe then takes the air from the well and the back of the toilet and takes it up to expel the gas.
2. Broken seal at the bottom of the toilet – Some toilets particularly the American brands, have a seal at the bottom of them. This part of the toilet can become rotten over time and that causes the smell to seep out.
3. The backing up of your well or blockage in your line from a manhole.

The first step is can you identify any under-the-counter containers where sinks and drains tie into? Check the plumbing drawing of the facility if available, to see if a grease trap is identified on the drawing. If you are still unsure you may wish to contact a plumber to assist you in tracing the discharge lines from the facility to see if they lead to a grease trap. Typically outside traps have manhole covers (some only 1 but typically 2). Outside grease traps are typically close to the kitchen section of the facility.

We stock a pre-fab grease trap which means it is solid concrete and does not have any block work in it with 9000 PSI (pounds per square inch, that measure). Its 30 inches long, 19 inches wide and 14 inches deep. There are s two-inch sockets for the pipes that come from the kitchen to connect into the grease trap and these come complete with the covers.

We use the vacuum truck, which is a tank truck with a heavy-duty vacuum designed to pneumatically load solids, liquids, sludge or slurry through suction lines. This ensures a quick and easy cleaning without the harsh chemicals. This ensures that your surroundings will not be affected while we are cleaning the grease trap.

If your sink starts making gurgling noises or you are detecting a bit of a smell. It could be that you need your grease trap cleaned or you have a blocked line. What this means is that FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease) particles can cause the outflow lines from the kitchen to the grease trap to become clogged or your grease trap is full and the grease has no way to escape, so it stays in the line. Once you have the grease trap cleaned, our team will ensure that lines are cleared so that all your problems are solved.

Commercial grease trap cleaning times vary but a residential cleaning normally takes a maximum of 30 mins.

Yes we do. A choke clearing normally occur additional charges.

Residential cleaning should take place every 6 – 12 months. While commercial properties should have a cleaning every 1 – 4 months.

A grease tank is usually a bigger grease trap that can handle a higher capacity. It has a similar design with two catchments. Usually, they are approximately 4 feet deep and bigger.

Some grease traps may have rocks and other forms of debris in them. This debris can cause damage to the suction system on the trucks, therefore, it is best to have our team manually remove them, which will incur additional fees.

After using these products, you may have a bit of free flow. However, if the buildup in your lines is heavy, it will make it worse.

The regular choke clearing only uses the suction from the truck. While this may give clients a slight ease, which helps with the water flow. If there is hard grease in the lines, then only hydro-jetting will be sufficient to clear the blockage.