3 Tips for Educating Homeowners

Your job doesn’t end when the onsite system is in the ground. It’s time to talk to your customer about the workings and care of their new system
3 Tips for Educating Homeowners
As an installer you have the opportunity to educate the homeowner on some basic information about the system and its operation.

Interested in Education/Training?

Get Education/Training articles, news and videos right in your inbox! Sign up now.

Education/Training + Get Alerts

As an installer you get called for two main types of onsite septic system jobs: putting in a new system for a new house or replacing a system on an older house for a variety of reasons. 

In the case of a system at a new home, you may never talk directly with the homeowner but will have most of your contact with the contractor building the house. If you are asked to replace a system in an existing house then you will more than likely deal directly with the homeowner. In either case, there is certain information that you should share with the homeowner. 

Here are three basic things the homeowner should be told about their system. First: the type of system that has been put in. Discuss the size of the onsite tank and the type of wastewater treatment system being installed. If this is a basic onsite septic system, you need to discuss information on the septic tank and the wastewater treatment and dispersal system, which are normally either lateral lines or a lagoon. If the home has a specialized or engineered system then you need to explain what has been installed and why, and what additional components make up that system: pumps, fans, a dispersal tank, etc. 

Second, explain the recommended maintenance for the system that has been installed and what is expected of the homeowner or if a professional should do the maintenance. This is important for keeping the system working as efficiently as possible for many years. 

And third, provide the homeowner with a map or drawing of where the system is located on their property. With the accessibility of Web-based maps it is very easy to download a location and either hand draw or computer draw the location of the tank and lateral lines or whatever system has been installed.

Above and beyond these three basic things, as an installer you have the opportunity to educate the homeowner on some basic information about the system and its operation. Explain the function of the septic tank in a simple way. It should provide 48 hours liquid detention time and it stores the solids in the tank until they can be removed.

Describe the wastewater treatment system, and give more details about proper care of the system. If laterals are in use, explain that they work on a soil-based absorption and treatment system to break down pathogens and utilize the nutrients found in the wastewater. If a lagoon has been installed explain that shallow depth is used to allow for aerobic bacteria to work and to keep trees and aquatic plants out of the lagoon.

If there is a specialized or engineered system such as an aerated tank system, a drip system or low-pressure pipe system, discuss the basics so the homeowner will understand why maintenance is an important part of their responsibility if they want to keep the system working properly. 

Explain that pumping a septic tank is part of the routine maintenance and certain behavior may require them to have the tank pumped more often than normal. Disposing of grease down the drain, using the toilet as a trash can and using the garbage disposal are all activities that may result in more frequent maintenance. 

Include simple recommendations about lateral lines care. Inform homeowners that to keep their system working they should keep trees out of the area, not water the grass above the laterals, and avoid driving or parking heavy vehicles over the lines. Homeowners with a lagoon should keep trees at least 50 feet away from the berm, keep aquatic plants to a minimum and keep the grass mowed around the berm to allow for wind and evapo-transpiration to effectively remove the water. 

For more basic information about typical onsite systems, view the University of Missouri Extension homeowner’s guide: http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/envqual/eq0401.pdf. For a more comprehensive list of guidelines and recommendations, view the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services online manual that provides homeowners with valuable information concerning different onsite sewer systems and general maintenance and care of different systems: http://health.mo.gov/living/environment/onsite/pdf/SystemOwnersManual.pdf.

About the Author
Bob Broz is a water quality specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. He teaches classes on soil percolation for onsite installers and developed a class for real estate professionals about understanding onsite systems. He has developed a class for homeowners on the care and maintenance of onsite systems. Readers are welcome to submit questions or article suggestions to Bob. Write to kim.peterson@colepublishing.com.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.