Does your home rely on a septic tank? If so, then you're among 21 million American households who use a private septic system, according to Circle of Blue. Since your septic tank is responsible for all the waste that leaves your home, it requires regular cleaning and other maintenance to avoid sanitation issues. Here are signs it's time for septic system pumping.

You just cleaned your home as usual but begun to notice a very nasty odor. Maybe it resembles rotten eggs or sewage itself. In such a case, you're likely smelling sewage rising from your septic system. Unless you want your property to continue to have such an embarrassing and insufferable smell, you'll need a septic system pumping to clean things out.

Functioning toilets are a must for home sanitation. After all, you relieve yourself several times a day, and you should be able to flush afterward. However, if you've noticed your residential toilets are flushing slower than normal for no apparent reason, that might signal that the tank is too full. If things worsen, your toilets may stop flushing and even back up.

There is nothing like green grass on your landscape. While green grass is normally a positive trait, when it's too green around your drainage field, it's usually not a good sign. If you notice extra green patches in certain areas around your drainage field, it's usually due to extra fertilization from sewage creeping to the surface. Over time, don't be surprised if those super green patches also have a lingering smell.

Are your drains making noise? In other words, do you hear loud gurgling sounds whenever water goes down the drain after washing your hands or when draining water after a shower or bath? The water flowing through your pipes might be encountering trapped air, or it could be struggling to enter the full septic system.

As you can see, there are several ways to know that it's time to call septic system pumping professionals. If you manage your private septic tank, you shouldn't neglect any issues related to it. After all, you can have a major sanitation problem and that won't be fun. Call Whitt's Septic Service today to protect your home's sanitation level.