Pumper's Top 10 Stories of 2019

Pumper's Top 10 Stories of 2019

As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the top stories on www.pumper.com. If you missed any of these, now is your chance to catch up. Enjoy this look back at 2019.

10. Opportunity Knocks as More Customers Seek Detailed Septic Inspections
Taking your inspections to a higher level isn’t a bad idea in today’s market. Some pumpers, like Caston Lovely of Presque Isle, Maine, are reporting a growing interest among homebuyers and homeowners for more detailed septic inspections.

9. Toilet Explodes in Florida Lightning Strike, Sends Porcelain Flying
It’s not all that surprising this headline made the list. These kinds of freak accidents don’t come around that often in our industry. You could almost say it’s like lightning striking when they do. Click the link to see some photos of the damage if you missed this story.

8. 9 Tips for Dealing With Restroom Vandalism
Those of you pumpers who operate portable restrooms know vandalism can be among your top concerns. No one wants to see their valued assets damaged and treated disrespectfully, but it does happen. With that in mind, we organized nine of the best tips for preventing and responding to restroom vandals.

7. Septic Tanks Can Hold Dangerous Levels of Chemo Drugs
We have all heard of the risk of secondhand smoke — but what about secondhand chemo? The cytotoxin drugs used in some forms of chemotherapy can cause serious illness for those who come into contact with them, can leach into groundwater and can harm septic tank bacteria. While their disposal is strictly regulated at hospitals, what happens when patients go home?

6. 5 Key Toxins to Keep Out of Septic Systems
In one of our most useful reference articles of 2019, researcher and engineer Sara Heger lists five of the most harmful products to keep out of septic systems. Feel free to share this one with your customers and let them know you care.

5. A Probiotic Prescription to Remedy Stressed Septic Tanks
There’s no substitute for proper maintenance and regular pumping. But some believe bioaugmentation additives can help ensure proper bacteria is maintained for a free-flowing system. Read more about bioaugmentation in this online exclusive article.

4. Septic Truck Plunges Into Creek After Bridge Collapse
Remember, pumpers, just because someone tells you the propane guy made it across the rickety looking bridge doesn’t mean it’s safe to cross. In this story out of Washington, a truck carrying a concrete septic tank overloads a bridge and plunges into the creek below. Thankfully no one was hurt.

3. Pumper Dumps Sewage on Former In-Laws’ Property
Hopefully you’ve never been quite this angry at your in-laws. In this story out of Hawkins County, Tennessee, the owner of a septic services company admits to illegally dumping liquid waste at the end of his former in-laws’ driveway.

2. Woman Survives for Days Under Sewage After Falling Into Septic Tank
In this story out of Oregon, a woman reportedly survived up to three days trapped inside a septic tank after falling inside of it while doing maintenance work. The woman’s family hadn’t heard from her in a few days, so they went to check on her and found her in the tank in the front yard.

1. Pumper Caught Illegally Dumping While Already Facing Charges for Illegally Dumping
Sigh … the headline for our top story of 2019 pretty much says it all. This guy told police he’d accidentally driven his truck into a field and got stuck in the mud and the only way he could get pulled out was to dump the sewage. It doesn’t sound like they believed him, though, as he left the scene in custody.



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