The sight of a septic tank next to your gorgeous home is an eyesore. If you are tired of looking at your septic tank, we know a few ways to cover the tank and improve the aesthetic of your backyard.
Large bushes, wooden covers, small bird baths, moveable planters, and rolling sheds are the best ways to cover the septic tank lid and transform the exterior of the house. Disguising the septic tank lid with paint or with a tile mosaic will make the outside look pleasant and natural and can elevate your landscaping patterns.
With creativity and some supplies from your local hardware store, you can create a wonderful septic tank lid cover that draws attention away from the tank cover, protects it, or hides it completely. You can hire an artist to design a tile mosaic or painting for you if you are not the creative type.
Septic Tank Cover Ideas
1. Potted Plants or Planter Boxes
Five or six medium size planter boxes filled with beautiful flowers or a small herb garden can easily hide an unsightly septic tank lid. Don’t load the planter boxes with heavy soil, as they will be difficult to move when you need to access the septic tank to drain or repair the tank.
2. Fake Rocks
Medium or large fake rocks are a great and unique septic lid cover idea, as few people have large rocks in their gardens. When shopping for a large rock, measure the diameter of the tank lid so you can know how large the fake rock needs to be. Rock needs to be slightly weighted, so the wind does not blow it away.
3. Decorative Well
Well, well, well! A decorative well will have many uses beyond covering the septic tank! Think of all the well-based jokes you and your family can make when you install a well in your garden. The most common decorative wells are made of wood and have space and strength to hold soil and plants.
4. Decorative Bridge
If you’re planning to decorate a large part of your garden around the septic tank lid, then consider placing a decorative bridge on top of the lid.
Add blue and yellow rocks underneath the bridge to create a water and sand design. With this design, place small frogs and other fake river life around the bridge and colored rocks.
5. Bird Bath or Garden Statue
The little birdies around your home need a place to rest and bathe, so why not create a space for them? A medium-sized bird bath can hide the tank lid and create a safe area for wildlife to visit your home every day. The bird bath must be high off the ground to protect the birds from predators.
6. Lawn Furniture
If you are throwing a party and you don’t have time to do anything else, cover the septic tank lid with a table and surround the table with chairs.
Before placing lawn furniture around the septic tank cover, wash the tank cover and check to see if there are smells coming from the tank. This plan will not work if you can smell feces coming from the septic tank.
A kids’ table, a large metal patio table, and even an outdoor rug will draw any visitor’s eye away from the septic lid. Wicker furniture is perhaps the best type of furniture to place over the septic tank lid.
7. Get Creative Decorating the Lid
With perspective, a quick sketch, and weatherproof paint, a talented painter can transform the tank lid into an amazing lawn decoration.
Paint the septic tank with a target and a 20-point symbol. Place wooden circles around the septic tank with target symbols to create a game you can play with your friends.
Use Paint to Create Your Own Masterpiece
Why cover a septic tank lid when you can decorate it instead of tile or paint? Paint the septic tank the color of the surrounding grass to have it blend into the background. If you’re creating a garden with a specific theme, paint the tank lid with a picture of that theme.
8. Craft a Tile Mosaic
Most gardeners dream about filling their gardens with a tile mosaic, but few really have the time and energy to create one. Tile mosaics take patience and a careful eye for details, but the designs are worth it in the end.
When adding tiles to the lid, use a different adhesive to bind the tiles to the lid. It would be better to use an industrial strength glue to put the tiles in place, so the lid can still be lifted and moved.
There are a few interesting tile mosaic ideas: a bright and shining sun, a frog, a lotus flower, or a lily pad.
9. Use Stepping Stones
Walking to the septic tank can be dirty business, especially if it just rained. Place stepping stones from your home to the septic tank. Stones make it easier to walk to the septic tank in bad weather. Plus, you’ll add a friendly design to your garden and the septic tank will not stand out.
How To Disguise Septic Tank Covers and Systems
The Don’ts Of Septic Tank Disguise
When designing a cover for your septic tank, there are a few do’s and don’ts to follow. One of the most important don’ts is to never make the septic tank so heavy that you can no longer lift its lid.
Immediately rule out any permanent or extremely heavy structure.
Do not bury the septic tank lid underneath soil and grass. You don’t want to spend a half an hour digging through soil when the septic tank repair person comes to empty the tank or performs a yearly service check.
Under any circumstances, do not place a tree near your septic tank.
The roots of the tree are likely to ruin a part of the septic tank, which will cause you thousands of dollars to repair. If a tree is already growing near the tank, remove it before it becomes too big.
Another terrible idea is to pave over the septic tank with concrete.
Not only will you not be able to access the septic tank lid, the tank itself cannot tank the weight of a vehicle on top of it. A gravel driveway is just as bad.
A big mistake we see septic tank owners do all the time is place their animal’s homes and toys around the tank lid. Animals can smell the odors from the septic tank, even if we cannot smell a thing.
Placing their doggy beds or rabbit cages near the tank lid is the equivalent of placing a covered bucket of human feces in the corner of your bedroom. It’s disgusting, toxic, and will spread its odor all over the furniture and fabric.
Plus, your animals may try to dig down into the dirt to find where the smell is coming from.
Now, what can you do to hide your tank lid effectively?
The Do’s For Hiding Your Septic Tank
People want their homes to be beautiful; they don’t want to be reminded of the tank of human feces that is connected to their house every time they go outside.
As long as the cover is accessible when it needs to be, you can disguise your septic tank cover any way you like. You can hide it away or convert it as part of the decorations or lawn furniture.
Disguising septic tank covers requires a bit of time and patience, and a bit of landscaping know-how.
You could choose the easy way and buy a small shed from a hardware store and place it over the lid. But for those who are creative, love landscaping, and want to have an immaculate garden, a random PVC shed next to your home won’t cut it.
The company that cleans and services septic tanks may have discrete tank lid covers for sale. They will also be able to give you tips and pointers on hiding the tank lid.
Build a wooden box around the tank lid and put the heavy objects on the wooden surface. Also, consider building a wooden box in separate pieces. Each piece can be removed quickly to access the lid.
Now what else can you use to disguise a septic tank cover?
Decorative statues, wells, large potted plants, rock gardens, tile mosaics, and other outdoor decor are all excellent ways to hide a tank lid as well as brighten your garden and create a fun outdoor space for your animals. Here are the best products and methods to hide your septic tank lid.
Conclusion
Decorative wells, large fake rocks, lawn furniture, planter boxes, and other garden decor can disguise a tank lid or incorporate it as part of the garden decorations. If you notice a horrendous odor, call a septic tank repair person to service the tank.
Odors should never come out from your septic tank.
Do not use the septic tank cover as a table. Place a table over the septic tank cover and use that surface to place your drinks and food. Do not plant any vegetables or herbs in the soil around the tank lid, as the roots could ruin the tank.
Ruben has a diverse background in the home services industry, with experience running a construction company, a kitchen and bath showroom, and a moving and relocation company. This breadth of experience has provided him with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in various areas of home improvement in general and specifically in the heating and plumbing niche.