People often assume that if their septic tank malfunctions, they'll know it. And many times, this is true. Your toilets may overflow, or there may be puddles of sewage in the yard. But septic tanks can also be sneaky. Sometimes, they may whisper — not yell — when telling you they're in trouble. If you have noticed any of the following issues, don't ignore them. Call a septic professional to check things out because that's probably what your septic tank is quietly asking you to do.

Odors coming from the drains.

When you walk into the bathroom or past your kitchen sink, do you notice a subtle odor that you can't quite place? If you rule out smelly garbage and other possibilities and decide the odor is coming from the drains, there might be an issue with the septic tank. Sewage could be backing up into the pipes just enough to send smelly gasses back up and out of your drains. You can try pouring some cleaning solution down the drain and see if that takes care of the issue, just in case the odor is coming from gunk immediately inside the drain. But if that does not fix it, then you need to have the septic tank looked at.

Slow drains.

Are there times when your drains just seem to slow down? Maybe water does go down the drain, but it takes longer than normal. Or perhaps you can get it to go down, but only when you haven't otherwise used the water in an hour or two. This type of trouble is usually to blame on the septic tank. It probably just has so much solid grime in the bottom of it that there's not much room for water anymore. A pumping appointment will fix that.

Vibrant grass.

When you look out into your yard, do you see patches where the grass is really green and vibrant? You might initially be excited that your grass is growing. But the reason it's growing in one area but not in other areas could be a bit ominous. This often means your septic tank is leaking, and the leaking sewage is feeding the grass. Having the tank pumped and inspected is wise. Don't worry; the grass will forgive you!

Don't wait for your septic tank to yell at you. If it is whispering that something is wrong, then you need to have it looked at sooner rather than later.