Septic tanks are an integral part of a septic system, and the septic system is a small sewage treatment plant. Septic systems are generally used for homes and businesses in rural areas. If your home or business is situated far enough from a town or city that has a sewage treatment plant you can use a septic system. For the most part, a septic system is an efficient, low maintenance method of treating wastewater.
If the system is not cared for, they can become expensive to be repaired. Also, septic tank pumping should be a regular check up to prevent from expensive cost of repair. The septic tanks are large tanks that can hold between three and seven thousand gallons of wastewater. They will be buried underground and are connected to the home on one side, the inlet side, and to the leach field on the other side, the outlet side.
Tips For Maintaining Your Septic Tank
If you rely on a modern septic tank system, there are a few guidelines you should follow to ensure your system works efficiently and effectively – with minimal headaches – for many, many years to come. make sure your septic tank and drain field is healthy with these must-know tips:
- Do not treat your toilet like a garbage disposal. Never flush non-unnecessary solids, like paper towels, sanitary products or even cat litter. All of these things will clog the system.
- Same goes for your garbage disposal. Limit what you put down the drain and install a high-quality garbage disposal that completely purees the waste that you must wash down the drain.
- Promote a healthy drainfield environment by limiting the use of chemical cleaning agents, detergents and soaps. Chemical household cleaners wash down the drain and concentrate to the system of septic, often killing the beneficial bacteria required to effectively break down biological waste. These creatures are the lifeblood of a healthy septic tank system, so when possible, use non-chemical cleaners such as Dr. Higa’s EM-1 Microbial Inoculant in the place of chemical cleaners and detergents.
- Regularly re-introduce beneficial bacteria into your septic system with a product like EM-1 Septic Tank Microbes for maximum drainfield health and performance.
- Proactively divert rain from the drainage field. Plan all drainage sewers and garden gutters to feed excess water from the drainage field. A saturated and saturated drainage field will not work effectively.
- Do not plant grass in your drainage field and discourage roots by keeping trees at least 100 feet from the septic tank (and even more if it is a stump of aggressive trees such as willows ).
- Be careful not to overload the system. Regularly check faucets and toilets to make sure they are not leaking and reduce water consumption whenever possible. Small changes, such as waiting for the dishwasher to be full before using it and placing a mover on the toilet tank, will help your system.
- Do not pour grease or cooking oil into the sewers as these thick liquids may clog the drain field.
- It goes without saying, but do not pour toxic materials (like paint thinner or car oil) down your drain either. Besides clogging the drain field, they will poison the groundwater.
- Have a professional pump your septic tank every 3 to 5 years.
There are so many other tips for maintaining your septic tank, but these are just a few. For more information and knowledge about maintaining your septic tank, you can check here.