2 Tips To Help You Successfully Maintain Your Septic System

Posted on: 13 July 2017

If you have recently moved into or purchased a home on a septic system, there are a few rules and some information you need to know about taking care of the septic tank and its drainage leach field. Here are some tips to help you know how to best use and take care of your septic system so it can last as long as possible and work well for you.

Properly Use Your Kitchen Sink

When you have a septic system, it is important to be careful what items you rinse down your drains and into the system. Your septic system is quite a different waste system than having a connection to the city sewer, and you need to consider how you use it in your home.

First, take care of what you rinse down your kitchen sink when rinsing dishes and preparing foods. Don't rinse cooking oils or drain fats and grease into your drains, as they can cause an overabundance of grease to collect in the layer of sludge, causing your system to clog. If you have a disposal on your kitchen sink, do not use it to dispose of food particles, which can clog the system as well. Deposit food particles, oils and greases into the trash.

Be careful you don't flush wet wipes and toilet paper that is not safe for septic systems. These types of waste paper can clog the tanks because it will not dissolve as septic-safe papers can.

Maintain Your Tank

Your septic system works best when liquids can drain from its tank and out to the drain fields. Allowing an excessive amount of solids to collect can cause the drainage leach fields to clog to cause problems in your system and your yard. For this reason it is necessary to clean out the tank when too many solids collect within it. The scum that floats on top of the water and the sludge that collects at the bottom of the tank will build up over time and will require they are pumped out.

It is recommended to watch for signs from your septic system that it has clogged and is overfilled with solids and needs to be pumped. Signs of a full tank can include slow-draining sinks and tubs inside your home, a smell emanating from your yard where the leach field is located, or green grass growing above the ground where your leach field is buried.

It is a good idea to have your septic system pumped every few years, depending on the number of people using your home's septic system and how large your septic tank is. You can talk to a septic professional about a good maintenance and pumping schedule to follow.

Use these tips to help you care for your home's septic system. Visit a site like http://www.jcparmenterhopkinton.com for more help.

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