Taking care of a septic system for a house could appear to be a horrible and smelly chore, but it’s relatively simple. Maintaining a healthy septic system at home requires being attentive to your actions inside your house. Furthermore, maintaining your septic system does not need a lot of technical know-how or money. In order to avoid surprises, it’s highly recommended to prevent damage to your septic system. Otherwise, your costs could be more than regular maintenance.
What is a septic system?
The septic system is essential if your property is not connected to a public water and sewer system since it processes all your home’s wastewater. This includes the wastewater from the bath, toilet, washer, and dryer.
A septic system’s tank is where wastewater goes to be treated and where particles are removed from the liquid. Furthermore, microorganisms decompose wastewater’s organic materials. Wastewater then flows via perforated pipes into the drain or septic field. In addition, you must harmlessly dispose of all wastewater in the environment. Improper management of wastewater can cause problems and poisoning of the soil.
How does your septic system work?
You must understand how a septic system works to manage and maintain the septic system correctly. Knowing your septic tank’s layout, kind, and function is the first step toward effective maintenance. There should be a record of the permission, and a plan of the tank’s layout and placement in your county or municipality since septic system installation is regulated by state law.
What is the main enemy of your septic system?
First, you should never flush items in the toilet or put them in the kitchen’s drain because they can damage the house’s septic system. Those everyday bad habits are just some major things that can go wrong. Additionally, there are other significant reasons for septic system troubles besides the presence of these non-organic items in your tank. Among them are:
- Tree roots creep into the cracks of your septic tank and often happen to infiltrate your drainage field
- Overflowing septic tanks from an excessive buildup of solid waste
- Do not park or drive on the drain field
- Dumping hazardous material, including chemicals, paints, grease, and automotive waste, into a septic tank
To prevent damage to your septic system, you should only throw a combination of urine, feces, and water into the toilet or pour it into the drain. In contrast, grey water (which contains chemicals) is collected from sources such as bathtubs, showers, sinks, and washing machines throughout the house. Additionally, you should separate the home’s septic system from the garbage disposal.
If you want to prevent damage to your septic system, don’t throw treat-proof things in the toilet.
How to do proper septic system maintenance?
Costly and time-consuming repairs for septic systems are unnecessary. There are just four parts to maintain:
- Check and service the pump on a regular schedule
- Make effective use of water
- Be sure to take care of your drain field and keep it in good condition
- Get rid of the garbage properly
Check and service the pump on a regular schedule
Homeowners should have a professional examination of the septic system every two to three years. The average household has its septic tank drained every 3-5 years. You must have a more frequent inspection schedule for most systems with pumps, electrical switches, or mechanical components.
Family size, dimensions of the septic tank, and quantity of wastewater produced determine the septic tank pumping frequency.
Make effective use of water
Seventy gallons per day per person is the average water usage in a single-family house. Even one toilet that constantly runs can waste up to 150 gallons of water daily. The septic tank receives all the water a home flushes down the drains. Households can reduce the amount of water going into the septic system by reducing their water use. Also, they can achieve better septic system performance and less malfunction via prudent water usage.
Reduce unnecessary waste of water by purchasing energy star appliances.
Use the washing machine less often but more frequently throughout the week. While it may save time, doing all the washing for the home in one day is bad for the septic system. Moreover, your septic tank needs more time for waste to process, which might lead to backup in your septic drain field.
For example, Energy Star-labeled machines save 30% more electricity and 55% less water than conventional washers. Appliances that have earned the Energy Star save a lot of money on utilities and water use in addition to the usual benefits.
Be sure to take care of your drain field and keep it in good condition
As mentioned above, the first step in drain field care is to monitor your water use and the food that enters your septic tank. Remember not to use the drain field as a parking lot. Furthermore, you should direct away water from gutters and sump pumps from the drain field. It’s best to keep vegetation away from the drain field since the roots of trees and bushes can wreak havoc on plumbing.
The state of your septic system can significantly impact your quality of life, especially if everyone in the neighborhood has their septic system. If there is an accident, the entire area may be affected. This is one of the reasons why people move, especially if they are paying a lease. If you fall into this category, experts can get you settled. For example, the suburbs of Florida cities can have a foul odor, particularly in dry weather, due to strong evaporation. Hiring moving experts can make your move smoother if you decide to change the environment and move interstate, especially from Florida to Chicago.
Get rid of the garbage properly
Anything disposed of in your home’s drains—toilet waste, rubbish, and all—will eventually go to the septic tank. What you flush down the toilet or kitchen sink can affect how efficiently your septic system functions. The microorganisms in your septic tank help refine wastewater from your house. It can destroy these organisms and damage your septic system by flushing toxic substances down the toilet.
Flushing toxic substances, you can destroy microorganisms in the septic tank that retreats wastewater from your home.
Change bad habits if you want to prevent damage to your septic system
On-site sewage treatment systems like septic tanks are designed to be secure and dependable. Problems with a septic system are unlikely, although they are conceivable if regular maintenance has been neglected.
Although your septic system will eventually wear out, you can maintain it in good condition and free of severe issues with little effort or expense. Taking a few additional measures and making a few easy choices about how you operate your house is all it takes to prevent damage to your septic system and longer life.