Septic System Mistakes To Avoid

Septic Inspection and Pump-Out Recommendations for Your Home and Property

by Melinda Crawford

A septic tank is an essential part of your property and household when you are not able to connect to a local city sewer system. And because a septic system works independently of outside waste treatment, it needs to keep a good balance of healthy bacteria to break down solid waste and deal with wastewater. Here are some recommendations to help you take care of your home septic system and tank so it always works its best for your household.

Inspect and Pump

One of the more essential parts of taking care of your septic system is to keep it cleaned out properly. A septic professional will recommend that you have your tank pumped out regularly so they can inspect the inside of the tank and lines. This gives them a chance to visually inspect the inside of the tank and also provides them a chance to make sure all components of your system are working properly and do not contain any clogs, debris, or damage. 

You may find recommendations from a septic professional to pump your tank every three years or every five years, but the reality of it depends on how much you use your septic system and how large your tank's capacity is. For example, if you have a one-thousand-gallon septic tank and a large household that produces a lot of sewage, three years may not be frequent enough. However, if you have a fifteen-hundred-gallon capacity tank and live alone, your septic tank may not reach its capacity within three years but should be checked and inspected.

Talk to your septic professional about your tank and system's capacity and your household to set up a healthy maintenance and pumping schedule for your system. It is better to pump and inspect your system more frequently than to let it go too long, overfill, and empty into the drainfield to clog the lines and require repairs.

Maintain Your System

Once you have your system set up on a good inspection and pumping schedule, you need to do what you can to keep your system healthy by what you put into it. Don't overuse water because this will flood your tank and cause it to drain excessively into the waste system. This means you shouldn't do all your laundry on one day, but you should spread it out over the week. Also, be sure to repair any leaking faucets or toilet tank flaps.

Then, be careful what you flush down into your septic tank. For example, don't use the sink disposal in your kitchen and don't flush drain cleaners or trash through your toilet. 

To get help with septic tank pumping, talk to a septic service in your area.

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