Have A Septic Tank? Stop Doing These 3 Things Immediately
Posted on: 1 June 2016
A septic tank is quite different than using a city sewer system, since you have to pay attention to what you put down your drains and how much wastewater you create. In addition, a septic tank also requires maintenance to keep it running properly in the form of being pumped when the tank gets too full. In order to avoid potential problems with a septic tank, here are 3 things you should immediately stop doing.
Using Your Garbage Disposal
A septic tank is effective when the bacteria inside it does not have interference from various foreign materials that are solid. This includes food rinds, seeds, coffee grounds, dirt, paper, and various food waste. They do not easily break down inside a septic tank, so they will stay inside it for a very long time.
You may believe a garbage disposal justifies putting food waste down your drain, but all it does is makes the pieces smaller so that they fit inside it. It doesn't actually cause the food to be broken down any faster. Keeping food waste out of your drains whenever possible will help improve the health of your septic tank.
Using Powdered Cleaning Detergents
When a problem occurs with your septic tank, the initial thought could be that it is from the toilets in your home. Your washing machine and dishwasher can be just as likely as potential problem's source, and the reason is because of the soap that you use. Powdered detergents, especially when using too much of them, can cause clogs within a septic tank.
Stick to using a liquid detergent that is bio-degradable, concentrated, does not create a lot of suds, and has no or low phosphates.
Taking Very Long Showers
A septic tank needs a balance between bacteria and wastewater to do its job of breaking down waste. If there is too much wastewater in the tank, the bacteria will be diluted and not able to break down solid waste effectively. The result can be a tank that fills up quicker than normal, which can lead to drains backing up in your home.
A common problem that leads to excessive wastewater is taking long showers. Keeping showers to a minimal amount of time will not overload the tank with wastewater.
While there are some rules that you need to follow with a septic tank, it is not hard to do. Avoiding these 3 things will keep the tank working and prevent an unnecessary emergency pumping from being needed. Click here to find out more.
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