Your home’s septic system is vital to maintaining a safe and sanitary living environment, and so it is critical to take proper care to ensure it continues to work as effectively and efficiently as possible. Here, the septic experts at Home Land Environmental discuss the best ways to maintain a healthy septic system.
Understand Your Septic System
Familiarize yourself with the general workings of your septic system to better understand the warning signs that it is not working as well as it should be. If your home has a septic system, it likely consists of a self-contained underground septic tank, as well as a drain field or absorption system. Wastewater leaves your home through a series of pipes, which flow into the septic tank.This tank, often made from concrete and allows solid waste, grease and other compounds to separate from the water and get tapped in the septic tank, allowing the cleaner effluent to passthrough to the absorption system. Here the wastewater it is further filtered by stone or gravel and finally the soils. The waste left behind in the septic tank will be broken down by bacteria. The waste cannot be broken down as fast as it is introduced from the home, therefor the septic tank needs to be cleaned or pumped out of the tank on a routine basis.
A septic system in need of maintenance or repair will exhibit certain signs that it is not working as well as it should. If your toilets are slow to flush or water is backing up into sinks, washing machines, bathtubs or toilets, your system may need to be pumped or repaired. Other indications include unusual patches of soggy lawn or puddled water, unusually green grass over your septic system’s draining field or an unpleasant smell in or around your home. Be sure to contact a septic expert—such as those at Home Land Environmental—if any of these indications exist in order toreceive a neutral, third-party septic inspection.
Inspect and Pump Regularly
Even if these indicators are not apparent, your septic system still needs to be inspected and pumped periodically to stay in its best shape. At minimum, your home’s septic system should be pumped once every three-five years, although homes with a large number of residents, or an excessive amount of wastewater, may require more frequent cleanings. Septic systems can also be inspected to determine current and potential problems. A septic inspection is very different from a pumping, or cleaning.
Properly Dispose of Your Home’s Waste
Whether you are disposing of waste via your sink, toilet, tub or garbage disposal, anything that goes into the drain will ultimately end up in your septic system. With this in mind, practice proper disposal methods when handling waste. When using the toilet, do not flush anything that is not human waste or toilet paper. Baby wipes, condoms, dental floss and feminine hygiene products should go into the trashcan and stay out of the toilet. These items can not only cause clogs but may cause your system to back up or malfunction and will put much more stress and strain on your septic system.
It is also important to consider the liquids you pour down your drain. The enzymes and bacteria that consume waste in your septic system can be harmed or killed by certain liquids, which will greatly impact the efficiency of your septic system. With this in mind, do not pour cooking oil, grease, oil-based paint, toxic cleaners or any other foreign substance into your drain. Your municipal landfill or resource recovery facility will have an area specially designated for disposal of these substances. Also avoid chemical drain openers, which contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Instead, use boiling water or a drain snake to open up a clogged drain.
Speak to a Home Land Environmental Representative to Learn More About Your SepticSystem
One in five Americans rely on a personal home septic system to manage wastewater, and by properly maintaining and understanding its function, the system can easily last 30 years or more.With proper maintenance comes the need for professionals with years of experience testing septic systems who will provide unbiased results. A properly functioning septic system is a much more environmentally friendly way to dispose of and properly clean wastewater. With this, the water is put back into the same ground that the water was taken from by the home’s water supply system or well. If you have additional questions about maintaining the health of your septic system, or need your system (or well) tested, call the septic professionals at Home Land Environmental today!
