Your septic tank is responsible for holding the wastewater from your household long enough to allow solids to settle at the bottom. Like every other part of your septic system, your septic tank requires ongoing care and maintenance.
Periodic maintenance increases the lifespan of your septic system, addresses present problems, and prevents potential issues from occurring.
Here are some ways that Santa Rosa homeowners can maintain their septic tank.
Watch What you Put Down Your Drains
Never put solid waste, such as feminine hygiene products, cat litter, cooking oil, eggshells, cigarette butts, grease, coffee grounds, and other fats down your drain. These items do not decompose easily. They can sit in your pipes for weeks, even months, which can cause stubborn blockages. And if the blockages are left unaddressed, they can cause a nasty sewer backup.
Protect Your Drain Field
Your drain field removes the waste in the water released by your septic tank. A failing drain field can affect the performance of your septic tank. When it stops working properly, your septic tank is unable to deal with waste and can overflow and become clogged.
Follow these tips to protect your drain field from damage
- Sometimes, people unknowingly drive over their leach drains and end up damaging the lid and pipes. This can cause soil compaction and restrict oxygen flow in the functioning of the septic drain field. As a result, beneficial bacteria that break down solid waste may die. Add a barrier to prevent anyone from driving over your drain field.
- Divert irrigation sprinklers and spouts away from your drain field.
- Do not build anything over your leach drains. Avoid planting anything other than grass over it. Do not plant trees near it as their roots can penetrate drainage pipes and clog them
Have a Professional Periodically Pump Your Tank
Experts recommend pumping septic tanks every 3-5 years. When determining how frequently to pump your septic tank, you should consider factors like household size, septic tank size, total wastewater generated, and the volume of solids collected.
When not pumped properly or regularly, a septic tank can allow wastewater to seep into nearby water bodies polluting them. Regular septic tank pumping prevents backups and extends the useful life of your tank.
Preserve Water
Preserve water at home to reduce the amount of wastewater your septic tank has to process. By installing low-flow fixtures, water-saving showerheads, or flow restrictors, you can reduce water consumption and wastage. Consider taking shorter showers. Regularly check your toilets for leaks. Do not wait too long to fix leaky faucets, as even a minor leak can waste lots of water.
Regularly Inspect Your Tank
Regular inspections can help prevent problems. When you carry out periodic inspections, you are more likely to spot problems early on. Visually inspect your septic tank, the drain field, and the ground surrounding the tank. If something’s amiss with the tank, consult your septic system contractor.
Just-In Time Septic Pumping Services is a licensed and insured septic system contractor. We use tried and tested methods to keep septic systems in Santa Rosa healthy and working properly. To talk to one of our pros, call (707) 824-2837.
