A few weeks ago, my husband and I met with a general contractor. We talked with this professional about building an addition onto our small home. At this time, he informed us about a problem with our septic tank. We learned we would have to relocate a couple of septic lines before construction could begin on our home. Are you considering building an addition onto your house or business? Before you get too far along in this complex process, think about consulting with someone from a reputable septic service in your area. An expert from a septic service can inform you if your current septic tank will be large enough to accommodate the addition. On this blog, I hope you will discover the most common tasks performed by septic services. Enjoy!
Debra Chapman
If you've recently replaced your septic system, you know how costly the experience can be. Now that you have a new system, you want it to last as long as possible. That means you need to take care of it, including having it emptied once every three to five years. In addition to the routine servicing, there are some additional steps you can take to prolong the life of your septic system. Here are four of them.
Limit Your Laundry
When your home is attached to a municipal sewer system, you can do as many loads of laundry as you need to each day. Unfortunately, your septic system can't always handle the water load. In fact, doing too much laundry on a daily basis can overload your septic system and cause problems. To prevent overloads, you should try to stagger your washing machine usage. Washing one or two loads each day, instead of all your laundry in one day, will help reduce overload and keep your septic system operating smoothly.
Watch the Weight
If you've got a septic system in your yard, you need to watch the weight on top of the tank. Too much weight on the septic field can cause your system to collapse. To protect your septic system, avoid parking your cars over the tanks and seepage fields. You should also avoid placing above-ground pools, trampolines, or swing sets in the vicinity of your septic system.
Favor the Trash Can
Garbage disposals make life easier in the kitchen. They also reduce the amount of food products you need to toss in the trash. Unfortunately, garbage disposals can also harm your septic system. You might not realize this, but all the food you're sending through the garbage disposal can get clogged inside the septic drains. The food particles can also sink to the bottom of the tank and cause your system to back up. Not only that, but if you're also sending grease and oils down the drain, you're inviting a septic malfunction. Now that you have a new septic system, protect it by using your trash can more often.
Choose Your Cleansers Carefully
Antibacterial cleansers will help kill germs in your home. However, they'll also kill the beneficial bacteria inside your septic tank. Once the beneficial bacteria have been destroyed, food and human waste won't decay properly. As a result, your septic tank will fill up faster, which means you'll need to have it emptied more often. For maximum protection, try to limit the amount of antibacterial cleansers you use around the house.
Take care of your new septic system. For more tips on septic maintenance, talk to your septic company.