Avoid Future Septic System Problems

Your septic system is designed to give you many years of service. But like other systems within and around your home, your septic system can become overwhelmed with use and misuse. It’s important to realize that the average septic system will need to be pumped free of solids once every two to three years and has an overall life expectancy of about 20 years. Usually you can reach or exceed these timeframes by applying the following suggestions:

1. Start by forgetting it’s a septic system. “You own an Onsite Wastewater Treatment System”

Your system has been designed to handle human waste and toilet paper. Obviously, anything you can do to minimize the introduction of additional solids will help delay the need to pump-out your system. Here are a few suggestions:

If you have a garbage disposal the garbage disposal was designed for your pipes not clogging from a little food, it was not intended for water Mellon grinds, and onion peals and so on.

Cooking oils and grease: should be thrown out with the trash. Once they enter the septic system they tend to harden and will eventually clog drain pipes, drain field absorption bed and increase the need for more septic tank cleaning tank cleaning.

Non-biodegradable: items must be kept out of the system: Remind guests of the need to avoid flushing: cigarette butts, diapers, feminine products, baby wipes  and  paper towels  

Some bio-degradable and semi-biodegradable items should also be thrown out with the trash. These include: egg shells, coffee grounds, water melon grids, orange peels and cat litter.     
          
2. Reduce Water Usage

Septic tank capacities typically vary from 900 gallons to 1500 gallons or more depending on the number of bedrooms. Conserving water is a proactive step you can take to avoid overloading your septic system. Once a system becomes overloaded with fluid, the drain field turn’s anaerobic (no oxygen) the absorption field can be overrun with the wrong kind of bacteria and cause premature failure.

Leaky faucets and toilets. Watch this very carefully. A stuck toilet flapper can result in as much as three gallons a minute entering your system. This is especially tough on a system that is expected to service a family. Toilet flapper leaks can be almost imperceptible. An effective test is to place enough food coloring dye in the tank to visibly color the water. Then, without flushing, wait a half hour or so and see if the color of the water in the toilet bowls changes. If so you will need to clean the seat on the flapper or change it. This is a less then twenty dollar part at home depot, lows Over time, leaky faucets are just as problematic, as the constant addition of fluid and can eventually contribute to tank overflow.

Avoid long showers and full baths. In larger families, reducing the temperature of the hot water heater can help control shower usage.

Water saving shower heads are now available and are easily installed by the average homeowner.

The average washing machine uses forty gallons of water per load. Limiting laundry to full loads and avoiding trying to wash multiple loads on the same day can reduce the impact on your septic system. The same thing is true about dishwashers. Where legal and practical, you may be able to divert dishwater and kitchen sink fluid as grey water to garden or other area of your property.

3. Limit Chemical Usage

Your septic system contains beneficial bacteria that help process and dissolve solid waste. These bacteria are active both in your tank and in your Drain field. Since these bacteria are helping you delay the frequency that you need to pump-out your septic system tank and replace your drain field, you will want to protect them. And ultimately, the chemicals will pass through the filter of your drain field and contaminate the groundwater. The following suggestions will help:

Don’t use caustic cleaners such as Drain-O when you have a clogged drain. Try boiling water or a snake. Snakes come in different sizes and are available at home centers.

Avoid antibacterial soaps. Increasing evidence points to the need to avoid these soaps personally as they tend to increase the likelihood of skin infections. And, of course, they kill the beneficial bacteria in your septic system.

Bleach and other household cleaners should be used sparingly.

Don’t use additives that are advertised to improve your septic system’s life.
They are not proven to be effective and may actually harm your system.

Clean paint brushes outside rather than in the sink.

When it comes to chemicals, it’s a good idea to remember that if you only feel safe wearing gloves when you handle them, then it’s a good bet that you won’t want to put these items down your drain.

4. Keep surface water away from your Drain field

Rainfall and snowfall generate surface water. Care must be taken to grade the area around your Drain field to facilitate surface runoff. When water is allowed to stand or pond above your drain field, the field’s soil can become saturated and will limit your drain field’s ability to absorb and treat your wastewater.
Gutter roof discharge drains away from your drain field. Same thing with the sump-pump discharge water.

You should be equally cautious about any water that is being directed over your septic tanks themselves. If the water table is allowed to rise above the tank seals, the risk of a seal breach increases. If the seal is breached and water enters the tanks from the seals, the drain field will become overloaded and clogged leading to premature system failure.

5. Take care when planting trees and shrubs

Trees and shrubs that use a lot of water generate a deep and dense root structure. These types of vegetation need to be kept well away from your drain field. If they are already present, they should be removed without disturbing the existing root structure. Deep rooted trees and shrubs can penetrate your drain field pipes and or chambers and strangulate the discharge flow.

Avoid deep rooted trees, as well as water loving trees. These include willows, cottonwoods, poplars, beeches, elms, red and silver maples and pepper tress
Shallow rooted trees are better choices when planted no closer to drains than the potential drip line of the tree when it reaches maturity. These include cherries, crabapples, dogwoods, hemlock, oaks, pines, sourwoods, hollies, cedars and boxwoods.

Grasses and perennial flowers are the best choices for direct cover of Drain fields.

6. Avoid anything other then you on the drain field

You will want to avoid building driveways across your drain field to prevent the drain field from becoming compacted. Similarly, you will want to avoid allowing heavy machinery or trucks to cross your drain field as they will contribute to soil compaction and will crush or reduce your field's ability to process wastewater.
Keep earthmoving equipment off your drain field

Don't park or drive over your drain field

Don't build patios, tennis courts, or other waterproof surfaces over any part of your drain field.