We live in a suburb of the Twin Cities where everyone has well water and a septic system. Even though I literally live 15 minutes from St. Paul I do not have city water and sewer. It has its perks, like no water bill from the city and no one ripping up our streets to fix sewer lines. But it can also have its drawbacks. And if you do not care for your septic system it can be a costly nightmare.
Scheduled Maintenace
Here in our city, we are required to get our septic system pumped every 3 years or more. But we do it every other year. We are a busy family, with frequent house guests, so I don’t want to take chances that our septic system may get full and back up into the house. Or leak in our yard. Neither are pleasant pictures to imagine. So become friends with your local waste removal company and be sure to set up a routine that works for how busy your house is.
Educate Family Members & Guest
The biggest thing I have learned over the years is that those who are not on septic do not understand the limitations of a septic system. Educate your house guest and family member. For example – place a little sign in the bathrooms about what cannot be flushed. Did you know feminine hygiene products can clog your septic system and cause it to backup?
Kitchen Waste and Grease
Never dump grease down a drain no matter how hot the water is. But if you have a septic system it’s even more important to not dump that grease! It doesn’t break down and it will sit in your septic system. And guess what? It’s not scalding hot in your septic system so it will harden and can clog the septic system causing a backup. The same thing goes for kitchen scraps being ground up by the garbage disposal.
Use a Preventative
We use Roto-Rooter Septic Tank Treatment twice a year. It’s simple to use, just pour the contents into a toilet and flush. Sounds simple, right? But this simple act is missed by many septic system owners. What the tank treatment does is introduce healthy bacteria that will help keep the sludge and slime that builds up in a septic system breaking down. When grease and sludge become excessive it can clog your septic system and cause backups. But using Roto-Rooter Septic Tank Treatment can help introduce healthy enzymes that will help break down the sludge and slime maintaining a healthy free-flowing septic system.
Keep the Area Around Your Septic Clear
Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to access your septic system if need be. We had our pump burn out 3 years ago but because we never kept the manhole cover clear it took forever to find it. We also had a frozen drain field, again we didn’t keep it clear so we had no clue where the pipes where. Be sure to keep your pipes clearly marked and clear from any heavy brush. Now, we mow our whole drain field and have every pipe clearly marked. We also have decorative rock covers to hide our septic tank pipes that stick out of the ground and cover our manhole so we can access it at a moments notice.
The key to not having a septic system disaster is to be proactive. Just a few minor adjustments to your routine can mean the world to your septic system.
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