A clogged or full septic tank can lead to backups in your toilets and sinks, resulting in unpleasant odours and the release of harmful contaminants into the air. With the right precautions, you can prevent these issues from occurring.
Schedule Regular Tank Inspections
Perhaps one of the most important steps in maintaining your septic system is ensuring that it is regularly inspected, emptied, and cleaned by professionals. The frequency depends on the size of the tank, water usage, and the type of tank. Most homes require inspection and emptying every two to three years.
The duration of time between inspections makes it easy to forget or delay your next inspection. You can schedule septic tank cleaning in Cambridge to avoid skipping this essential maintenance task.
Reduce Your Average Water Usage
The water that goes through your sinks and toilets ends up in your septic tank. If your household uses a lot of water, the septic tank may require emptying more frequently than you realise. Signs of a full septic tank include pooling water in your yard, odours, slow-moving drains, and plumbing backups. You may even damage the septic system.
You can reduce water usage by installing high-efficiency toilets. Toilets that use less water per flush limit the amount of water that enters your septic tank. You can limit water use for washing machines by selecting the right load size and spreading your loads throughout the entire week. Other options for limiting water use include taking shorter showers and fixing leaky faucets as they are detected.
Do Not Flush Garbage Down the Toilet
A toilet is meant for flushing human waste and toilet paper. The disposal of other items can lead to clogs in your drains and impact the efficiency of your septic tank.
Paper towels, hygiene products, diapers, coffee grounds, medications, and floss should not go down the toilet or any other drain. You should also monitor the items that go into your kitchen sink. Do not pour greases, oils, or large chunks of food down the drain.
If you do experience a clogged drain, do not use chemical drain cleaners. Septic tank owners should only use the methods recommended by their septic system professionals. In most situations, you can safely attempt to use a drain snake or hot water to dislodge a clog.
Maintain the Area Above the Septic Tank
Never park a vehicle or leave heavy objects above the tank. The weight of these items may damage the tank or outlet pipe. Keep plant life trimmed back away from the septic system to prevent tree roots from growing into the system or plumbing.
These steps may help you maintain your septic system. If you want to avoid clogged drains or backups, you can start conserving water and make sure that you get your septic tank emptied and cleaned regularly.