4 Ways to Properly Maintain a Septic Tank

Your septic tank, just like every other major appliance system within your home, needs to be properly maintained to ensure that it continues to operate as effectively as possible for as long as possible. Understanding some of the simpler things that you can do to ensure that your septic tank is working properly can help you avoid the disruption of potential problems down the road.

Pump the Tank

While not an everyday thing that you should do to maintain the integrity of your septic tank, you should nonetheless ensure that you have a regular pumping schedule set up with a contractor for your septic tank. Regular can refer to every year or every three years, depending on the size of your tank and how much usage that it sees throughout the year, but pumping is nonetheless essential to ensure that no leaks or physical damage occur over time.

Spread Water Use Out

A minor change to your water-using habits can help maintain the chemical balance within your septic tank, ensuring that the bacteria within the tank can properly break down waste at an adequate rate. You should thus spread the use of your washing machine, dishwasher, and any other major water-using appliances across several days, ensuring that a deluge of water and soaps don't overwhelm your tank.

Keep the Surface Clear

It's extremely important that you avoid placing too much pressure on the top of your septic tank, as heavy weights can cause physical damage to the tank itself, resulting in sewage leaks which can be a serious health hazard. This means keeping vehicles, equipment, and construction areas away from the drain field: you may want to consider roping it off if you expect to see a heavy amount of traffic within a short period of time.

Keep the Drains Clear

The most important thing to remember about your septic system throughout your day to day routine is the fact that the only physical thing that your tank is able to handle, beyond waste, is toilet paper. Avoid flushing other paper products, like paper towels and cotton swabs, and be sure to throw away any food waste like fats into the trash—or a compost heap, if you want to promote a greener lifestyle. This will help ensure that the bacteria balance within your tank is not disrupted, and has the added benefit of reducing the likelihood of a commonplace (but nevertheless disruptive) drain clog occurring.

To learn more, contact local septic services through sites like http://www.midfloridaseptic.com/.