When you’re making your plans for the coming year, it’s a good idea to schedule maintenance for your septic system. Instead of waiting for something to go wrong with your septic tank, find out more about septic tank pumping and some steps that you can take to protect your system.
Learn What Should Never Go Down the Drain
One of the most important parts of taking care of your septic system is understanding what you should flush down your toilet or pass through your drains. Human waste and toilet paper should be the only things that you flush, and most food debris should be put in the garbage instead of in your kitchen sink.
Being Smart About Chemical Use
Since the septic system relies on bacteria to break down the solids in the tank, pouring strong chemicals down the drain can harm or even kill them. Using excessive amounts of harsh cleaners, bleach, or drain-clearing chemicals can throw the entire system out of balance and cause you major trouble. This biological imbalance means that the solids will not decompose as they should, and cause the sludge layer to build up much faster.
While you certainly need to clean your home, consider using septic-safe, biodegradable cleaning products whenever possible. Making this change will protect your essential bacteria and help the system keep doing its job efficiently. If you must use bleach for a specific cleaning task, use it sparingly and infrequently. Always dilute it with plenty of water.
Pump The Tank Regularly
Even if you do everything possible to take great care of your septic system, solids will eventually build up inside the tank. This is why regular maintenance is so critical. Over time, these accumulated solids need to be removed through a process called pumping. Most experts agree that the average residential septic tank should be pumped by a licensed professional every three to five years.
Failure to pump on a regular schedule can lead to eventual system failure. Waste can also pour out into your yard and significantly damage the soil. If the waste finds its way into nearby waterways or into neighbors’ yards, you can face some legal trouble and have to pay fines and cleanup costs.
If it has been a while since you’ve scheduled septic tank pumping, or it’s not a service that you’ve ever thought about before, now is the time to make an appointment. Call Mustang Septic for septic system maintenance for your home in College Station, TX.