Septic Tank Maintenance: 4 Essential Tips for Septic Tank Owners
More than 60 million people in the United States have septic tanks.
If you’re one of them, you might wonder what steps you and your family need to take to ensure everything goes smoothly. Not taking proper care of your septic tank can lead to messy problems and an extra septic tank maintenance cost, so educating yourself is crucial.
Keep reading to learn some septic tank maintenance tips to live by.
1. Have It Pumped Regularly
To keep septic tanks maintained, they should be pumped every few years. But exactly how often depends on the number of people living in your home, water usage, and other factors.
Getting these septic tank cleaning services regularly helps prevent water pooling, unpleasant odors, sewage backup, and slow drainage inside your home.
2. Be Careful With What You Flush
Whether someone has a septic tank or not, it’s known that there are only certain things you should flush down the toilet. But when you have a septic tank, you need to be even more particular about what you allow to go down your toilet.
For example, flushable wipes, tissues, dental floss, and other items that might seem like they can be flushed can cause significant damage. These things don’t break down the same way toilet paper does, and they can lead to problems down the road.
A good rule to follow is only flushing toilet paper.
3. Use Your Garbage Disposal Wisely
Another essential rule to follow for home septic tank maintenance is working hard not to put too much food down your garbage disposal. While they’re convenient, they shouldn’t be used as a catch-all for food.
It’s wise to still empty out as much food as possible into a trash can and only use the garbage disposal when small pieces of biodegradable food end up in the sink.
Otherwise, food waste forms a layer inside the tank and builds up over time.
4. Use Water Efficiently
One last maintenance tip to keep in mind for the best septic tank maintenance routine is how you use your water. Making small changes to your water usage adds up over time.
You might consider installing a high-efficiency toilet or a water flow restrictor into your showerhead. Small changes like this are virtually unnoticeable to you.
Another option is spreading out your laundry over time and ensuring you choose the correct load size, so the machine doesn’t use more water than is necessary.
Septic Tank Maintenance Pays Off
Putting septic tank maintenance at the forefront pays off big time when you can avoid problems from arising down the line. Plus, the changes you make often help you save money in other ways than just unnecessary upkeep or repair costs.
If you start implementing the four tips found here, your septic tank should stay in good shape for many years to come!
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