How to Care for Your Septic System

With proper maintenance and care, the average septic tank can survive up to 40 years of consistent waste management. Below, you’ll learn how to take the best possible care of your septic system so that yours can last a long time too!

Take Care Of Your Septic Tank

Although most residential septic tanks only need emptying every three to five years, you should still consider getting an inspection as often as every year. The size of your household, tank size, total waste generated, and complexity of your tank’s mechanical components can all affect the specific frequency of recommended inspections. The only way to know how often you need to empty your septic tank to avoid potential problems is if you have someone checking on it regularly.

Conserve More Water

The more water a property uses, the faster the septic tank fills up. So, the more water you conserve, the longer you can go without needing to pump your tank. You can usually do this pretty easily by monitoring personal water usage and installing high-efficiency showerheads, toilets, faucet aerators, washing machines, and other appliances designed to reduce water waste. A few small, simple changes really do go a long way.

Don’t Discard Waste Down Your Drains

Ideally, your septic tank should only be full of sewage. However, anything that goes down any drain ends up there, so do your best not to discard waste down your drains. This includes hair down your shower drains, sanitary items flushed down toilets, cooking oils down kitchen drains, garbage, harsh chemicals, and more. Allowing anything else down your drains is merely a recipe for disaster, as it will inevitably lead to stubborn clogs.

Mind Your Drainfield

When you have a septic tank on your property, there’s a good chance you also have a drainfield, which is a designated section of your landscape that collects the contaminants from the greywater existing in your septic tank to safely redistribute the concentrated nutrients back into the soil. Luckily, maintaining your drainfield is simple. So long as you never drive or park on it, divert all other water drainage systems away from the area, and keep deeply rooted plants away from the underground components of your septic system, you should be good to go.

For more helpful hints and tips for taking care of your septic system or taking advantage of our premier septic tank pumping services, go ahead and get ahold of our remarkable septic tank pumping professionals at ROOT-A-WAY Drain Cleaning today by calling (810) 233-4376 to schedule service, or simply fill out the form in the sidebar.