Septic System Maintenance Best Management Practices

Septic System Best Management Practices for the Homeowner/Renter

1.      Flush only human waste, wastewater, and toilet paper into septic tanks.

2.      Conserve water in your house to avoid system flooding—you will also cut costs.

3.      Scrape food off plates, pots pans, etc before washing—you don’t want excess large particles in the septic tank—it takes much longer to break down.

4.      DO NOT pour excess cooking fats, greases, or oils down the drain.

5.      Use soaps and detergents sparingly—excess soap, especially bleach, will kill all the good bacteria in the tank that is breaking down the solid waste, plus it will save you $$.

6.      Add Enzyme-Bacteria waste and grease digestant monthly – in order to ensure proper bacteria and enzymes are maintained in the tank to break down waste in the septic tank.

7.      Call a septic company if a high water alarm goes off—that means there could be a back-up pending or the pump is having problems.

How Can I Tell If I Have a Problem?

These are signs that you have a problem:

·         You have standing sewage over your absorption field or around your septic tank.

·         You have a distinct sewage odor around your septic system.

·         You have areas of soil that are collapsing over your septic system.

·         You have a very slow draining or stopped up sink or toilet.

·         Sewage backs up into your house.

·         The septic Tank Alarm is going off outside by the front bedroom.

Do not flush excess water through your system

Excess water can flush out the scum and sludge layers and clog up your absorption field pipes.

• Spread out clothes washing evenly over the week, and switch to a front loading washer as it uses less water.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. Install a filter between the washer and the septic tank.
• Do not allow storm water to enter your septic system or absorption field. Drain rainwater from gutters away from the septic drainfield and let it enter your storm water system.
• Do not put your pool water through your septic system.
• Do not put your water softener water through your system.
• Use low flow showerheads, faucets, toilets, etc. or use them less often, and stop all drips and leaks.

Keep Chemicals Out of Your Septic System

Chemicals can kill the bugs that treat the sludge and scum. They can also find their way into the groundwater and contaminate your drinking water or the surrounding water that could be someone else’s drinking water.

Do not pour cleaners, solvents, paints, pesticides, inks, antifreeze, prescription drugs, or any other chemicals down any drains or sinks.

Use natural drain cleaners such as vinegar and baking soda to unclog drains. Use non-phosphate or biodegradable detergents when washing clothes and dishes.

What Can I Do In My Kitchen?

There are some other procedures that can use in the kitchen to help improve your septic system operation.

• Do not use a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals add 50% more solids to your septic system and will cut the time between pump outs in half.
• Do not pour cooking fats, oils, and greases (FOG) down your kitchen or any other sink. FOG can build up in your pipes and cause clogs. In addition, FOG will increase the scum level in your septic tank and may require you to pump it out more frequently.
• Scrape food off plates, pots, etc. before washing.

What Can I do In My Bathroom?

There are a number of things you can do in your bathroom.

• Install low flow showerheads, faucet aerators, and toilets.
• Take shorter showers.
• Do not take baths.
• Do not run your water while brushing teeth or shaving.
• Flush toilets less often.
• Do not use toilet bowel disinfectants and drain cleaners.
• Do not flush excessive toilet paper.
• Do not flush tissues, paper towels, personal hygiene products, or cigarette butts into the septic system.
• Do not allow hair to flush down the sink drain.

How Can I Protect My Drain Field?

Drain Fields, also called absorption fields, should not have anything substantial placed over them.

• Do not park cars, trucks or other heavy equipment over a drain field.
• Do not plant trees or bushes over the drain field. Only grass should be planted over one.
• Do not place buildings, sheds, porches, pools or other structures over the drain field.
• Do not cover drain fields with asphalt, concrete, or other impermeable materials.
• Do not allow storm water from roof drains, sump pumps, etc. to flow over the drain field.

SEPTIC TANK DO’S

• Conserve water whenever and wherever you can, the more water that enters the system, the less effective the treatment system is. Conserve water by:

• Fixing leaks and faucet drips;
• Using low flow toilets, showerheads, and faucets;
• Controlling the number of loads of clothes washed per day;
• Taking shorter showers;
• Reducing the amount of water running while brushing teeth, shaving, and bathing, etc.

• Flush toilets less often.
• Replace old appliances with modern water-efficient models;
• Use moderate amounts of toilet paper;
• Take showers instead of baths, and make them shorter;
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes, and evenly distribute the loads over the week;
• Use liquid detergent in the dishwasher;
• Use a front loading washer;
• Use no-phosphate detergent;
• Handwash dishes whenever possible;
• Use biodegradable detergents;
• Pour cooking fats, oils and greases in a container and place in trash;
• Route roof drains, storm drains, and sump pumps away from the septic system drain field;
• Consider replacing your toilet system with a composting or incinerating toilet;
• Landscape the absorption field with grass; not trees or bushes;
• Properly design for septic system expansion if additional bedrooms, bathrooms, or other water generating additions are planned;

SEPTIC TANK DON’TS

• Use an excessive amount of water;
• Use toilet bowl disinfectants, they can kill the bacteria that treat the wastewater in the septic tank;
• Flush facial tissue, paper towels, personal hygiene products, or cigarette butts;
• Flush prescription drugs or over the counter medications, they can kill the bacteria that treat the wastewater in the septic tank, and can contaminate local groundwater or surface water;
• Use drain cleaners indiscriminately;
• Allow hair or other material to enter drains;
• Use a garbage disposal, such use could result in the need to pump the system twice as frequently;
• Pour cooking fats, oils or greases down the sink drain;
• Wash more that two clothes washer loads per day, this will keep the water from flushing through the septic tank;
• Send chlorine-treated pool water through the system;
• Drive or place heavy equipment on an absorption field;
• Cover over an absorption field with concrete, asphalt, or other impermeable material;
• Build on an absorption field, such as a storage shed, addition, garage, or swimming pool;
• Allow storm drains, sump pumps, and other water to drain over the absorption field;
• Pant trees, bushes, etc. over an absorption field that could penetrate to the pipes and clog or destroy them;
• Enter a septic tank, toxic and explosive gases are formed in the tank, and could disable or kill;
• Use septic system additives such as starter enzymes, feeders, cleaners, degreasers, or chemicals designed to prevent pump-outs, they don’t work and can contaminate local groundwater or surface water;
• Wash latex paint brushes or rollers in the sink, and
• Flush solvents, paints, antifreeze, and other chemicals, they can kill the bacteria that treat the wastewater in the septic tank, and can contaminate local groundwater or surface water.