As a homeowner, having a healthy septic system is essential to your household. Anytime your septic system gets clogs or is unbalanced, it can push sewage back into your home or cause the drain field area to become over-saturated with excess sewage fluids. There are many steps you can and should take with your septic system to make sure it remains healthy and waste flows well through your system. Here are some recommendations to keep your septic system healthy and in good working order.
Maintain Your Tank
One of the first rules of keeping a healthy system is to take care of your septic tank. The tank is the essential part that collects water and separates the waste solids from the fluids. And if your tank becomes clogged with too much waste solids or the balance of beneficial bacteria in the tank becomes damaged by improper cleaning chemicals, your septic system will not work as it should.
Take care what you flush down your drains and toilets and how much water you use in any one day. For example, stagger your laundry loads, watch how long you let water from the faucet flow into the drain, and install a low flow toilet and shower head. Talk to your septic professional to have your tank pumped of its solid waste every few years, based on your household usage. They can also complete a tank inspection at the time of pumping your tank to make sure the tank has no damage. They will also be able to recommend products to add to your waste to boost the beneficial bacteria levels in your tank.
Manage Your Yard Drainage
In addition to taking care of your septic system's tank, you should also take into consideration the drain field and its management. Because your drain field needs to have optimal drainage in the surrounding soil, too much water saturating the soil from other sources can keep it from working properly. Excess water already in the soil of your drain field will cause the system to backup into the tank and into your home.
Watch where the water from your roof runoff drains, especially after heavy storms. If your rain gutters drop water onto the landscaping where your tank's drain fields are located, this can cause the area to get too much rainwater and clog your system. Use downspout diversion techniques to deposit the roof runoff well away from your septic system drain field.
For more information on septic tank cleaning and maintenance, talk to a septic company in your area.