It's safe to say that most people would avoid ever knowing they had a septic tank if they could. Since septic tanks handle waste, most people would rather interact with them as few times as possible. However, septic tank owners sometimes don't do themselves any favors in this regard because of how they treat their septic tanks.
When you treat your septic tank as you're supposed to, you will only have to request septic and plumbing services a limited number of times. Keep the following tips in mind.
Not Everything Goes Down the Drain
The septic tank isn't a storage space for waste, it's a system that is supposed to break down the waste out of sight so the environment is kept clean and healthy. However, not every kind of waste is designed to break down.
There are materials that are not biodegradable, such as most plastics. This means that anything that has plastic parts shouldn't be going down the drain. In fact, only water and body waste are supposed to go into the septic tank.
Substances such as oil and grease cause other substances to stick, and this can cause a blockage.
Septic Tanks Have Capacities
A septic tank is designed to handle a certain amount of waste in a given day. If the septic tank is given more than it can handle, there's a good chance you'll have to get it pumped a lot more often than you'd like. A properly functioning septic tank only needs to be pumped once every two or three years. Sometimes, septic tank capacities can be exceeded when you have too many visitors staying over.
Watch Out for Leaks
When you have a water leakage, your septic tank will have a problem. When water is leaking from a faucet, or because of a burst pipe, it most likely ends up going down the drain. This means that a serious enough leak can raise the liquid level in your septic tank in a very short time. This will mean you'll need to intervene.
Check Your Cleaning Chemicals
There are helpful bacteria in the septic tank that break down the waste inside. However, these bacteria can be sensitive to some of the chemicals that are used in cleaning substances such as detergents. Therefore, confirm that the cleaning chemicals you're using are septic friendly. Without these bacteria to break down the waste, your septic tank may start to emit a foul smell.
For more information and tips, contact a local septic tank cleaning company like Mr Bob.
