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Proper Care of  Your Septic Tanks

Family Flush Septic

What not to put into Septic Systems.

Flushable wipes, Q-tips, feminine products, paper towel, and other household trash are not meant to be put in your septic tanks. Not only do they not dissolve in the tanks they also clog lines running to your tanks. Toilet paper is designed to dissolve quickly and flow down your lines with ease even wipes that state that they are flushable or septic safe take much longer times to dissolve in your tank.

Make sure you are aware of the types and amounts of extra waste materials that are poured down the drain. Limiting the use of your garbage disposal will minimize the flow of excess solids to your tank. Garbage disposals usually double the amount of solids added to the tank.

Do not pour cooking greases, oils, and fats down the drain. Grease hardens in the septic tank and accumulates until it clogs the inlet or outlet. Grease poured down the drain with hot water may flow through the septic tank and clog soil pores completely.

Pesticides, paints, paint thinners, solvents, disinfectants, poisons, and other household chemicals should not be dumped down the drain into a septic system because they may kill soil microorganisms that help purify the sewage. Also, some organic chemicals will flow untreated through the septic tank and the soil, thus contaminating the underlying groundwater.

 Are septic tank cleaners necessary?  Rid-ex , Yeast

No,  according to the state web-site these products include biologically based materials (bacteria, enzymes, and yeast), inorganic chemicals (acids and bases), or organic chemicals (including solvents). They do not reduce the need for regular pumping of the septic tank. Some of these products contain organic chemicals and may even damage the drainfield or contaminate the groundwater and nearby wells.

How Often Should They be Pumped

There is no set standards for any areas except Mahoning County where they have stated that they are going to require everyone to get pumped a minimum of once every three years. There is also other home owner association that require it at minimum every 5 years.

We have clients that we do yearly and we have customers that go much longer. We  always recommended  that a family of four with two  1000 gal tanks get it pumped every 3 to 4 years and if you only have one  tank you did it every two years. 

People often believe that if it is not backing up there is no problems.

The truth is without proper maintenance your solids will enter your leach fields and cause them to slow or stop leaching the grey water. Replacement system usually cost between $10,000 and $25,000 depending on the system and county requirements.

If you look at our current rates if you pumped every 2 years it will only average about $10.00 a month that sure is better than the cost of replacement if your system fails or you go to sell and the county makes you upgrade due to problems they see.