Septic System Maintenance Secrets
Septic System Maintenance Tricks
When you buy a car, you are provided an owner’s handbook with guidelines on how to care for your vehicle. Septic systems can cost as much or more than a car, unfortunately no one provides you a manual when they are installed. Some individuals do not even understand they have a septic tank! As an outcome, many septic tanks fail needlessly.
The Cost for Failure is Steep
The rate for failure is steep in two method. More than 1200 people in the US pass away each year from infected water, and stopping working septic systems are a leading source of waterborne illness outbreaks in the country today. In a 2000 EPA report, 31 states noted septic tanks as their 2nd biggest potential source of groundwater contamination. Septic tank replacement is likewise really pricey, with costs frequently ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 or more. Fortunately, there are some extremely efficient, ineffective actions you can require to eliminate this problem. Prior to going over solutions, let’s look at why septic systems fail.
Septic tank maintenance is really pretty easy to comprehend. When a system fails, the tank itself does not fail- the drainfield soil fails. Most of the times the soil stops working when it gets plugged up with solids and will not allow liquid to go through it. For instance, it can get plugged with solids from the tank if the tank hasn’t been pumped, or with lint from a cleaning device. Now for your options:
1. Use a washing device filter.
Did you understand that washing machines are a leading reason for septic tank failure? The main offender is lint created by washing machines, which blocks the soil in drain fields. Did you know that a common family washing maker produces sufficient lint each year to carpet and entire living space flooring! Lint screens and nylon traps found in hardware stores trap 5% or less of these particles. Since they are so light and small, the lint particles do not settle out in the sewage-disposal tank. Rather, they remain in suspension and are flushed out to the drain field, where they plug up the pores of the soil bed.
To compound the problem, much of our clothing is now made with synthetic products such as polyester and nylon. These compounds are not biodegradable, and will not break down in a septic tank. Instead, they build up and plug the soil. When these products go into the soil, there is no chance to remove them.
The excellent news is that lint can be avoided from going into the septic system through making use of a recyclable, inline filter which connects to your washing maker discharge pipe. The filter, called the Filtrol 160, retails for $139.95.
2. Avoid Excessive Water Usage
You can likewise damage your septic system by doing a great deal of laundry loads in a short amount of time. In standard septic tanks, strong materials settle in the tank, while effluent circulations out into the ground. If you put more water into the system than it is built to handle, the high volume of water will flood your system, and can likewise stir up and flush solids out of the tank into the drain field (in fact, septic pumpers utilize water from their tubes to help break up solids in your tank before pumping them out). A normal cleaning machine can utilize up to 60 gallons of water per wash load. On a heavy day you can quickly put 400, 500 or 600 gallons of water through the system in a couple of hours. The option is to expand your water use. Do a couple of loads of laundry each day, instead of 10-12 loads on Saturday morning. Water conditioners can likewise harm your system by putting excessive water through the septic tank. These devices can put several hundred gallons of thin down the dr!
ain each week, water that is not infected and does not need to go through the treatment process.
There are a couple services to this problem. You can update your conditioner with a more recent efficient model that utilizes less water and restores on need, rather of a timer system that regenerates whether you use water or not. You can likewise install a tiny septic system for your water softener.
3. Prevent Solids from Leaving the Tank
To start with, you ought to get your tank pumped on a routine basis to prevent excessive build-up of solids in the tank. Under typical conditions, you need to have the tank checked and pumped every 1-3 years. Very important: tanks must be pumped and examined through the manhole cover, not the evaluation pipe. Your septic contractor ought to likewise set up an effluent filter in the exit baffle of the tank. Effluent filters stop the bigger solids from going out to the drainfield. They are cleared out every few years when you have your tank pumped. They are usually just about $80. Effluent filters are low-cost insurance and together with a cleaning machine filter, among the very best things you can do to secure your system.
4. Use of Home Cleaning Products
Excessive usage of these items can contribute to septic system failure. If you do over 5 loads a week containing bleach, issues could develop. Prevent powdered cleaning agents as they contain plastic fillers that can plug up your lines and drain field. Likewise, take care with harsh automated toilet bowl cleaners, which have actually put several systems out of commission.
5. Should I Use a Separate System for My Washer?
Some individuals say you must utilize a different system for your cleaning device, called a laundry interceptor. Nevertheless, this is not required and in truth unfavorable. Cleaning machines should release into the regular system since it in fact works better than discharging into its own system. In order to work, septic tanks require germs colonies which break down eco-friendly matter. These germs need “food” which is found in our wastewater, but not in detergent. Without “food” these germs nests die out and the system fails. Lots of people who have actually installed these systems have discovered this out the difficult way. A research job carried out in a number of east coast states made use of some rather high tech systems for cleaning maker discharge and many started failing in as little as eight months.
Maintenance Tips:
Do: divert surface area overflow water from roofing systems, patios, driveways and other areas away from your drainfield.
Have your septic system pumped routinely. It should likewise be checked for leakages, cracks and to make sure the exit baffle is in location.
Set up lint and effluent filters.
Expand your laundry loads.
Compost your garbage or put it in the trash
Do not:
Use a waste disposal unit.
These devices typically double the quantity of solids added to the tank!
Flush sanitary napkins, disposable diapers or other non-biodegradable products into your system.
Dispose solvents, oils, paint thinners, disinfectants, pesticides or toxins down the drain as they can interfere with the treatment procedure and pollute the groundwater.
Dig in your drainfield or develop anything over it.
Drive over your drainfield or compact the soil in any way.
Plant trees or bushes close to the septic tank, since the roots can get in the lines and plug them. Grass is the only thing that ought to be planted on or near a drainfield.
If Your System Fails
In numerous cases, a tune-up can repair your system and you can prevent the high expenses of changing the system. This tuneup consists of appropriately pumping the tank, cleansing (jetting) the drainfield lines, and setting up washing machine and effluent filters. If these procedures are not enough, some failed systems can be revitalized by fracturing the soil. This process makes use of a hollow tube inserted into the soil, then a 300 pound blast or air is injected into the soil developing countless small fissures. These cracks allow the drainfield to drain pipes, creating an oxygen atmosphere and the aerobic bacterial colonies to repopulate. Aerobic bacteria, which need oxygen, normally reside in the top 26 inches of the drainfield and process waste a lot more rapidly than anaerobic germs. This process can be performed in a matter of hours without any digging or damage to the backyard. One business which performs this service is Terralift International (www.terraliftinternational.com).
If you have a clay soil which has actually ended up being plugged due to sodium from wastewater binding with the clay, Septic Seep can help. These item releases sodium bonded clays and resumes soil, bring back passages air and water. It likewise has the advantage of distributing greases and residues that obstruct the soil.