Your home’s septic system is sensitive and complex. A damaged or overflowing system is an inconvenience that can quickly become an environmental hazard. You don’t want sewage backing into your home or seeping into the ground. We, here at Express Septic Services, know the cleanup alone can be a hard hit to your pocketbook. You can avoid this issue if you treat your system right. Use a monthly enzyme cleaner and avoid flushing the following.
Solid Waste
Frankly, the only solid waste that goes into your septic tank should be fecal matter. Sorry to be graphic, but baby wipes, cat litter, dental floss, disposable diapers, facial tissue, feminine products, paper towels, toilet tissue that isn’t septic safe, etc. should never be flushed down the toilet. Your septic tank isn’t designed to handle anything other than septic safe toilet paper and human waste. Don’t flush anything else or your tank will fill up faster than necessary or clog.
Sink Waste
The same holds true for your drain. Use strainers in your showers, sinks, and tubs to avoid hair from heading into your septic system. You should also use a strainer in your kitchen to avoid food waste going down the drain, even if you do have a garbage disposal. Food can clog your leach lines and fill your septic tank with waste that cannot be pumped out. You’re better off tossing waste that can be composted into a pile and throwing the rest away in your garbage can.
Chemicals
You should never flush any chemical down the toilet or wash it down the drain, even if you don’t have a septic system. This includes ammonia, bleach, and other harmful substances often found in standard household cleaners. Friendly bacteria, the enzymes you flush down the toilet each month, eat away at the waste in your septic tank. This prolongs its life between pumps. Household disinfectants kill that friendly bacteria, so go green with your cleaning supplies.
Grease
If you have a bad habit of pouring your used cooking oil down the drain, stop. This not only clogs your home’s plumbing, but it will also clog your leach field, which is what delivers the waste away from the house and into the septic tank. Avoid pouring fats, grease, and oils down the drain, and also try not to overload your dishwasher with greasy dishes. Also avoid pouring hazardous materials down the drain, such as motor oil, paint, and paint thinner.
Your septic system will take care of you if you take of it, and we’ll help you with the latter. Express Septic Services is on call for Greenville, Anderson, and Spartanburg, SC, residents and businesses. If your septic system is giving you trouble, give us a call today.
