If the holiday season is your favorite time of year, you’re probably quite happy right now. Do you put on a Thanksgiving spread to die for? Do you fill your house to the brim with family and friends ready to eat until they burst? If you do, we’d love to come over! Okay, just kidding, but we here at Express Septic Services do want to talk about how the Thanksgiving celebration can stress out your septic system.
Cleaning
Cleaning before the guests arrives can equal trouble for your septic system, and few things are more embarrassing than sewage backing up into your home when it’s filled with people. Use cleaning supplies that are safe for your septic system and don’t stress the system out by running the water too much. Flooding the system with chemical cleaners and water will kill the good bacteria used to treat waste.
Cooking
Cooking also puts stress on your septic system, especially if you have a lot of vegetables and dishes to clean. Again, think about how much water you put into your septic system. Don’t rinse ingredients under a running faucet; rather, rinse them in a bowl or sink filled with water. Don’t run the dishwasher constantly, either. Try to keep the cooking clean-up to a minimum to avoid flooding your septic system.
Guests
If you’re planning on guests who will be staying Thanksgiving weekend, take this into account, too. Plan for extra toilet flushes and showers. Plan for extra dishes after each meal, as well. Your septic system is designed to treat only so much household waste at one time, so space out the showers to help it recover between them. Flooding your septic system drain field could clog it and also damage it.
Laundry
The same holds true for laundry. It’s better to wash only full loads and use your washing machine only once or twice per day. This is actually a good rule all year round, but you will definitely use your washing machine more often over Thanksgiving if you use linen napkins and tablecloths. Spread out your laundry loads and only run the washing machine once a day – twice at a maximum. Do the same for your dishwasher.
Finally, make sure your septic system is ready for the Thanksgiving holiday by calling Express Septic Services in Greenville, SC, now for a septic system inspection. We’ll inspect the tank and pump it if necessary and check the drain field to make sure it’s working properly. We won’t let septic system troubles ruin your holiday weekend.
