If your home uses a septic system to deal with your household's waste, you may already have a schedule worked out with a service to come out regularly to clean and pump out the tank. You may have noticed, however, that the system backs up more often, leading to extra service calls.
While you may believe there is something wrong with the tank, there is a strong possibility that the more frequent cleanings are caused by one or both of the following household habits.
1. Using Your Kitchen's Garbage Disposal Too Much
If your kitchen has a garbage disposal installed under the sink, one habit that you may have gotten into that can adversely affect your septic system is using the disposal too much. Since it is convenient to simply put food in the sink and wash it down the drain, you may find that you use the disposal after almost every meal.
However, large amounts of ground-up food, grease, and oils can wreak havoc on the ecosystem inside of your septic tank. Not only does the increased mass from the food cause the tank to fill up quickly, but it can also affect the population of beneficial bacteria that breaks down the waste.
Especially if you dispose of older food, any bacteria growing inside of it will start to compete and kill off the tank's resident colonies. Also, grease and oil will not only coat the tank and cause clogs in the lines, but it can also affect the bacteria's health.
2. Pouring Bleach and Other Chemicals Down the Drains
When cleaning your home with bleach or other chemicals, you may not think twice about pouring a bucket of water down the commode or rinsing cleanser down the sink drain. However, if you pour too much of these cleaners down your drains, the septic tank will be affected.
Since bleach and other harsh cleaners are designed to kill germs, the bacteria within the tank will also be killed. If their numbers are decreased, the breakdown of waste within the system will slow down significantly, requiring that the tank be pumped out to keep up.
If you find that you have the above habits, you may find that your system backs up more frequently, requiring the tank to be pumped out and cleaned more often. After stopping these habits, contact a septic tank cleaning service to have them determine whether a visit is warranted so that you can start with a clean system while you develop better habits to keep the tank's environment healthy.
For more information about septic tank cleaning, contact a local service.
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