Make sure to maintain your septic field

It is easy to flush and forget.

Septic fields tend to fall into the category of out of sight, out of mind, but they need regular care and attention to have a long life cycle.

The first thing to be aware of is what people are sending down the line to the tank. The septic systems are designed to properly dispose of waste from the house that is organic. Items such as large volumes of toilet paper, certain cleaners, ‘flushable wipes’, paper towel, grease, oil, feminine products, garbage and other items like these will cause the tank to fill up. Food waste can be disposed through a garbage grinder only if the system is properly designed for them.

Now that you are only sending the right items down the drain it is important to empty the tank on a regular basis. It is recommended to have the tank pumped out annually. Most tanks have two chambers and the first is the working chamber where the solids arrive. The second is the dosing chamber and only liquids (and very small solids) should cross over to the dosing chamber. In the bottom of the working chamber is the portion called the sludge layer. The top is called the scum layer. The sludge and scum build up over time as they accumulate items such as hair that do not really break down. A regularly pumped out tank will keep the sludge and scum levels small.

If you do end up with a tank backing up, you will notice that solids have likely crossed over into the dosing chamber. It is very important to not just send these down through the pump or syphon once the system is fixed. The downstream portion of the septic system is not designed to receive solids and if you send them down they will plug up the soil based treatment.

Another important item is to check that the alarm is functioning and if you have a control panel, to make sure it is working properly. Do this according to the intervals that the designer or vendors recommend.

Keep your system maintained and you will be able to have a happier life without septic backups or failures.