You notice it absently; it’s faint at first. Then it gets stronger, that unmistakable odor of waste from a septic system. You pray it’s your neighbor’s problem rather than yours, but then you notice that your drains don’t seem to be draining like they used to drain, and finally you see the telltale backup of water in the back of the lawn. This scenario could happen to you, but it doesn’t need to. All you need to do is treat your septic tank correctly.
How Septic Tanks Work
A septic tank really does not do any water treatment; it sorts the waste that flows from the drains of the house into the tank. In the tank, heavier material sinks to the bottom, creating sludge, while the lighter materials stay on the top. A special outlet called a sanitary tee lets the liquids pass out of the tank while the tank retains the solids. When the liquids pass out of the tank, the soil in the surrounding area is what purifies the water. This is why it’s so important to maintain septic tanks and to install them properly. Without good treatment, the liquids that pass from the tank cannot be filtered by the soil and problems such as groundwater contamination can occur.
Cleansers
Many cleansing and rejuvenation products are available for septic tanks. However, according to a paper by the North Carolina Extension Service, none of these cleansing products are needed. They are not required because, no matter how clean the tank is, the solids eventually will need to be pumped anyway. Homeowners also are cautioned against these products because they can contain ingredients that kill microorganisms that actually do filter the tank water in the drainfield and which can contaminate groundwater. In fact, in some areas, these products are prohibited. The real way to treat a septic system thus is to concentrate on what is flushed into it through the drains and to maintain the drainfield.
Pumping
Pumping the septic tank removes the solid waste material from the bottom of the tank. Doing this keeps the solids from finding their way into the drainfield and blocking the passage of the tank water. If such blockage occurs, then the wastewater has nowhere to go and backs up into the drains, resulting in foul odors permeating through the entire house. If the septic design is such that the water doesn’t back into the drains, it still can accumulate over the drainfield (this is the classic septic puddle often seen by septic treatment specialists when they come to work on a tank). Pump based on the size of your tank and the number of occupants in the house. The smaller the tank or the more people in the house, the more often you will need to pump.
Water Usage
A septic drainfield is only so large; thus it can filter only a certain amount of water over a given period. According to InspectAPedia.com, an online building and environmental inspection resource, when a household uses too much water, the drainfield can become waterlogged. With nowhere else to go, any additional water may back up into the drains. Water conservation thus can help with tank performance. Additionally, avoid having water from other sources (such as gutters) flow onto the drainfield. This ensures that the drainfield can take on more water from the tank rather than the other sources.
What Not to Put Down the Drain
Certain items should not be put into a septic system because they increase the amount of solid waste that builds up in tank or clog the pores in the soil of the drainfield. Examples include grease from cooking, as well as large amounts of food put into the garbage disposal. The more solids in the tank, the more often you will need to pump, and the greater the likelihood of clogging the drainfield. As you go about your household cleaning, limit the number of chemical agents you use and go natural if you can. Remember that any chemicals put down the drain end up in the tank and therefore have the potential to kill good bacteria or to contaminate nearby water sources.
