Your septic tank is a very important part of your home, and it needs regular maintenance to keep working. Keeping one in good condition comes down to pumping the tank on schedule, clearing debris out of the lines, and having a service professional look at it once a year.
Here are some tips for maintaining your septic tank system in Lakeland, Plant City, Winter Haven, and the surrounding areas.
Regularly Pump Your Septic Tank
Over time your septic tank fills up with household waste, and pumping is what keeps solids from accumulating past the point the system can handle. How often you need to pump depends on the household: tank size, number of people, and how much water goes down the drains. The EPA recommends that a typical household septic system be inspected every three years and pumped every three to five years. A service professional can set the interval for your specific tank.
Clear Out Your System with High-Pressure Water Jetting
Regardless of pumping, septic systems accumulate solids and debris in their drain pipes. That is normal, and handled properly it causes no trouble. Left alone, built-up solids clog the pipes running from your tank to the drain field, the tank stops working efficiently, and the problem grows. A professional can clear those clogs with high-pressure water jetting, which shoots pressurized water through the lines to strip out buildup.
At True Plumbers & AC, we repair and maintain sewers, drain fields, and septic tank systems. If the water is already backing up, the evidence that your drain field needs professional repair is worth reading before you call, and standing water in the tub is one of the clearest signs: here is what it means when water backs up into the bathtub.
Add Bacteria to Your System to Help Break Down Waste
Bacteria do the actual work of breaking down waste. Harsh detergents, bleach, and drain chemicals kill off the colony your tank depends on, and over time less and less matter gets digested. This is one reason we tell homeowners to stay away from caustic drain openers: our post on what happens when Drano sits in a drain covers what those products do to pipes as well as to bacteria. Adding live organic bacteria back into the tank helps replenish what the chemicals killed.
Have a Service Professional Perform Regular Maintenance
To make sure your septic system is working properly, have a professional inspect it every year. A service professional can pump the system, replace worn-out filters, make repairs, and catch problems before they grow. Skipping the annual look is how a minor issue becomes a sewer backup, and the warning signs of a sewer line problem usually appear well before that point.
Avoid Disposing & Flushing Non-Degradable Materials
Your septic system endures a lot of use. The more you pour down the garbage disposal and flush down the toilets, the more the system has to process. Thick, sludgy, or slow-decomposing material causes clogs that end in a backup. Never pour cooking grease, coffee grounds, chemicals, or fats down your disposal, and never flush paper towels, disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, or tissues. Wipes deserve their own warning, because flushable wipes are not actually flushable and they are one of the top causes of tank and line clogs we pull out. See also our list of things you should never flush down your toilet, and if a clog does form, toilet repair is a call, not a chemical.
Good drain habits upstream cut the load on the tank. Our tips for keeping your drains from getting clogged apply to septic homes even more than to homes on city sewer.
Do you need septic tank maintenance for your home?
At True Plumbers & AC, we provide plumbing service for homes and businesses in Lakeland, Plant City, and Winter Haven. We handle clogged drains, drain cleaning, toilets, sewers, septic tank systems, and drain fields. Call us today at (863) 667-6364 to take care of your septic tank system.
