Septic Care 101

35 million Americans are on septic systems. The information below will contain information relevant to almost all of them; however, this information should not be relied on when making septic maintenance and care decisions as each septic system is unique in its own way.

Basic Septic Maintenance Every Septic System Needs

Septic Pumping - Every 2 to 7 years

Pumping out the septic tank is necessary every 2 to 7 years. Solids build up in the septic tank over time, and it becomes necessary to remove these solids before they flow into the drain field and cause a drain field failure.

4 Things You Shouldn't Flush

1) Dairy Products that have gone bad. Dairy contains an enormous amount of nutrients and pouring out expired cream or gallons of milk can cause premature drain field failure if done regularly.
2) Toxic Chemicals, paint, gasoline, large amounts of bleach, pharmaceuticals, If you wouldn't pour it into a river, don't put it into your septic system.
3) Trash - wrappers, plastic, q tips, feminine products.
4) Fats, Oils and Grease - can cause backups due grease hardening in lines, more frequent pumping of tank required, and possibly premature drainfield failure.

Filter Cleaning- Once per year

Most septic tanks installed in the last 30 years will have an effluent filter in place to prevent any small solid matter from escaping the septic tank and entering the drain field where it may clog the drain field and cause a drain field failure. Filters that have not been properly maintained are the most common cause of septic system backups that can cause property damage.

Septic Additives - To use or not to use?

As long as you are not consistently disposing of toxic products into your septic system, you should not need to add any septic additives for general septic health. These products have not been shown to substantially improve septic performance or increase longevity of drain fields. If you have a specific problem that you need to address, hardware store grade additives are probably not the answer.

See Some Examples