With winter quickly closing in, now is the time to begin preparing your septic tank for the long season ahead. While the weather still permits, here are a few tips for septic maintenance in Prior Lake, MN that you can use to get your system ready.
Insulate the ground covering the tank
If your septic tank system is well insulated, frost will have a harder time trying to settle in, so finding cheap and crafty ways to keep your system insulated during the winter will be critical. During the fall, when trees shed their leaves and you begrudgingly spend your whole weekend raking them up, you are actually collecting a valuable resource. Instead of raking the leaves to the curb, you can use these piles as a natural form of insulation for your septic tank that costs you absolutely nothing. You can also use bags of mulch, hay or straw to cover and protect your tank and its piping from winter frost.
No matter what you use to cover your system, it is important that the piles remain loose and don’t become compacted. Whether you use snow or piles of leaves for insulation, if the covering over your tank becomes compacted, it serves as a concentrated source that forces frost further underneath the surface towards your tank. With this in mind, it is also recommended that the area over your system be undisturbed by heavy foot traffic and parked cars to avoid this compression.
Pay attention to the water usage in your home
If you have a leaky faucet or toilet that continues to run after it’s been used, this slow but constant dripping can very easily cause problems for your system when the temperatures dip below freezing. Because a slow drip does not move through the system as intended, it will freeze at the point where the pipe leaves the basement and eventually block the piping entirely. It is necessary to have any of these issues addressed before the winter hits, because if this slow leaking is allowed to continue for an extended period of time, it can actually freeze the entire system over.
If you take care of all of the nagging leaks before the winter hits, you will also benefit from a much more efficient plumbing system that will keep money in your pocket. It is also a good idea to use as much hot water as you can, every chance you get. If you normally wash several loads of clothes on the weekend, consider spreading them out throughout of the week to promote a more balanced use of hot water. This keeps warm water constantly flowing through the pipes, which will help combat any potential blockages.
If you have tried implementing all of these tips and find that your septic tank is still having issues when the winter rolls around, it might be time for additional septic maintenance in Prior Lake, MN. Mike’s Septic & McKinley Sewer Services has all the materials you need to help you through this year’s winter, and our services will keep your system flowing efficiently during the rest of the year too. Be sure to give us a call today before the cold temperatures move in to stay.