Nothing produces nightmares like a malfunctioning septic system. To prevent this ordeal, you must maintain it with septic pumping in Prior Lake, MN and other needed maintenance. Besides avoiding the dreaded tank failure, these efforts also improve the performance of your septic system so it can serve you better and avoid requiring repairs. Here are five tips to help improve septic tank performance:
- Stay current on maintenance: Do not skip your septic pumping appointments. A plumber can help you determine the schedule for pumping based on household size and your water and sewer usage. Normally, pumping your septic tank must happen every two or three years. This reduces excessive contamination that can affect its performance. You must also be knowledgeable of your system and what it can handle so you can assess whether to call us over for maintenance sooner than your schedule indicates.
- Conserve water: Finishing the small tasks makes a big difference to your septic tank. The volume of water in your system affects its performance, so conserving water is a good idea. Fix leaking fixtures when you discover them, and purchase washing machines that use the least amount of water possible. Keep showers to a reasonable length, too, as conserving water is not only an environmentally sound behavior, but it is also good for your septic tank.
- Watch your drains: It is never a good idea to put fats, grease and oils down your drains, but it is a really bad idea with septic systems. Increasing the organic load on your system by sending solid sticky materials down your drains will reduce its efficiency and prevent bacteria from treating your wastewater. You also risk clogging pipes, which is also hard on your system. Consider starting a compost pile, or if you are in doubt, send the debris to the trash.
- Be careful with cleaning products: Not all cleaning products or drain clearing chemicals are safe for septic systems. If this is your first home with a septic system, you likely must change how you clean. Concentrated products are especially damaging, and if you use them regularly, prepare for a failure that may warrant replacement of your whole system. Biodegradable low-phosphate products are the safest for your system. You may also notice that some products are labeled “septic safe.”
- Know what to flush: Just like you need to be careful about what goes down your drain, also avoid flushing anything down your toilet other than toilet paper and human waste. It is astounding how many customers flush feminine hygiene products, paper towels, cigarette butts and even used diapers down the toilet and into their septic system—providing it does not cause a pipe clog first. The alleged “convenience” is not worth the risk of shutting down your septic system. Once again—when in doubt, use your trash can rather than your toilet or drains.
For septic pumping in Prior Lake, MN and other essential services, call Mike’s Septic & McKinley Sewer Services today.