When you buy a house with a septic tank and you’ve always been on city sewer before, you might have questions about what you can and cannot do. One thing to know is that no matter how good you are to your system, you will still need septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA every few years. However, the better you are to the system, the more infrequent those pumping needs will be. You want to take the best care of the system so it will take good care of you and your family as well. Here are a few things you don’t want to put down the drain since you know it will end up in your septic tank:
Solid Waste
While you might have a garbage disposal in your sink, that doesn’t mean you should use it constantly. Put any solid waste in the trash. Run the garbage disposal as you wash dishes and crumbs and other things go down the drain. But don’t count on it to cut everything up. The more solid waste that goes down the drain, the slower your septic system is likely going to run. You don’t even want something small like coffee grounds going down, if you can help it.
Anti-Bacterial
There are lots of chemicals that kill bacteria and while you may want to use those on kitchen counters, you do not want to use them in your septic tank. The tank works by using bacteria to break down the waste that is in the tank. If the bacteria are killed off, there’s nothing left to break down the waste. The tank will fill up and need to be pumped out sooner than it would have otherwise, which will cost you more.
Lots Of Water At Once
The septic tank can only process the waste water so fast. You will want to space out what you do in your home with the water. While it might be convenient to run the washing machine and dishwasher at once, that’s too much water doing into the drain field at one time. Instead, space things out and do only one at a time so the system isn’t overloaded.
Grease/Fat
Putting grease or fat down the drain is an easy way to get rid of it, but it can cool and then clog the drains, causing slowdowns in the entire system. If it makes it down the pipes and to the septic tank, the same thing happens there. It’s best to wait for those things to cool and then put them in the garbage.
When you are in need of more advice about septic systems, whether you need septic tank pumping in Petaluma, CA, or you want to understand the rules of the road a bit better, the professionals at American Sanitation Inc are here to help. Give us a call and ask questions whenever you have them. We’re here to help you keep things running well.
