The Worst Things to Put into Your Septic Tank That Can Lead to Septic Tank Pumping
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The Worst Things to Put into Your Septic Tank That Can Lead to Septic Tank Pumping
Septic systems work best when they’re used as intended. It’s tempting to think that what you flush down the toilet or wash down the sink will just go away. When your home is attached to a sewer system, you can be reasonably sure that your water waste at least moves off of your property. With a septic system, what you flush either stays on your property or in your septic tank until you have it removed.
Since your septic tank works so hard for you, it’s important to treat it with kindness and care. In today’s blog, the septic specialists at Greenville Septic Pumping will cover a few items that should never go into your septic tank.
Being Kind to Your Septic Tank Pays Dividends
Your septic tank is a biological system that breaks down organic waste, specifically human waste. It’s not a good way to dispose of other organic (and inorganic) waste items. With that in mind, there are a few things you shouldn’t ever put into your septic tank.
Grease
After making some tasty bacon, or grilling up some burgers, avoid the temptation to pour all that grease down your drains. Grease doesn’t break down the same way that human waste does, and it is very difficult to remove from your pipes. Over time, and with more grease, you can actually line your pipes with grease and create blockages that can lead to other problems. Eventually, your septic system could backup because waste and water isn’t able to move through your grease clogged pipes! This will lead to costly and extensive repairs to your septic tank, your home plumbing, and maybe any kitchen or bathroom fixtures that were on the receiving end of this backed up system.
Rather than pouring grease down your drains, pour them into a glass jar, or empty tin can, and keep it in your freezer. When the can or jar is full, you can throw it away. To minimize as much grease in your pipes as possible, make sure to wipe down your greasy pots and pans with paper towels before washing them in the sink.
Hazardous Chemicals
While some systems use a chlorinator to disinfect your treated water before recycling it through your sprinklers, that doesn’t mean you should pour any other chemicals down the drain. Heavy chemicals like bleach, motor oil, and rat and bug poison can damage your septic tank in ways you didn’t expect. Your tank is full of helpful bacteria that break down your waste and keep your system running smoothly. These chemicals will only kill off these helpful bacteria. The result is that solid waste collects more quickly in your system, making it necessary for you to have to arrange for septic tank pumping services. Not only will your tank suffer, but the environment around your home will suffer too. These chemicals can leach out of your tank and into your soil and surrounding groundwater. This can make the area around your tank hazardous to be near!
Dispose of these chemicals properly by following directions on the bottle, or check with your local garbage facilities or health department to find out more.
Kitchen Scraps
It’s tempting to just dispose of your leftovers by stuffing them down your kitchen drain, but your septic tank doesn’t want your leftovers either! You might need to avoid using your garbage disposal, and instead throw your leftover food scraps away. That includes things like egg shells, banana peels, and coffee grounds. If you don’t want these food scraps to stink up your home or garage, now might be the perfect time to set up a compost heap in your yard. You can use this composted material as fertilizer for your lawn and garden. Your landscaping and your septic tank will thank you!
Really Anything Other Than Waste and Toilet Paper
We’re not kidding when we say this, but don’t clutter up your septic tank with trash! Your septic tank is really only designed to handle your human waste and the toilet paper you use to clean up. When we respond to septic tank maintenance calls, you’d be surprised by the garbage and the number of weird items we find in customer’s septic tanks. Diapers, cigarette butts, cat litter, and sanitary napkins don’t belong in your septic tank. You can keep your septic tank “clean” by only filling it with human waste.
Schedule Septic Tank Pumping Today!
If all of this knowledge is new to you, and you’re suddenly very nervous about the state of your septic tank, don’t panic. Greenville Septic Pumping offers septic tank pumping and septic tank maintenance services to those in Greenville South Carolina — feel free to take a look at our services in our web page. We can help keep your septic tank running flawlessly, call us today at (864) 432-6175.
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