Reviewing the SepticSmart Quick Tips, Part 2
In this blog post, we’re breaking down SepticSmart Quick Tips #4-7 (Shield Your Field!, Protect It and Inspect It, Don’t Overload the Commode, and Pump Your Tank!). Last week, we covered tips #1-3 in Part 1 of this blog post.
As we mentioned last week, guidance on how to be SepticSmart is always available at the US EPA’s septic system resource portal. But it’s up to all of us to keep talking about SepticSmart habits year-round to septic system owners and operators, so we can better protect public and environmental health!
Shield Your Field!
To shield your field means to protect a septic system’s drainfield. Homeowners should know where their drainfield is, how it works, and the basics on how to take care of it.
Roots from trees, shrubs, and other plants growing too close to or in the drainfield can cause significant damage, as can driving cars or other heavy machinery over it. Livestock wandering over and grazing on a drainfield should be avoided, and even rodents digging around can be a huge issue.
For more on shielding and protecting drainfields, check out these pages:
- Read the “The Importance of Knowing Your Drainfield Location” and “A Tough Way to Discover the Drainfield Matters Too” stories in Septic System Disasters: Cautionary Tales from the Tank
- Rodent Control for Septic System Drainfields
- Septic Systems and the Water Table
- Read “Protect the System’s Landscape and Environment” in Seasonal Care for Septic Systems in the Summertime: Part II
Protect It and Inspect It!
Just like any other essential home system or appliance, septic systems need to be properly maintained and protected in order to keep running in good order for as long as possible. Keeping up with regular system maintenance can save homeowners thousands of dollars by preventing bigger repairs or replacements in the future; and it can also protect public health by keeping systems from failing.
And in order to know what specialized maintenance might be required for a system, systems should also be regularly inspected by a professional. Annual inspections should suffice for most systems; though advanced systems may have different considerations.
For more on protecting and inspecting septic systems, check out these pages:
- Read “The Canal House Catastrophe” story in Septic System Disasters: Cautionary Tales from the Tank
- Webinar Recap: Inspection Tasks for Onsite Wastewater Systems from EFCN
- Why Is It Like That? Field Testing the Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Assessment Tool
- Septic System Inspection Basics at WaterOperator.org
Don’t Overload the Commode!
This is the toilet’s counterpart to the Think at the Sink quick tip. It’s very important to know what can be flushed down the toilet and what needs to be thrown out in the trash instead. Though some people treat them as such, a toilet is not a trash can!
Common items that are commonly flushed but absolutely should not be include: disposable diapers and wipes, feminine hygiene products, cigarette butts, cat litter, and food waste. This is true whether the toilet is connected to a sewer system or to a septic system, but the accumulation of unflushable solids in a septic system can lead to catastrophic damage more quickly than it does in a municipal sewer.
At the end of the day, there is a simple rule to remember what can be flushed down a toilet: Only the three Ps! That would be pee, poop, and (toilet) paper. And of course, a fourth P (puke), will also not destroy the system.
For more from us on not overloading the commode, check out some of our other posts:
- Read “The ‘Flushable’ Wipe Myth” story in Septic System Disasters: Cautionary Tales from the Tank
- Advocating Against “Flushable” Wipes in the Wastewater Industry
- FOG in Sewer Systems vs. Septic Systems at WaterOperator.org
- Prolong the Life of Your Septic System at WaterOperator.org
Pump Your Tank!
Pump your tank, hopefully, is a pretty simple commandment: Make sure that tanks are pumped out regularly! The fuller a tank gets as the longer it goes without pumping, the less efficiently a system will function. While the exact interval to pump each tank will vary by tank volume, water usage rate, and household size, the general rule of thumb is that they should be pumped out once every 3-5 years. Regular inspections from septic professionals and/or local environmental health professionals can help determine when a tank needs to be pumped.
For more on the importance of tank pumping, check out these pages:
- Read “The Canal House Catastrophe” story in Septic System Disasters: Cautionary Tales from the Tank
- Resources to Communicate the Why and How of Septic Tank Pumping