Why So Many Opinions On Septic Systems?

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Septic Tanks
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If you have been researching septic systems on the internet or by talking to friends and neighbors, you may have noticed that are many different and conflicting opinions on how well a septic system works and what you can and cannot do if you have a septic system.  Some people will tell you that they have had their septic system for 20 years, never had it pumped out, and never needed septic tank repairs.  Others will tell horror stories about septic systems that failed within the first couple years.

Some people will tell you to use an additive and others will say that additives ruin your septic system.  Garbage disposals are another contentious subject.  There are just as many people who say that a garbage disposal will cause problems with your septic system as there are those who have been using garbage disposals on a septic system without any problems.

There are a couple reasons why there is so much conflicting information about septic systems.  One reason is that every septic system is different.  How well a septic system performs depends on the size, how well it was designed and installed, the soil underneath the septic field, how well the septic system is cared for, whether it gets regular inspections and septic tank pumping, and other variables.

In addition, a septic system can take a lot of abuse for many years before it finally fails.  Since it is buried underground, there is no way to tell that a problem is slowly developing other than periodic inspections and septic tank pumping and even those cannot give you a really good idea of the health of the drain field.  In most cases, there will be little warning that a drain field is getting clogged until the system starts to back up.

What one septic system can handle may cause another septic system to fail.  In addition, many people who say “we have been doing that for years without a problem” are actually doing harm to their septic system, but it hasn’t quite failed yet.  The best source of information on your septic system is from a local, reputable sewer-septic professional who has inspected and evaluated the condition of your system and can advise you on what your system can handle.

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Doing Laundry With A Septic System

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Drain Field
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If your home is on a septic system, taking good care of the system is the key to keeping it healthy and working great for years.  In addition to regular septic tank inspections and septic tank pumping, there are a few other things you can do to prevent premature septic system failures.  The laundry room is one area where you can make a big difference over the life of your septic system.

Septic systems fail when the drain field becomes too clogged with solid material to allow the liquid effluent to percolate into the soil.  Septic systems are designed with a septic tank that holds the waste water for a period of time to allow solid material to settle out of the liquid before the liquid flows to the drain field.

When you use a lot of water during a short period of time, all that water flows down the drain into the septic tank which reduces the amount of time that the water remains in the septic tank.  This flushes more solid material out into the drain field where it can accumulate and eventually cause the system to fail.

You can help avoid this problem and some expensive drain field repairs by not saving all of your laundry for the weekend.  Instead of doing ten loads of laundry on Sunday, do one or two loads each day during the week.  By reducing the volume of water going into your septic system in a single day, you allow the septic tank to have more time to do what it was designed to do.

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Helping Your Septic System With Low Flow Toilets

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Drain Field
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There are a lot of advantages to replacing your old toilets with new low flow toilets.  You’ll save money on your water bill and help conserve the environment.  One benefit of low flow toilets that is often overlooked is that low flow toilets can help extend the life of your septic system.

The reason is that septic systems can only handle a certain volume of water and in general, the less water that flows through the system the better it will work.  A septic system works by routing household waste water to the septic tank where it is held about 48 hours to allow solid material to settle to the bottom of the tank and oils and greases to float to the top.

A system of baffles holds these sludge and scum layers in the tank while allowing the liquid to flow out into the drain field where it percolates into the soil.  The more water that flows through the system, the less time the water is held in the septic tank and the more solid material that makes its way out into the drain field where it will eventually clog up the soil.

Older toilets use between 3.5 and 7 gallons of water per flush.  New low flow toilets use as little as 1.3 gallons per flush and perform just as well.  Saving a couple gallons per flush may not seem like much, but the average family of four uses about 75 gallons of water per day for flushing the toilet.  That’s about 27,000 gallons per year.

Depending on the type of toilets you have in your home, you can save anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand gallons of water per year by installing low flow toilets.  You can save big on your water bill while helping extend the life of your septic system with new low flow toilets.

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Is a Washing Machine Lint Filter Good For Your Septic System?

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Drain Field
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If your home is on a septic system, you may have heard about lint filters for your washing machine that help keep lint from getting into your septic system. These are available from various vendors online for a couple hundred dollars and you may be wondering if they are worth the money.

The short answer is that it’s hard to say.  There are millions of septic systems in use around the country that are doing just fine without a washing machine filter.  On the other hand, they certainly don’t seem to do any harm and they may extend the life of your drain field.

To make a decision, you need to understand how a septic system works and what causes it to fail. A septic system is made up of a septic tank and a drain field.  When a septic system fails, it’s usually the drain field that is the problem.  The drain field is a series of perforated pipes that are buried underground in a bed of gravel.

Waste water flows from your home to the septic tank where the solid material settles to the bottom of the tank.  Regular septic tank pumping removes the solid material from the tank. The waste water then flows the drain field where it seeps into the gravel and the soil below.

When too much solid material finds its way into the drain field, the gravel and soil can become clogged and prevent the waste water from leaching into the soil thus causing the septic system to fail. Drain field repairs can be very expensive so it pays to try to limit how much solid material finds its way into the septic field.  This is where washing machine lint filters come in.  They trap the lint in your wash water as it drains out of the washing machine.

The idea of clothing lint getting into your drain field is particularly troubling because much if it is synthetic fibers that do not decompose.  Once the synthetic lint gets into the drain field, it’s there to stay.  Using a washing machine lint filter on your septic system can’t be a bad thing and may do your system a lot of good.  In any event, it is a pretty cheap way to help extend the life of your drain field.

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Septic System Water Volume

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Drain Field
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If you are new to septic systems or are a septic system veteran but never gave your septic system much thought, you should be aware that there are limits to the amount of water that a septic system can handle.  Most homeowners assume that since the septic system seems to be working properly without any backups or wastewater pooling in the yard, then the system is doing a fine job of handling the water load they are placing on it.

However, you can easily overload a septic system and cause damage to your septic field without any indications of a problem showing up for years.  This kind of long term damage can significantly shorten the life of your septic system or cause you to need expensive drain field repairs.

The septic tank relies on time and gravity to separate the solid material from the liquid effluent.  The wastewater should remain in the tank for about 48 hours to allow the solid material to collect on the bottom of the tank and any grease or oils to float to the top of the tank.  Then the effluent can flow out into the drain field and safely percolate into the soil.

Using too much water in a short time period can prevent the waste water from standing in the tank long enough for the solids to settle out.  For example, if  you do ten loads of laundry on Saturday, the extra waste water added to the usual waste water load can overload the septic tank.  It is better to do one or two loads a day throughout the week.

In addition, lowering your water usage by installing low flow plumbing fixtures can help reduce the water load on your septic tank and extend the life of your septic system.

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The Difference Between Septic and Sewer Systems

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Septic Tank Pumping
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The vast majority of homes in the U.S. use either a septic system or a sewer line to dispose of household wastewater.  Although both systems are meant to handle the same task, they go about it in a very different way.

A sewer line is just a big drain pipe that runs between your home and the municipal sewer main.  Other than clearing clogs caused by tree roots or a build-up of material in the sewer lines, most sewer lines will last indefinitely without any maintenance.  Unless it has a clog or is partially collapsed, a sewer line can handle just about any volume of waste water that your home can produce.

This is not the case with a septic system.  Septic systems rely on a septic tank to collect the wastewater that flows from your home.  Mixed in with this wastewater is solid material that needs to be separated from the fluid before the fluid (called effluent) flows out to the drain field where it percolates into the soil.  If the effluent has too much solid material still suspended in it when it goes to the drain field, the drain field will become clogged and will slowly lose capacity.

A septic system has to be properly sized in order to be able to handle the volume of wastewater from your home.  If you add additional living space onto your home, you have to be careful to ensure that the septic system can handle the additional load. In addition, a septic system needs regular maintenance to stay in good working condition.  A septic system should be inspected by a trained sewer-septic professional every other year and septic tank pumping should be done as needed, generally about every three to five years.

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Septic Systems

July 20th, 2012 Posted in Drain Field
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Whether you are a new owner of a home on a septic system or you’ve had a septic system for years, a little TLC will go a long way toward helping your septic system work great for years.  If you are new to septic systems or you never gave your septic system much thought, you should understand that unlike a sewer line, your septic system needs regular care and maintenance to operate properly.

A typical septic system consists of a septic tank connected to a drain field (also called a leach field).  Waste water from your home flows into the septic tank which should be large enough to hold the water for a day or two to allow solid material to settle out of the water.

The water then flows into the drain field where it seeps into the ground.  Inside the septic tank, natural bacteria breaks down the solid materials although not completely.  The residual material collects in the bottom of the tank.  This material should be pumped out every three to five years.  Between septic tank pumping, the system should be inspected every other year.  The inspection will include measuring the level of solid material so you will know when it is time to for septic tank pumping.

Taking good care of your septic system includes not overloading it with water.  If the volume of water flowing through the tank is too high, solid material will be carried out to the drainfield where it can clog the soil.  Also, avoid putting any chemicals down the drain that can harm the natural bacteria in the septic tank.  This bacteria does an important job in breaking down the solid material.

Finally, avoid putting anything down the drain that is not biodegradable.  This includes plastic, cloth, paper towels, diapers, cigarette butts, paints, sanitary napkins, drain cleaners, and other harmful or inorganic material.  Try to limit the amount of grease, oil, and food waste that is washed down the drain.

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