How Laundry Habits Affect a Septic System

March 12th, 2014 Posted in Drain Field
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When you live on a rural property or in an area without public sewer access, a septic system is the alternative. Most homeowners who rely upon a septic system understand the basics of septic care, like paying attention to what is flushed down the toilet or sent down the drains. What many don’t realize, however, is just how much of an impact their laundry habits can have on a septic system.

Laundry and Water Disposal

When you use your washing machine, water from the wash and rinse cycles flow into your septic system. When you wash several consecutive loads of laundry over the course of a single day, you’re effectively sending large volumes of waste water through your septic system. When excessive levels of water are introduced to a septic system, there may not be enough space in the tank for all the waste to settle and break down at the bottom of the tank. This can force solid materials into the drain field, which eventually causes failure and expensive septic system problems.

Practicing Good Laundry and Water Use Habits

Instead of designating one day for all the laundry which has accumulated over the course of a week, try to break your washing habits up over a few days during the week. This will reduce the volume of waste water which ends up in your septic system in one day. During your laundry sessions, try to limit the amount of water flowing into the tank from sources like dishwashers and showers.

If you suspect your drain field (leach field) or septic tank may be under stress as a result of normal water usage, contact a septic professional in your area for a full appraisal and inspection of your system to avoid potentially expensive repairs or replacement.

Posted on behalf of Septic Service Pro

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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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Protect Your Drain Field With a Washing Machine Lint Filter

November 7th, 2011 Posted in Drain Field
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If your home is on a septic system, consider installing a washing machine lint filter to help protect your drain field and extend the life of your system.  Waste water from you septic system flows into the drain field where it leeches into the soil.  A drain field can fail if it becomes clogged with too much solid material that was suspended in the waste water.

Waste water from washing machines contains a great deal of tiny lint particles.  These particles can be too light to settle out of the effluent in the septic tank and as a result they remain in suspension and flow out into the drain field where they can clog the pores in the soil around the drain field.

To make matters worse, much of this lint is inorganic fibers that do not decompose and will accumulate in the drain field for years.  A washing machine lint filter can greatly reduce the amount of lint from your washing machine that gets into you drain field.  These filters are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

You may be wondering whether a washing machine lint filter is really necessary or is it a solution in search of a problem?  After all, there are millions of septic systems in use that have been working just fine without a washing machine lint filter.

On the other hand, thousands of septic systems fail every year and one of the main reasons for septic system failure is a clogged drain field.  Your drain field may work fine for years, but once it clogs up it’s too late to do much about it other than installing a replacement drainfield.  Replacing a clogged drain field can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000.  Compared to the cost of replacing your drain field, a lint filter that probably helps and certainly does not hurt your septic system seems like cheap insurance

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Heavy Water Usage Can Cause Septic System Failures

November 6th, 2011 Posted in Drain Field
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A septic system works by accumulating household wastewater in the septic tank and holding it there long enough for most solid material to settle to the bottom of the tank.  The wastewater then flows into the drain field or leech field where it leeches into the soil

Heavy water usage causes problems for your septic system in two ways.  First, too much water usage can overload the system if the wastewater cannot leech into the soil fast enough. The effluent will instead pool near or on the surface of the drain field.

In addition, a high volume of water usage will push water through the septic tank before the solid material can settle out.  The solid material will accumulate in the soil and over time the drain field will become partially clogged and unable to handle as much water.

In some cases, a drain field that was once able to handle a high volume of water has become partially clogged by solid material over time and is no longer able to handle that much water although it will work well during normal usage.  In other cases, unusually wet weather can decrease the volume of water that your septic field can handle.

If the soil around the drain field is waterlogged from unusually heavy rain or runoff, it will be unable to handle as much water.  This problem will usually resolve itself as soon as drier weather returns, but if it becomes a frequent occurrence you should call a sewer septic contractor.  You may need drainfield repairs or replacement.

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Septic System Tips

November 3rd, 2011 Posted in Septic System
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Homes that are built where there is no municipal sewer system use a septic system to dispose of their waste water.  A properly installed septic system can do a great job of safely disposing of household waste water.  However, a septic system can fail if it is not properly cared for.  In many cases, the homeowner is simply unaware of the damage they are causing until it is too late.

Septic systems collect the wastewater from your home in septic tank where it is held long enough for the solid material to settle to the bottom of the tank.  The waste water then flows into the septic field through perforated pipes which allow the water to seep into the ground.

The solid material that accumulates in the septic tank decomposes to some extent through natural biological action, but it will slowly fill the tank and should be pumped out periodically.  Most septic system failures are caused by too much solid material finding its way into the septic field.

The number one way to avoid septic system issues is to have regular septic tank inspections and septic tank pumping.  Your system should be inspected about once every other year and pumped every three to five years.

In the meantime, avoid flushing chemicals, paint, and solvents down the drain. These can not only kill helpful bacteria, but also collect in the drainfield.  Consider having a washing machine filter installed to prevent the lint from your washing machine from clogging the drain field.  Don’t flush anything other than human waste and small quantities of toilet paper down the toilet.  Dispose of feminine products, disposable diapers, and other non-biodegradable products in the trash.

Call your sewer-septic professional at the first sign of trouble.  You may be able to stop a small problem from becoming a big problem.

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Understanding Drain Fields

November 3rd, 2011 Posted in Drain Field
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If you are on a septic system, it is a good idea to understand how your system operates so you will be better able to take care of it and so you will know when to call a sewer-septic professional to handle any repairs.

The drainfield is a vitally important part of most septic systems.  The waste water from your home first flows into your septic tank where it is held for at least a day or two to allow solid material to settle to the bottom of the tank.  The waste water then flows into the drain field which consists of a series of perforated pipes (called leech lines) that are surrounded by gravel ad buried a foot or two below the surface of your yard.  The drain field is often called a leech field because it allows the water to leech into the gravel and the into the soil. The wastewater is purified naturally as it slowly leeches through the soil.

Problems with drain fields can be caused by flushing chemicals, paint, solvents, and other materials down your drains.  These materials collect in the soil around the leech lines and prevent the wastewater form properly leeching into the soil.

Overuse of the your septic system can also cause drain field problems.  If too much water gets into the drain field, it may not leech into the soil fast enough, causing the system to back up and waste water to make its way to the surface.

If you notice any problems with your drainfield, call a sewer-septic contractor with experience in the installation and repair of drainfields.

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Biomat

December 29th, 2010 Posted in Drain Field
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Biomat is a layer of biological material that forms in the septic field under and around the sides of the drain field lines.  Biomat is an important part of the septic system because it helps treat the waste.  However, excessive biomat formation can cause serious problems with a septic system and lead to a costly drain field repair.

In a typical septic system, waste water flows from the home to a septic tank.  Once in the tank, the waste water is held for a period of time allowing solids settle to the bottom of the tank.  The liquid effluent then flows out into the drain field which consists of a series of perforated drain lines buried a few feet under the ground in trenches filled with gravel and soil.

The perforations in the drain field lines allow the waste water to leach into the soil.  Bacteria grows in the gravel and soil around the drain lines.  This bacteria and other microorganisms in the soil further treat the effluent by digesting small solids and pathogens .

As the bacteria grows, it forms a slimy layer under and along the sides of the drain field lines called biomat.  The biomat slows the rate at which the soil can absorb the effluent, but in a properly designed septic system the drain field is large enough to accept all of the effluent even with a thin layer of biomat.

However, if the biomat grows too thick, the effluent will begin to pool and seep to the surface or back up into the home.  Regular septic system maintenance such as pumping and inspection of your septic tank will help maintain the proper level of biomat growth.

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Septic Fields and Plants

December 29th, 2010 Posted in Drain Field
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A septic system consists of several components.  The drain pipe collects all of the household wastewater and routes it to the septic tank where the solid waste settles to the bottom of the tank.  The liquid waste flows from the septic tank out into the drain field (also called a leech field) where it percolates into the soil.

The drain field is a series of perforated pipes buried a few feet underground in your yard.  The drain field is usually installed in a flat area cleared of vegetation.  Once the septic system is installed, the question that often arises is what type of plants can be planted over the drain field.

The short answer is that plants with shallow root systems are OK to plant over a septic field.  Any sort of plants, trees, or shrubs with deep root systems can cause very serious problems with your septic system. Since the septic field is made from perforated pipes, it is very easy for any deep root systems to infiltrate the septic field and clog the septic field drain lines necessitating an expensive drain field repair.

Grasses and weeds are safe to grow over septic fields.  In fact, a healthy turf lawn will hold the soil in place, minimize erosion, and contribute to a healthy drain field.  Flowers with shallow root systems are also acceptable to grow over a septic field.

Shrubs and trees have root systems that grow too deep to plant over a septic field.  Shrubs and small trees with limited root systems can be planted 30 to 40 feet away from a septic field, but trees and shrubs that bear fruit or that grow extensive roots systems should be planted farther away.

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