How do I maintain my Septic?

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Jjohnson

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I read something about adding enzymes. I've also read that it causes issues. Everything I can find about it though is by someone selling them. Should I use these products and what should I use?
 
A properly functioning septic tank doesn't need enzymes. There are a few good practices that will give you a long life. First, don't use a garbage disposal. Food scraps should be composted or tossed in the garbage. The bacteria in the tank (they are naturally occuring bacteria) cannot effectively process the large chunks washed down by a disposal and they will either sing to the bottom and fill the tank faster or they will find their way into the leach field and clog that up.
next, go easy on harsh cleaners such as bleach. THese are great disinfectants and kill bacteria in your house and laundry, but they also kill the bacteria trying to work in the tank! A little bit wil dilute out and not cause a problem, get excessive and you will mess with the little ecosystem working hard at breaking down the mess.

Third, conserve water. You want to try to maintain at least a 24 hour holding time in the tank, though more is better. If you have a 1200 gallon septic tank, this means you want to flush less than 1200 gallons down the drain a day. Seems like a lot but it adds up fast. The longer holding time gives the tank time to process the effluent and not only maes it work more efficient but helps keep the leach feild healthy as well.

These three things alone will go a long ways towards keeping it functioning for a long, long time.
Brad
 
Brad what is typical for some one to flush down? 1,200 seems like a lot of water for daily use.
 
Brad what is typical for some one to flush down? 1,200 seems like a lot of water for daily use.

Typical American household uses anywhere from 300 to 500 gallons per person per day. That is an average and may be a little skewed with residential irrigation in some areas, but none the less, we Yanks tend to use a boatload of water.

That said, those numbers are a few years old and are dropping with the more widespread use of water conserving showerheads, toilets, etc.

On an interesting note, when I was hauling water in for my cabin, we would average about 15 gallons a day for the whole family (you learn to conserve when you haul it in by hand). The drains ended up clogging up because the county stipulated 1/4" per foot max drop and we weren't putting enough water in to flush out the toilet paper and poo! (if you are wondering, we hand filled the toilet tank until the supply side plumbing was installed).

ALso, I believe most tanks are in the 800 to 1000 gallon range for a residence, though it may vary locally.
 
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Septic systems work with nature. natural bacteria eats the waste in the tank. Brad gave you all the proper things to avoid putting into the system for trouble free operation. used to be a saying that "if it didn't go through you, it shouldn't go to the septic". This is overkill, but has some truth in it. If you realize that anything in the tank has to be dissolved by the bacteria, you will watch what you toss or flush.
 
I throw enzymes into my septic every six months. I currently use Snow Fresh. Any comments on this product? I also use it in my RV holding (black and grey) tanks.

I'm also a home brewer, which means lots of Star San and Brewers Wash goes into the tank, along with trub and yeast. Any issues with this?
 
A couple of you mentioned pumping your tank out every other year, my parents have lived at the same house for 15 years and have only pumped the tank twice. Is this something that needs done more often, or only when there's problems?
 
Another thing that I have seen causing problems is people planting bushes near their drainfield. I have run into an infiltrator chamber completely filled with roots from this. Grasses and so forth are said toactually help the drainfield by sucking up water from the field and letting it evaporate into the air, but anything much bigger should be kept well clear.
 
may any one tell me ..how should i inspect my sewer line :confused:
 
Actually, once a year is too much, to have a septic system that's working properly pumped out. A septic tank is an ecological system that breaks down human waste into liquid, which then is returned to the earth to be absorbed into it and cleaned by it. As long as you're good to it, it will work for you. You don't need to put anything in it to make it work, it does that on it's own if you don't put things in it that will kill the bacteria. If you absolutely must put a helper product in the tank, break up a yeast cake and flush that down the toilet a couple times a year, that will be plenty.

Baltimore Sewer Service
 
A septic tank should be able to go about 3 years without pumping. It depends on how many people live in the house. There are people that go for 10 years without pumping...but their drainfield may fail as a result. It's a lot cheaper to pay for pumping every few years than shorten the life of your drainfield.

Enzymes aren't going to do much to a septic tank. The problem with a septic tank is that it is anaerobic treatment...that's why it smells. Aeration units can get the water cleaner, but usually people only install them when they are forced to.

The best thing to do is to pump the tank regularly and minimize the use of bleach and disinfectants. There is more than enough bacteria in the tank without needing to add enzymes.
 
Hey donald, kindof of topic question you asked but you just need a sewer camera to inspect your sewer line. They don't rent them anywhere, you will have to have a plumber come out and video your line. We own one and it is the most useful tool we have ever purchased.

And about septics, you guys all mentioned the best things to do to get as many years as possible out of it. And you want to get alot of years out of it as they are very pricey, lol. I wrote a blog article this morning actually about septic systems. I think you guys will dig it, it has pointers for maintaining a septic system. Let me know if I should add anything to it too. Rochester Plumbers I've been working with septics for a long time and pretty sure I covered most of the bases. I would copy and paste it but I think it would fill up too much forum lol.
 

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