Your plumbing system is comprised of two subsystems: the clean water line and the sewer / drainage line. Your clean water line is responsible for the distribution of potable and usable water to your taps and showers. Your drainage line meanwhile, is responsible for the transportation of wastewater from your home to a public sewer or a septic tank. Today, we want to talk about the important role that your septic tank plays and how you can take care of it.
What is a septic tank?
A septic tank is a large container that’s usually made from fiberglass, plastic or concrete. It holds all the wastewater that you produce whenever you use your taps, showers, toilets and other plumbing fixtures. The tank is also where the soiled water is decomposed and filtered to be transported into your drain field. Now there are several sizes of septic tanks available in the market. What you have to remember though is that no matter how large yours is, the amount of waste that it can contain is still limited. Over time and with high water consumption, the tank may fill up to the brim and eventually break thereby causing all sorts of plumbing issues. And that is why proper care should be provided to keep it in tip-top shape.
How do you maintain a septic tank?
1. Conserve water. The tank can only hold so much wastewater at a time and it does require time to separate solid wastes from liquid wastes. To help conserve water, you do not only need to lessen your consumption per se but also to check for leaks in your plumbing system. Fix the leaks immediately to prevent overloading your tank.
2. Have high efficiency or low flow toilets, showers and taps installed in your house.
3. Schedule your laundry weekly instead of washing your clothes daily or several times a week. Frequent use of your washing machine is also contributing to your water consumption. If you only need to wash a couple of shirts, do it manually. Lastly, choose the correct load settings when using your washing machine.
4. Never ever park or run vehicles right on top of or near the area where the tank is installed. Also avoid having a new structures or any kind of construction built around the spot.
5. Do not flush non-biodegradable objects down the toilet. These include sanitary napkins, diapers, paper towels, body wipes, cotton swabs, condoms, cigarette butts down the toilet.
6. Use your garbage disposal sparingly. Never ground rice, pasta, stringy food items, coffee grounds and bones in it.
7. Never pour grease into the sink drain.
8. When cleaning your drains, avoid using chemical drain cleaners. Aside from the fact that they may harm your plumbing, they may also disrupt the natural process involved in filtering wastes inside the septic tank.
9. Have your septic tank inspected and pumped out regularly. To get an accurate advice on how often you should have it pumped out, consult a plumbing professional.
We hope that we shared valuable tips on proper septic tank care. If you need your tank to be pumped out, just hire the most trusted Washington DC Metropolitan plumber. Plumbers 911 Washington DC delivers exceptional yet affordable Washington DC Metropolitan plumbing services including septic tank and grease trap installation, backflow prevention, hydro jetting, drain cleaning and many more! Call us now at (877) 932-5325 to schedule a service!
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