Having septic system maintenance done in a timely manner at your Northern Virginia home is one big thing you can do to avoid septic system failure. In addition, you will need to guard the health of your septic system by avoiding activities and appliances that can be harmful to that system.
Here are three appliances you should use with extreme caution if you have a septic system:
Garbage Disposals
Garbage disposal use is a frequent cause of septic tank problems. Ground up food remains in the septic tank; it doesn’t really break down, and can increase the amount of sludge and scum in your septic tank by 50% or more. On top of that, grease from the garbage disposal clogs up your drainfield.
Want to keep your septic system healthy? Just say “NO” to using a garbage disposal.
Water Softeners
If a water softener system drains into your septic system, it can flood your septic system with hundreds of gallons of salty water at a time. Too much water overwhelms your septic system, and the salt that’s used to “soften” the water causes problems with the process of breaking down waste in your septic system.
A water softener can be made septic system safe by having the water rerouted to safe area of your yard – far away from your septic drainfield. This is not a DIY project; contact a certified plumber to tackle this job.
Hot Tubs
Hot tubs use a lot of water, which will need to be drained from time to time. However, draining large amounts of water from your hot tub can overload your system, and cause your drainfield to fail. This is something that can’t be fixed after the fact.
Instead of draining all of that hot water at once, let it cool off, and then drain it slowly away from your house and drainfield, over on to your grass or other landscaping.
Septic system maintenance in Northern Virginia keeps your septic system healthy. If you need maintenance or have a problem with your septic system, please contact the experts at SES Mid Atlantic, LLC as soon as possible. Preventive maintenance and catching problems early means an easier and less costly fix to your septic system.