Septic system maintenance is required to keep your septic system healthy in Northern Virginia. (It is also required by law, if you live in Loudoun County VA.) However, you also need to avoid certain things to keep your septic system healthy. Here are 3 appliances that can ruin your septic system:
Hot Tubs
Hot tubs can be wonderful; a long hot soak is so relaxing and a great way to ease muscle aches and pains. Unfortunately, draining large amounts of water from your hot tub can overload your system, and cause your drainfield to fail.
Instead, wait until your hot tub water is cooled off, and then drain it slowly away from your house and drainfield, over on to your grass or other landscaping.
Garbage Disposals
The ground up food remains from your garbage disposal get sent to the septic tank, where they don’t really break down. Instead these chunks of food muck up the septic system by greatly increasing the amount of sludge and scum in your septic tank – some say up to 50% more. Your drainfield will also become clogged with more grease than it can handle. Using a garbage disposal is definitely a good way to break your septic system.
Water Softeners
Some water softener systems can cause a lot of problems for your septic system. Hooked directly into your septic systems, water softeners can flood your septic system with hundreds of gallons of water at a time. Along with all that water, comes a lot of salt that’s used to “soften” the water. Too much salt upsets the process of your septic system, from the tank to the drainfield.
If you really must have a water softener, a certified plumber may be able to help. They could re-route the water coming from it, out into a safe area of your yard, where it won’t impact your septic system.
Need some septic system maintenance or have a problem with your 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.