The number one cause of the failed septic tank at your Warrenton, VA home is the washing machine. However, there things you can do to prevent the septic tank from failing.
Washing machines produce a lot of lint, but your lint trap only catches about 5% of lint, because lint particles are tiny. In fact they are so tiny they are capable of passing right through the septic and settling in the drain field where they eventually end up clogging the soil. When lint becomes trapped in the drain field it’s nearly impossible to remove and can end up costing you thousands of dollars in repairs.
So how do you avoid a lint-clogged drain field?
- Install an inline filter, which attaches to the discharge hose on your washing machine.
- Limit the amount of water you use to prevent septic system failure.
- Run only full loads of wash.
- Do 1 or 2 loads a day. On average, your washer uses around 60 gallons per load. When you’re doing 5 or 6 loads or more in a single day, the amount of excess water entering your septic really adds up.
- Have an effluent filter installed in your septic system, during your next inspection or pumping. Effluent filters prevent solids from leaving the tank and entering the drain field, should be cleaned out during each pumping.
If you follow these tips, you will go a long way towards preventing septic tank failure at your Warrenton VA home. Investing a few hundred dollars into your septic system, having it routinely pumped, and ensuring the right things are being flushed and sent down the drain, can save you thousands and stop a disgusting mess from happening.
For more information on septic tanks in Warrenton VA, please contact the septic system and septic tank experts at Soils and Environmental Services. As Warrenton VA’s experts in the septic system field, our professional team of highly trained staff can answer your questions and recommend solutions for your septic tank and septic system problems. Serving residential and commercial customers throughout Northern Virginia since 1987, SES is the area’s premier septic system team.