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2 Ways to Ensure That Your Septic Tank Lasts

1 October 2015 by Jetse Wilkes

A septic tank is often the only means of dealing with sewage for homes and businesses that are located in rural areas or areas where the local sewer system has not reached. As a result, you will want to make sure that your septic system lasts as long as possible. Having the tank pumped periodically and watching what you flush are two great ways to keep your septic tank in great shape.

Pump the Tank Periodically

One of the worst things that can happen when you have a septic tank is when it becomes full and begins to overflow. This can lead to a variety of disgusting and highly damaging situations, such as having sewage flooding back into the home or finding that your yard has been flooded with waste. The hard part about this situation is that it is almost impossible to tell when your septic tank is full until it is too late, because most septic tanks don't provide you with any notifications or warning lights letting you know the level of waste.

As a result, you will want to make sure that you take advantage of septic tank pumping services that will come to your home and completely empty the tank. You should be pumping your septic tank at least once every three years.

However, there are a lot of factors that can influence how often you will need to pump your tank, so it is important to consult with the pumping service in order to get a more accurate schedule. For example, larger households and houses that have garbage disposals will need to be pumped more frequently.

Watch What You Flush

Another way to ensure that your septic tank lasts as long as possible is to be very careful about what gets flushed down your drains. In general, you will only want to flush things down the drain that will break down quickly. For example, try to avoid bones, plastic, cloth, and metal, as those materials will not break down and could clog the septic tank.

You can also consider utilizing septic-safe varieties of everyday products to make it even less likely that your tank will become clogged. Examples of septic-safe products can range from baby wipes and toilet paper to flushable cat litter.

Speak to a septic cleaning service today, like Southwest Environmental, in order discuss other ways to keep your septic tank in good condition. Watching what you flush and pumping out the tank can help ensure that you get years of problem-free service out of your tank.

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