A septic tank is designed to react successfully with natural substances, and by doing so can prevent pollution. By flushing other substances you’re risking a blockage or upsetting the process inside the tank, which could lead to serious problems.
Looking after your septic tank
When you consider the importance of the job a septic tank carries out, it only makes sense that you should look after it. Failing to do so will cause you a number of problems, the majority of which have a grim outcome – and the smell won’t be very pleasant either.
To make sure your septic tank is well looked after here are a few recommendations:
Don’t use too much water
By doing so you will be upsetting the already delicate balance of the tank and preventing it from working effectively. Too much water entering the tank could even cause it to back up, which definitely won’t be the most pleasant thing to happen. If you notice any signs of your tank backing up or any bad smells, you may need to call a professional.
Only deposit materials that will decompose
This may sound like a bit of a no brainer, but people continue to deposit materials that are unable to decompose. By doing so they will be filling up the tank and inevitability causing it to block. The most common of these materials are things such as cooking fats, coffee grounds, face wipes and disposable nappies. All of which need to be disposed of properly, rather than just pouring them down the sink and causing yourself a load of hassle.
Using household chemicals
You can still use household chemicals such as bleach and drain cleaner without effecting the bacterial action of your tank. Using them to excess could cause problems, as well as if you use stronger industrial cleaners that aren’t designed for a regular household septic tank.
Try to avoid putting any grease down your drains
Instead of dumping grease down into your drain it’s a sensible idea to dispose of it separately. By doing so you will avoid the risk of clogging up pipes or blogging the inlet of your tank.
Cooking fat causes major problems in drains and many “fatbergs” have formed beneath city sewers in the UK, in fact, cooking fat may be one of the most common reasons why drains in residential areas become blocked.
It’s important to look after your septic tank in the right way so it works as effectively as possible. To make sure your septic tank is maintained efficiently you should hire a professional drain cleaning company to pump and clean it every two or three years.
If you begin to notice any bad smells, or if any of your drains begin to drain a lot slower than they did before then the chances are you need to have your tank pumped. If this does happen then it’s important for you to call in a professional sooner rather than later. If you just ignore the problem, you will just be giving the tank more time to back up and cause further blockages.
Fraser Ruthven is the Marketing Associate for blocked drain specialists London Drainage, one of London’s leading drainage companies. London Drainage provides a wide range of drainage diagnostic and repair services in and around London.