Maintaining Your Septic System This Fall

Fall is upon us, and you are probably preoccupied with things like raking leaves and watching football, but your septic system should also be on your mind. So, let’s investigate maintaining your septic system this fall.

A Septic System Explained

So, you may know you have a sewage system as part of your home, but do you understand how it works? Simply put, it’s a smaller version of a sewage facility that manages sewer waste. A septic system comprised of two parts:

Septic Tank

A septic tank is a subterranean watertight container made from concrete. The septic tank takes in the stream of waste from your home. Inside the septic tank, more substantial particles sink to the bottom and make a sort of toxic sludge. The lighter particles float to the top of the tank; the layer of water in between flows out of the septic tank into a drain field in your yard.

Drain Field

Now, we come to your drain field, which is usually a series of perforated pipes extending through buried gravel-filled trenches. The wastewater from the septic tank gradually drains through the perforated pipes. The dirt in your yard removes harmful bacteria and viruses before wastewater becomes part of your groundwater.

Maintaining Your Septic System This Fall

Here are some tips to keep your septic system in good working order this fall:

Clear Away Debris from Your Septic Tank

If you have a pile of leaves or fallen limbs of branches over your septic tank, you run the risk of having them fall into your septic tank during maintenance and getting into your septic system, which can potentially destructive to your septic system. Be sure to clear any debris from your septic tank area.

Take Care of Leaky Sinks, Toilets, or Showers

Having extra water in your septic tank can be a more significant risk than you would imagine. Extra water during the winter months will put a strain on the natural bacteria in your septic tank needed to break down waste. You need to have any leaks in your home attended to lower the strain on the bacteria.

With that idea in mind, it’s a good idea to route downspouts away from your septic tank and drain fields to protect against bacteria. It’s not just summer thunderstorms that bring high volumes of water to the Lakeland area; cold fronts in Central Florida have been known to dump three inches or more of rain in a concise amount of time. Turning your downspouts away will reduce stress on bacteria and keep your septic system from becoming oversaturated.

Don’t Flush Anything You Shouldn’t

Your home’s toilets aren’t garbage receptacles. Ensure that kids don’t flush toys or other things in your toilets and inform family members that items that purport to be flushable aren’t. Items such as “flushable” wipes and paper towels will wreak havoc on your septic system and will create a blockage that must be removed.

Lakeland Septic Can Service Your Septic System This Fall

The best tip for maintaining your septic system this fall is to let us inspect and service it. We can detect and eliminate problems in your septic system before they become a costly headache. If you live in the greater Lakeland Area, get in touch today.