Taking proper care of your septic tank system begins with you being able to differentiate fact from fiction. There are a number of septic tank care myths that could actually cause significant damage to your system. One of the most common misconceptions is the idea that using an additive in your septic system eliminates your need to have your septic tank pumped. Here’s why this information is entirely inaccurate.

What Are Additives?

Each time you flush a toilet in your home or even operate your washing machine, waste products pass through the system and collect inside the septic tank. Over time, leftover waste particles adhere to the sides of the tank and form what is known as sludge. Additives are biological based products, often made from enzymes or bacteria that is designed to naturally break down certain waste compounds into a gas or liquid and prevent the accumulation of sludge around the tank.

Additives Don’t Eliminate The Need For Pumping

The reason why additives don’t eliminate the need for pumping has to do with the fact that additives are not successful at breaking down all the products that end up in your septic tank. This is especially true when it comes to those waste products that inadvertently get flushed down the toilet.

Seemingly innocent objects like dental floss, tampons and cigarettes are just some of the objects that additives are unable to break down. Even thicker ply toilet paper is often unresponsive to biological additives. Any waste products not broken down by these products will accumulate in your tank in the form of sludge and increase the likelihood of your tank getting clogged.

Tank Pumping

Pumping is designed to remove the sludge buildup that has accumulated around the sides of the tank. In essence, septic tank pumping is a thorough cleaning of your septic tank. Having the tank pumped doesn’t just prevent a clog or blockage, but it also helps waste products pass through the tank more efficiently, which in turn makes your system operate more efficiently. Remember, even if you are using additives, make sure you have your tank pumped every three to five years.

The more educated you are on maintaining your septic tank system, the less likely you are to have a major malfunction on your hands. Make sure you research septic tank care and work with a tank technician to keep your tank system operating efficiently.

If you own a home and are interested in switching from public plumbing to a septic system, you will need to know some information going forward. With this in mind, you should learn about the benefits of a septic system, the cost and the ways to maintain it. Read on and take advantage of this information, for the betterment of your home.

1: What Are The Benefits Of A Septic System In My Home?

Learning the benefits of a septic system will help you with the decision to get one installed. Consider some of the following benefits:

• Since your septic tank is private, you get the utmost attention and care for your system, without blending or dealing with other people’s property
• The system is a lot less expensive to maintain
• The processes of a septic system are green and natural, without the use of chemicals that can damage the earth and water around it
• You won’t be subject to municipal problems, outages, cutbacks or other problems that can arise when using public sewage

2: How Much Will It Cost To Have A Septic System Installed On My Property?

When you need to be sure that you are able to have a septic system installed, you’ll need to be sure that you get a number of cost estimates from a contractor. With that in mind, you can expect to pay between $1,500 and as much as $4,000 in order to give you the installation service that you need. It pays to get about five or six estimates from contractors in your local area, so that you are able to get the service that you need.

3: How Can I Take Good Care Of My Septic System?

In order to keep your septic system in working order, you’ll need to follow some practical tips that can give you the help that you need. First, make sure that you get the help of a septic service professional like Ace Sanitation to pump and inspect your system every year, which will cost between $200 and $300. Always make sure that you keep your plumbing systems intact, because wasteful practices with your toilet, tub, sink, shower and any other fixture will damage your septic system. Further, keep accurate records of your maintenance, so you know how to get the improvements that you need.

Follow these tips and use them, in order to understand the merit of having a tank installed and how to go from there.

Your septic tank is one of those things you might not think about often. However, to get rid of the waste in your home, it’s important to be aware of what you can do to keep your tank in good shape. Making sure your septic tank is in good shape is not hard, as long as you avoid certain things and take care not to overload it. Here are some suggestions you can use to keep your septic tank working well.
Avoid Bleaches and Acids

Your septic tank contains beneficial bacteria that breaks down the solid waste that you dispose of through sinks, toilets and tubs. When you use acids and bleaches to clean things and clear clogs, they go down the drain and can kill that bacteria. That can lead to more clogs in your septic lines, since there isn’t as much good bacteria available to break down that matter.

A good idea is to make better choices about the types of cleaners you use. Seek out natural, nontoxic cleaners that will not disrupt beneficial bacteria. For instance, you can use a baking soda and vinegar mixture to dislodge clogs in drains, or scrub surfaces with baking soda to eliminate stains.

Pump the Tank

Over time, sludge can build up in the septic tank, and that can cause your entire system to fail unless you have the tank pumped. Pumping the septic tank will clean out the tank so that it doesn’t overflow and can continue to work properly. If you fail to do this, you risk seeing sewage backing up into your home.

Generally, you should have your tank pumped every three years. Have a garbage disposal? In that case, you have more waste in your tank, and should pump it more often.

Install Low Flow Faucets

To reduce water use and put less pressure on your septic tank, it’s a good idea to install low flow faucets in your home. These faucets will help you conserve water as you go about your day, resulting in less water traveling to the septic tank. Not only can you help your septic system with low flow faucets, you might also end up saving yourself money on your water bill as well.

Store Used Oil in Glass Jars

If you’re like many people, you give no thought to pouring grease down the drain after you’ve cooked bacon or other greasy foods. However, when hot oil and grease cools, they solidify. Over time, you could cause clogs in the system that are expensive to repair. Instead, keep oils and grease in a glass or ceramic jar. Throw the jars out with your household trash.

Pumping out your septic tank on a regular basis is more than just a good idea. It’s an essential part of the ongoing
maintenance necessary to keep the entire system functioning, but that can be easier to understand if you have a better grasp on how it affects the tank and its performance. Fully understanding the cost of negligence will help
create a sense of urgency, and motivate you to avoid postponing it unnecessarily.

The Basic Function of Septic Pumping

Your septic tank is designed to hold solid waste from your home so that septic bacteria can break it down into fine
enough particulate that it can pass through a mesh screen and out into a drainage field. That process isn’t fast, though,
and typical homes will outpace the rate at which those bacteria function, generating far more solid waste than they can break down in a reasonable period of time. This eventually leads to a build-up of solids in your tank, and that build-up will grow even faster if paper products, hygiene products or food waste finds its way into the tank.

Septic tank pumping removes the build-up that the bacteria simply couldn’t process, or couldn’t process fast enough.
This is essentially a quick way of playing catch up, and dealing with the solids that would have otherwise clogged the drainage screen. Left to its own devices, your septic tank will eventually overflow and begin spilling waste water into
your lawn each time a faucet runs or a toilet flushes.

Fixing a Problem With Septic Pumping

No matter how mindful of your drains you happen to be, eventually a mistake will happen or someone will forget.
Chemical cleaners, anti-bacterial agents, or just an overabundance of solids can all end up causing a bacterial
die-off inside your septic tank. The result will be slower waste processing, leading to a back flow of sewer gasses
and an eventual overflow of the tank.

Additives and enzymes are sold to help boost your tank’s performance, but simply having it drained can often do
far more to resolve the issue. Pumping out the tank will remove much of the chemical pollutant, draw out the excess
solids and give it a respite while the bacteria rebound. This approach will mean giving your septic system a few days
of light use to recover, but you also won’t have to keep dumping additives down your drains to keep it functioning either.

While they’re not a perfect solution for waste water treatments, septic systems are highly efficient and far more affordable’ than other alternatives. That efficiency does require maintenance and proper use on your part, but on the whole that’s easier to achieve than most people think.

If you have recently moved into a newly purchased house that has an old septic system and you’ve noticed problems with your plumbing, you may need to have the septic tank pumped. If it has been more than 3-5 years since the last time the tank has been pumped, or you don’t know when it was last serviced, call the professionals right away.
You don’t want to end up with sewage throughout the house or your property. Here are a few symptoms that may indicate your dealing with a septic tank issue on the property.

Slow Draining Water

Does the water swirl slowly down the toilet and not always flush all the way? Do you have feces floating back up through the pipes? If so, it could be because there isn’t room for the waste to go in the septic tank. A plumbing company can look through the pipes to see if there is another problem with drainage besides the tank being full after the tank is pumped.

Sewer Odors Outdoors

Can you smell waste when you walk around your house? Does the smell get worse on days that it’s hot, humid or after it rains? If so, this indicates that you have waste leaking out of the tank and into your yard. This is a health hazard because it can damage wildlife, groundwater, and it’s toxic for you and neighbors to inhale. You can even get fined for having your waste leaking into the earth around the tank.

Moist Soil

Is the soil always moist around where the septic tank is, even when the rest of the property is dry? You may want to have your yard tested after the tank has been pumped to make sure that you don’t need to have any treatments done to remove any contaminated soil, to make the property safe. You also may need to have more dirt or sod brought in.

Not only should you have the septic tank pumped, but you should also have the tank cleaned by the experts (such as those from Ace Sanitation Service). They can inspect the tank to make sure there aren’t any cracks or problems around the inside, and to see if you need to replace your septic system. You don’t want to be living in a toxic situation because you aren’t aware that there is a septic backup problem, so call the experts as soon as you have any suspicions that something could be wrong.