Safe Septic: How to Maintain Your Commercial Septic Tank

Residential or commercial, septic systems are deceptively simple when you consider what they accomplish; they take in waste, treat it, filter it, and return it to the environment. Unfortunately, this simplicity is also one of the reasons we tend to take these systems for granted, and don’t always do everything we should to keep them maintained properly: sooner or later we pay the price for that lack of attention. That’s when you’ll need professional septic system assistance. However, here are some ways to maintain your septic tank on your own to prevent septic tank damage.

Basic Rules for Septic Usage

Excessive amounts of water entering your system, usually the result of a constantly-running toilet or a leaky faucet, can render it useless; fortunately, these items can be remedied fairly easily. Another common septic system killer is the introduction of non-biodegradable items, creating clogs and disabling your system.

This is largely a matter of educating your system users that there are certain items that should never be poured into a drain or flushed down a toilet, like cooking grease or other oils, plastics, toxic chemicals and personal hygiene products are prime examples. Using household bleach for cleaning is very effective, but it should be used sparingly. Garbage disposals are another item that require some judicious use, since it doesn’t take them long to overload a septic system.

Hazards to Septic Systems

There are some elements that are capable of disabling a septic system, but which are out of your control. They will require professional help to remedy, but you should be aware of them. One is the root systems of trees and shrubs on your property. Over time they can clog and even crack inlet pipes and can wreak havoc on the smaller pipes that make up the drain field.

There have been instances where individuals have disabled their entire septic system by covering their drain field with things like above-ground swimming pools, paved driveways or parking areas. These failures can be prevented by a little forethought.

Regular Professional Maintenance is the Key

One element of septic system maintenance is monitoring sludge. Excessive buildup can render your system useless, so the best idea is to have your system professionally inspected in order to give you an idea of how fast sludge accumulates. Specialists who can take care of maintaining your system with regular inspections and pumping when it’s called for, such as Madison CT Septic Tank Cleaning, can also handle grease trap cleaning and lift station cleaning as part of a regular comprehensive maintenance regimen.

Despite its simplicity of operation, your septic system still requires regular attention from trained and experienced professionals in order to operate at peak efficiency. Taking care of it now will save you an emergency call later on.