Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Septic Tank

How often do you clean your roof? Or how often do you clean your garage and your house? These are some things we do very often because, one,  we don’t want our house to be dirty and, two, we don’t want our family and friends (and neighbors!) to talk badly about the state of our home! However, when it comes to “cleaning” or taking care of our septic tank, we don’t do that very often, or even ever. But, why should we care about cleaning it?

1. Avoid Disasters! If you are reading this, chances are you haven’t cleaned your septic tank lately. And by not doing it, the risk of having bigger problems in the future is higher. What kind of problems could you have by not cleaning it? The most common ones are backed-up toilets, sinks, and basically all the water that goes into a tank. But, even though we should have it cleaned, it doesn’t mean you should have it done every week! Have in mind these important factors in order to calculate how often you must have your septic tank drained:

• Number of people that live in your house.
• How many times am I (and my family) flushing the toilet daily?
• When was the last time the septic tank was cleaned and drained?

2. Remove Items That May Cause Trouble! We all know that there are certain items we just cannot flush down the toilet like disinfectant wipes, flushable wipes (yes, we know!), paper towels, Q-tips, cotton balls, tampons, pads, diapers, etc. But, did you know that there are also certain items that can make your septic tank build up and overflow? Septic tanks require a delicate balance of bacteria and enzymes to break down waste. However, you may be disrupting that delicate process by using harsh dishwashing detergents or laundry soaps. So how can we take care of them?

• Use less powdered detergent since these contain more additives (like sodium) that can settle to the sides of your tank and build up over time. Try using more liquid detergent and an all-natural (vegan) one.
• Find and use septic tank-friendly cleaners. These will usually be labeled as non-chlorine, non-ammonia, non-antibacterial, non-toxic, and/or biodegradable cleaning products. Not only will they help your family as well as the environment, but they will also reduce the cleaning agents that enter the septic system.

 Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Septic Tank

As learned, taking care of our septic tank is like taking care of the rest of our home. Of course, cleaning it may only be once a year, every five years, or in some cases, every 10-20 years. Are you not sure of the last time you had yours cleaned and drained or want to check if everything is okay? Contact Local Service Pro Plumbing for any of your plumbing emergencies, especially if you need your septic tank checked and cleaned!