Septic System Maintenance Secrets
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Article by: Corey K. Tournet Septic System Maintenance When you buy a car, you are given an owner's manual with instructions on how to , Looking After Your Rose Garden care for your car. Septic systems can cost as much or more than a car, unfortunately nobody gives you a manual when they are installed. Some people don't even know they have a septic system! As a result, many septic systems fail unnecessarily. The Price for Failure is Steep The price for failure is steep in two way. More than 1200 people in the US die each year from contaminated water, , Safety with Style in the Bath and failing septic systems are a leading source of waterborne disease , Make Your Spa an At-home Getaway outbreaks in the country today. In a 2000 EPA report, 31 states listed septic systems as their second greatest potential source of groundwater contamination. Septic system replacement is also very expensive, with costs often running from $5,000 to $20,000 or more. Fortunately, there are some highly effective, ineffective steps you can take to eliminate this problem. Before discussing solutions, let's look at why septic systems fail. Septic system failure is actually pretty easy to understand. When a system fails, the tank itself doesn't fail- the drainfield soil , In the Veggie Path - December (southern hemisphere) fails. In most cases the soil , Popular perennials for the garden fails when it gets plugged up with solids and won't allow liquid to pass through it. For example, it can get plugged with solids from the tank if the tank hasn't been pumped, or with lint from a washing machine. Now for your solutions: 1. Use a washing machine filter. Did you know that washing machines are a leading cause of septic system failure? The primary culprit is lint generated by washing machines, which clogs the soil , Safety with Style in the Bath in drain fields. Did you know that a typical family washing machine produces enough lint each year to carpet , Getting To Know What Flowers Are Seasonal And What Are Not and entire living room floor! , Growing Geraniums Indoors Or Outdoors Lint screens and nylon traps found in hardware , Building Wood Stairs stores trap 5% or less of these particles. Because they are so light , Burning Bushes Do Well In Doylestown Township Pa. and small, the lint particles do not settle out in the septic tank. Instead, they stay in suspension and are flushed out to the drain field, where they plug up the pores of the soil , Vegetable Gardening Tips bed. To compound the problem, much of our clothing is now manufactured with synthetic materials such as polyester and nylon. These substances are not biodegradable, and will not break down in a septic system. Instead, they accumulate and plug the soil. , Make Your Spa an At-home Getaway Once these materials enter the soil, , Emerald Green Arborvitae for Lahaska Pa. there is no way to remove them. The good news is that lint can be prevented from entering the septic system through the use of a reusable, inline filter which attaches to your washing machine discharge hose. The filter, called the Filtrol 160, retails for $139.95. 2. Avoid Excessive Water , The Joy Of Gardening Use You can also damage your septic system by doing a large number of laundry , In the Veggie Path - December (southern hemisphere) loads in a short period of time. In standard septic systems, solid materials settle in the tank, while effluent flows out into the ground. If you put more water , Rose Pruning Tips into the system than it is built to handle, the high volume of water , So You Decided To Remodel Your Bathroom will flood , Looking After Your Rose Garden your system, and can also stir up and flush solids out of the tank into the drain field (in fact, septic pumpers use water , Safety with Style in the Bath from their hoses to help break up solids in your tank before pumping them out). A typical washing machine can use up to 60 gallons of water , The Benefits Of Wooden Flooring per wash load. On a heavy day you can easily put 400, 500 or 600 gallons of water , Looking After Your Rose Garden through the system in a few hours. The solution is to spread out your water , Growing Geraniums Indoors Or Outdoors use. Do one or two loads of laundry , Beautiful Lighting Tips 101 - A Crash Course in Lighting Des per day, rather than 10-12 loads on Saturday morning. Water , Growing Geraniums Indoors Or Outdoors softeners can also damage your system by putting too much water , Economic Recession or not, you Must be Creative to Survive through the septic system. These devices can put several hundred gallons of water , Make A Room Divider To Match Your Decor down the drain every week, water , Liner ponds versus folding preformed ponds that is not contaminated and does not need to go through the treatment process. There are a couple solutions to this problem. You can upgrade your softener with a newer efficient model that uses less water , Herbs For A Tea Garden and regenerates on demand, instead of a timer system that regenerates whether you use water , Safety with Style in the Bath or not. You can also install a mini septic system for your water , Avoiding leaks when installing vinyl retrofit windows softener. 3. Prevent Solids from Leaving the Tank First of all, you should get your tank pumped on a regular basis to prevent excessive accumulation of solids in the tank. Under normal conditions, you should have the tank inspected and pumped every 1-3 years. Very important: tanks should be pumped and inspected through the manhole cover, not the inspection pipe. Your septic contractor , Burning Bushes Do Well In Doylestown Township Pa. should also install an effluent filter in the exit baffle of the tank. Effluent filters stop the larger solids from getting out to the drainfield. They are cleaned out every few years when you have your tank pumped. They are usually only about $80. Effluent filters are cheap insurance and along with a washing machine filter, one of the best things you can do to protect your system. 4. Use of Household , Gardening Magazines - Some of the Best Cleaning Products Excessive use of these products , Attracting Wild Birds can contribute to septic system failure. If you do over 5 loads a week containing bleach, problems could arise. Avoid powdered detergents as they contain plastic , The Joy Of Gardening fillers that can plug up your lines and drain field. Also, be careful with harsh automatic toilet bowl cleaners, which have put quite a few systems out of commission. 5. Should I Use a Separate System for My Washing Machine? Some people say you should use a separate system for your washing machine, called a laundry , Native Trees and Plants For Berks County, PA interceptor. However, this is not necessary and in fact undesirable. Washing machines should discharge into the regular system because it actually works better than discharging into its own system. In order to work, septic systems require bacteria colonies which break down biodegradable matter. These bacteria require "food" which is found in our wastewater, but not in detergent. Without "food" these bacteria colonies die out and the system fails. Many people who have installed these systems have found this out the hard way. A research project conducted in several east coast states utilized some rather high tech systems for washing machine discharge and many began failing in as little as eight months. Maintenance Tips: Do: Divert surface runoff water , Popular perennials for the garden from roofs, , Planning Your Herb Garden The Right Way patios, , Burning Bushes Do Well In Doylestown Township Pa. driveways and other areas away from your drainfield. Have your septic tank pumped regularly. It should also be inspected for leaks, cracks and to make sure the exit baffle is in place. , How To Safely Remove Ice Dams From Your Home Install lint and effluent filters. Spread out your laundry , Liner ponds versus folding preformed ponds loads. Compost , Vegetable Gardening Tips your garbage or put it in the trash Don't: Use a garbage disposal. These appliances normally double the amount of solids added to the tank! Flush sanitary napkins, disposable diapers or other non-biodegradable products , Home Improvement Ideas into your system. Dump solvents, oils, paint , Beautiful Lighting Tips 101 - A Crash Course in Lighting Des thinners, disinfectants, pesticides or poisons down the drain as they can disrupt the treatment process and contaminate the groundwater. Dig in your drainfield or build anything over it. Drive over your drainfield or compact the soil , Beautiful Lighting Tips 101 - A Crash Course in Lighting Des in any way. Plant , Flower Bulbs: Where to Buy them from? trees , Make A Room Divider To Match Your Decor or shrubbery close to the septic system, because the roots , How To Safely Remove Ice Dams From Your Home can get in the lines and plug them. Grass , Lawns, Gophers & Moles is the only thing that should be planted on or near a drainfield. If Your System Fails In quite a few cases, a tune-up can fix your system and you can avoid the high costs of replacing the system. This tuneup includes properly pumping the tank, cleaning (jetting) the drainfield lines, and installing washing machine and effluent filters. If these measures are not sufficient, some failed systems can be rejuvenated by fracturing the soil. , Beautiful Lighting Tips 101 - A Crash Course in Lighting Des This process utilizes a hollow tube inserted into the soil, , If you are chasing the most up-to-date advice relating to ba then a 300 pound blast or air , Burning Bushes Do Well In Doylestown Township Pa. is injected into the soil , Popular varieties of annuals for the home garden creating thousands of tiny fissures. These fissures allow the drainfield to drain, creating an oxygen atmosphere and the aerobic bacterial colonies to repopulate. Aerobic bacteria, which require oxygen, typically live in the top 26 inches of the drainfield and process waste much more quickly than anaerobic bacteria. This process can be performed in a matter of hours with no digging or damage to the yard. , Native Trees and Plants For Berks County, PA One company which performs this service is Terralift International (http://www.terraliftinternational.com). If you have a clay soil , Herbs For A Tea Garden which has become plugged due to sodium from wastewater binding with the clay, Septic Seep can help. These product , Vegetable Gardening Tips releases sodium bonded clays and reopens soil, , Building Wood Stairs restoring passages air , Popular varieties of annuals for the home garden and water. , The String Algae Blues... It also has the benefit of dispersing greases and scums that clog the soil. , The Benefits Of Wooden Flooring Corey K. Tournet is the President of The Laundry , Popular varieties of annuals for the home garden Alternative, Inc., a company which specializes in providing unique, eco-friendly laundry products. , Beautifying The Garden Or Yard With A Bench |
  
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