The Second Annual Septic Smart Week Tips

For those not in the septic tank world, they may not have been aware that the week of September 22-26^th is the Septic Smart week, put on by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The week is all about making sure homeowners are aware that they have to take care of their septic tanks and what kind of safety they should follow when they do.

This is because not keeping up with it can cause catastrophic damage to not only the home and the surrounding area, but it can destroy the environment and pollute the drinking water of an entire city. It is these reasons that many cities today still pay people to have their septic tanks managed and cleaned. And it is all done as we start to move into fall and winter because the winter months tend to be the worst for septic tank troubles.

So here are a few tips to keep in mind as we approach those winter months!

Having your septic tank inspected at least once every few years will allow you to keep up to date with what is going on down there, but if you are ever concerned about a smell or having trouble with the septic tank, it is always worth contacting a professional to handle it. Too many people die or are hospitalized because they think they can handle it then they pass out from the gases. And if you get it done now, you can avoid the busy schedule that septic tank inspectors run into during the winter.

Watch what is going down your drain and sink. Lots of solids will start to cause problems in the septic tank, and even leave rotting things down there that make a toxic environment. Particularly, avoiding fats and greases can save you a lot of trouble. But also things like cigarette butts, coffee grounds and even dental floss can clog things up.

Also spreading out your water consumption can be important too. Try and break up when people take showers in your house and don’t do all your loads of laundry at once. Otherwise you could end up overloading the system and clogging things up to the point of your toilet not wanting to flush any more.

Of course these are only a few tips, so if you’d like an in depth look at what you should do to maintain your septic tank, look at the Septic Smart Website.

Source: http://www.register-herald.com/news/article_9f317222-c743-56ba-815c-89d27fef54a4.html