Living in the Edmond and Oklahoma City area, a septic system is an invaluable part of your home. It deals with the waste that goes from your shower, bathtub and toilets. The septic tanks can hold 1,000 to 2,000 gallons of water. An inlet pipe drains the water into a drain field away from your property. What doesn’t go out the pipe either settles into the soil where it is eaten by anaerobic bacteria. Whatever is left is dealt with naturally by the soil, plant roots, and evaporation.
However, sometimes a septic system can get clogged and backed up. This will cause problems for the rest of your water system. Toilets can overflow, water will come back up pipes, a large, unsightly puddle will appear where the tank is buried, an awful smell will be caused, and the puddle can pose a health hazard. Here are some helpful tips to guide you in avoiding this issue from happening.
First, don’t flush anything down the toilet you shouldn’t. We hope that doesn’t sound condescending, but there are certain items that may look safe to flush down the toilet but actually aren’t. This includes paper towels, several brands of baby wipes, sanitary napkins, cotton balls or swabs, and even certain brands of toilet paper that don’t break down properly in the tank. Also, be careful what you poor down the sink when you’re cleaning, as certain liquids don’t mix or break down in the tank. This mainly refers to cooking oil and grease when people clean up the kitchen after a meal, as it’s so tempting to just pour it out instead of cleaning out the pots and pans before washing them. But it’s better in the long term if you clean them out beforehand. You also shouldn’t pour things like pesticides, weed killers, paint, solvents, and liquids with a lot of bleach or lye in it. Roots from plants on or around the tank and pipeline can be a problem. You should also be careful what you put on or close to the tank and drain field.
Need septic repair services in the Edmond and Oklahoma City area? Contact Hull Plumbing, your septic system specialists, today at (405) 246-9763.
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