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Minimize the amount of water going into your septic system by spreading out clothes washing over a number of days, rather than doing all the family laundry on one day.

  • Shorten the length of showers and use ‘low flow’ shower heads to help keep excess water out of the system. Low flow or dual flush toilets will also minimize water going into the system.
  • Use liquid or gel soap in dishwashers and washing machines – gel soaps don’t contain phosphates like powdered soaps.
  • Keep kitchen wastes out the system. This means no oil or grease down the kitchen drain plus, a garbage disposal shouldn’t be connected to the system (kitchen wastes break down differently than human waste).
  • Keep all non-biodegradable products out of the system. This includes flushable items like tampons, diapers, paper towels even cigarette butts.
  • Never use your septic system as way to get rid of toxic materials like solvents and paint thinners. They won’t be eliminated, they will simply be distributed into the soil. Commercial products that claim to clear septic systems often contain toxic or hazardous chemicals like lye that are bad for the environment.
  • Inspect your septic tank annually. Generally, septic tanks should be pumped every three to five years. An inspection by you or a professional may show that you need to pump more or less often. Regular pumping ensures that solids will not flow from the septic tank into the drain field. Solids can destroy the drain field, and once a drain field has failed, pumping will not bring it back to life.

  • Finally, have your system pumped out on a regular basis, (we suggest every two to four years) to ensure the system has enough capacity to work efficiently.