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New To Owning A Septic Tank? Common Questions About Maintenance

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Did you recently move into a home with a septic tank? If so, you likely are new to having a home with this type of plumbing system and have plenty of questions about it. Here are some of those questions you may have about maintenance.

Is It Okay To Install A Garbage Disposal?

You likely noticed that the kitchen doesn't have a garbage disposal when you moved in, and you may find this something that you miss and want to install on your own. However, know that the lack of a garbage disposal is for a good reason. Putting so much food waste down your drains will eventually cause a problem with your septic tank if you are not careful. The food waste will have a difficult time breaking down in the septic tank, and eventually cause a clog in your drainfield when it makes its way out of the tank. Not having a garbage disposal should keep the tank operating without issues.

How Can You Tell It's Time To Have The Tank Pumped?

There are several signs to look out for to identify that your septic tank needs to be pumped. A common problem that you'll run into is slow-moving drains, which happens because the wastewater is having a difficult time going into the tank because it is at full capacity. You may also notice odors that are coming through your drains and weird gurgling sounds as well. Reach out to a septic tank maintenance company to have them come to your home to check the tank and pump it if you notice these problems.

Does The Drain Field Require Special Care?

All of the wastewater from your septic tank will go into a part of your yard known as the drain field. It's a special part of your yard that has been created so that wastewater will drain further down into the soil and allow solid waste to further decompose. It is important that you pay attention to what you do on top of the drainfield to avoid damaging it.

You'll want to avoid parking any sort of vehicle above the drain field since the weight of a car can put pressure on the pipes under the soil and cause them to break. You also want to limit the area to just grass, since anything with roots can eventually cause damage to the pipes by burrowing into them to find moisture.


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