How to Keep Your Septic System Running Smoothly
Your day-to-day habits can impact the workings of this essential apparatus. Here are best practices to help keep things in good order.
If you’ve recently moved into a home that relies on a septic system (or you see one in your future), you might already know a thing or two about the big picture. One of the most critical points: Professional upkeep is key.
“Regular maintenance can prevent premature failures and help protect human and environmental health,” says EPA spokesperson Remmington Belford. Your service pro will take care of inspections, pumping, cleaning, and repairs, ongoing. This is not work you can do yourself.
But there’s more to the story: Since all the wastewater from your kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry runs into the septic tank, household habits can also make a difference.
With the help of Belford; Angie Hicks, co-founder of the home-services company Angi (formerly Angie’s List); Krista A. Capps, PhD, associate professor at the Odum School of Ecology and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory at the University of Georgia; and Benjamin Pratt, of BP Wastewater Services of Vermont, we put together this list of do’s and don’ts that can help minimize stress on your system, reduce risk, and keep you ahead of trouble.
If you’re a newbie, read our deep dive, The No-Stress Guide to Septic Systems, to get a solid lay of the land.
Inside the House: Do's
Do minimize water usage. Running too much water can put a strain on your system and flood your drainfield.
Do flush only human waste and toilet paper.
Inside the House: Don'ts
Don’t use a garbage disposal. It lets too many solids and greases enter the septic system.
Don’t flush medications, which can also disrupt the bacteria in your septic tank and contaminate groundwater.
Don’t do multiple loads of laundry consecutively. Spread out laundry (and water usage) throughout the week.
Don’t flush kitty litter, pet waste, wipes (even “flushable” ones), or menstrual products. Solids like these can cause clogs in your septic system.
Don’t discharge a sump pump into your waste line. Excess water can slow or stop drainfield processes.
Don’t ignore leaks inside the house. Fix them when you spot them. A running toilet or dripping sink can fail a system within a matter of days, says Pratt.
Outside the House: Do's
Do learn the location of your septic tank and drainfield (the system of underground pipes and filtering materials through which wastewater flows when it exits the tank). It’s not always obvious. To find the tank, trace where the main plumbing line leaves your home and look for a green or black disc (that’s the access riser about 10 feet from the house—or possibly even a manhole. The drainfield can be trickier to spot. Look for a flat area of lawn without trees or an otherwise unexplained mound of earth.
Do find a great service provider, either through neighbors, your local department of health or environmental agency (whichever regulates septic systems in your area), or the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association’s Septic System Professional Locator Tool.
Do save all service records. This will help you and your service pro keep track of needed maintenance. If possible, stick with the same servicer for all your needs.
Outside the House: Don'ts
Don’t allow heavy vehicles or machinery (cars, bulldozers, boats, RVs) to park or drive on top of your septic tank or drainfield; the weight can damage the underground structures.
Don’t ever try to open the lid of your septic tank (or the cap to an access riser) yourself. Doing so could expose you to dangerous sewer gases like hydrogen sulfide and methane. Only a qualified (and well-equipped) professional should open the tank, inspect it, and pump it. Again, this is not a DIY situation.
Don’t put additives in your septic system, despite what you may have heard or read—even “natural” biological additives like baking soda, vinegar, and active yeast. They can damage or kill the naturally occurring anaerobic bacteria that break down waste, and this can result in untreated sewage being expelled from your system.
More on Septic Systems
Check our deep dive into everything you’d ever want to know about septic systems.
