Your Chappaqua and Briarcliff Manor, NY, septic system is a critical part of the successful functioning of your home. Help the installation of the septic tank go smoothly with these tips and protect the integrity of the system by taking care with what you flush.
Related: 8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your New Septic Tank In Hawthorne And Chappaqua, NY
Ensure the Right Size
The size of a septic tank is essential to having enough capacity for waste that comes from your home. Generally, the size of the septic tank is determined by the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in a house. The septic tank installer assumes there will be two people to a bedroom and this is how they determine the size of the tank.
When your septic tank is too small, the waste can flow back into your home since it has to go somewhere. A too-small tank will not have time to allow the water to filter out as it should so overflows can be common.
Place it Correctly
Placing the septic tank in the property is another essential component of successful waste removal from your home. The septic tank must be situated in a place where the gravity can move the waste toward the tank where it can filter to the leach field.
When a tank is placed too high in the ground, the waste will not flow but will stay stagnant and back up into the house.
Be Sure to Have a Backflow
A backflow mechanism can serve as an extra precaution for preventing the waste from flowing backwards into your bathrooms and kitchen. This device works to keep the waste where it belongs as long as you maintain your septic system health.
Don’t Flush the Wrong Things
There are items that you should not flush down your system. When you take care to keep them out of the septic tank, a septic system should work exceptionally well for many years.
Baby products: Don’t flush baby wipes, diapers, or other baby products that can clog up the pipes and tank. These were never designed to be biodegradable and will sit in the bottom of the tank to cause your tank not to work as it should. Flushing these baby items can result in having to get the tank pumped often to keep it working.
Grease and oils: When you let grease and cooking oils cool and pour them into the trash instead of flushing them down the drain, this can help your septic tank work better. The grease and oils sit on top of the watery layer in the tank and stay there. The best course of action is not to put them there at all.
Chemicals and bleach: Flushing chemicals or a large amount of bleach down the drain is never recommended for your septic system. Within the septic tank are beneficial microorganisms that decompose the waste. Chemicals and bleach disrupt this process and kill the microorganisms, leaving the waste to stay in the tank. This can cause you to have to pump the contents often.
Coffee grounds and cigarette butts: The coffee grounds can cause clogs in the septic tank and the cigarette butts do not decompose so these items should be thrown away in the trash and never flushed to avoid clogging any part of the system.
Related: 6 Ways You Can Protect Your New Septic Installation In Chappaqua, NY
