Why Home Septic Tank Maintenance and Cleaning Matters
Why does septic tank cleaning and maintenance matter? Septic Systems are like any other piece of household maintenance – maintaining them is always simpler, less expensive, and easier than replacing them. This means that septic tank cleaning is actually an important piece of your home-ownership schedule. Just as you check your roof’s integrity, clean your gutters and dryer vents, and maintain your home’s exterior and interior aesthetic through cleaning and care, so you should maintain your septic system.
Regular Septic Tank Cleaning Eliminates Risk
If your septic tank is not cleaned, pumped, and otherwise properly maintained, it can cause serious issues. The first obvious issue is the inconvenience of backed-up plumbing. For those with septic systems, a distasteful, smelly plumbing problem can also become an expensive headache that causes a smelly, squishy lawn and other unsightly problems. Regular cleaning eliminates the risk of waking up to a foul and expensive septic system failure.
Also, cleaning your septic is an act of stewardship toward your neighborhood, community, and environment. Improperly cared for and failing systems can contribute harmful wastewater into groundwater, wells, and local habitats. This is a health concern for people, domestic livestock, pets, and wildlife, and should be seriously considered. It can also pollute local rivers, lakes, or other recreational areas, making them unusable and unsafe.
Septic tank cleaning is important because it maintains the economic and aesthetic value of your community. Failing septic systems pose a health threat, and are also expensive and cause property values to decline.
The best way to clean your septic system is to get it pumped by a professional septic company. It’s not necessary to clean or disinfect the septic tank (in fact, it’s harmful, as bacteria helps your system work) but a professional company can make sure that your septic is working well and efficiently.
Homeowner Septic Tank Maintenance
It’s also important to stay educated about what to use in your system. Many items that traditionally go down the garbage disposal (such as coffee grounds and food waste) or normal everyday cleaners like antibacterial hand soap and bleach, can cause your septic system to need premature cleaning. In a future blog post, we will list the items we suggest you avoid using if you are on a septic system in order to keep your household running smoothly.
Most homeowners should consider septic tank cleaning every 1-3 years. We’ll also address this schedule in a future blog post.
Remember, every septic system is different and every household is unique, so if you aren’t sure when to schedule a septic tank inspection, cleaning, pumping, or other services, please call us today at (260)-982-7111 with any questions.