When you have a septic tank on your property, instead of being hooked up to a public sewage line, you will need to be extra cautious about keeping it in great shape. After all, because septic tanks hold toxic waste, there is hardly ever a time when a problem is deemed a small problem that can be put off; this is why you will want to care for the tank as much as you can to prevent the need for major repairs. To help you with this, you will want to review the following advice:

Keep The Good Bacteria In There

Too many people make the mistake of assuming that all bacteria is bad bacteria. However, this is not the case when it comes to septic tanks. You need the good bacteria in there in order for the solids to be broken down; this is not normally an issue unless you are putting chemicals down the drain that will kill off the naturally occurring good bacteria. Therefore, you need to be very careful when it comes to selecting the type of cleaning products that you are going to use throughout the house. Any cleaning products that you use need to be safe for septic tanks and they will generally have that advertised on the side of their bottles or containers. This way, whether you are cleaning the sink or simply rinsing out rags used to clean random areas of the house, you never have to worry about what is being put into your septic tank.

Avoid Using A Garbage Disposal

Even though they might seem very convenient at first, you will discover that the use of a garbage disposal puts your septic lines in danger of being clogged; this is because the septic tanks and their lines should only have liquid and human waste in them. No matter how well the garbage disposal grinds up the food, you are still increasing the chances of fats, grease, and oils traveling through your septic system, slowly clogging the lines as it moves through. You might not have a problem right away, but the more you line the inside of the septic lines with grease and fat, the more likely it is that you will have a complete clog on your hands eventually.

If you start to find that you are having trouble with this, you can always look for a septic tank technician that you can hire to help you maintain the tank. You will then at least know that you are covering all of your bases and that you are doing all that you can to prevent trouble with the tank. Should it need repairs in the future, you will know that they were inevitable versus something that you caused due to poor maintenance. To learn more, contact a plumbing company like John Manning Plumbing.