Septic tank

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Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Septic tank

Post by Dgflorida »

I am on a septic tank. I was wondering what things you do to reduce stress on your tank. For example, bleach is bad for it. I do a couple of things, but I would like to do more to reduce any possible problems with it. How do you protect your septic tank system?
ownedbydogs
Posts: 897
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:26 am

Re: Septic tank

Post by ownedbydogs »

We have always been on a septic tank and never have had trouble in 26 yrs. I do use bleach some to clean. I think it has more to do with leach field and the size of tank than what is used.
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MackerelCat
Posts: 7259
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Septic tank

Post by MackerelCat »

Our previous house had a septic tank, and we were careful to do not use much bleach. I would do a bleach wash only a couple of times a year: just gather everything white together and do it all in one big load.

We were also careful, because of where the septic field was sited, to not do much laundry or dishes when there had been heavy rains. The field was at the bottom of our property, at the foot of a terraced hillside, and the area would become gooshy with water if we had rain for days on end. That indicates that the field might be overloaded with rainwater, and we rationed out laundry and did dishes by hand during those times. (North Georgia has a fall/winter rainy season that rivals Seattle or Portland.)

Also, you should never put "indigestible" things like grease or coffee grounds down the drain. We were careful about that too, and when we had the system pumped out, the service company said it was in very good shape.
Mackie
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