Many homeowners think of a septic system as a way to remove waste from the home. They know the septic tank somehow breaks down the waste, but beyond that many homeowners stop worrying about the process. When the septic tank needs pumping and cleaning, they call a septic tank service. The concern comes back in when the homeowner finds out they may have damaged their septic system and caused costly repairs. If this sounds like your situation, here are some of the top ways you may be damaging your system and how to avoid it in the future. 

Toxic Chemicals

You may think the main reason to avoid harsh chemicals in your home deals with your family. You do not want pets and children to become sick. This is an important reason to avoid harsh chemicals, but there are more reasons. Besides the toxins causing possible harm to the environment, they can also cause damage to your septic system. 

When toxic chemicals are introduced in your septic system, they begin to break down the very way your system works. Within your septic tank are living organisms. These are small organisms that break down the waste you dispose of through the plumbing systems in your home. The toxic chemicals attack and break down the organisms, causing them to die off. The more organisms that die off, the less waste that is broken down in the septic system. 

Food Waste

You may believe because your septic system can break down human waste that food waste would also not be an issue. This is a myth. The enzymes that break down the waste in the tank are not suitable for breaking down the vast majority of foods. If you introduce various forms of food waste into your system, you have a greater chance of clogging the system with items that are not being broken down or cannot break down in the tanks conditions. 

For example, if you introduce coffee ground into the system you can cause severe damage. Coffee grounds do not break down easily if at all. Coffee grounds also contain fats and oils. These fats and oils can cling to the walls of your plumbing and the septic tank. This gives other items something to cling to and cause buildup. Other food items such as solid foods, egg shells, fruit skins and rinds, and cooked foods can cause the same issues, leading to clogs and the breakdown of enzymes. 

Septic Additives

When you start thinking about the health of your septic system, you may start noticing an increasing number to tank products. One of the more common products you will see are septic tank additives. These additives are advertised to help boost the enzymes that are already present in your tank. They are meant to be added at least once a month and said to help do most things from breaking down food particles to giving you more time between necessary cleanings.

The EPA has weighed in on these products and how they work with your current septic system. According to the agency, there have been no tests run to truly determine if the advertisements of these additives are accurate. The key to keep in mind with additives is that if you maintain a healthy septic system and do not destroy your current level of natural enzymes in the tank, the additives are likely not necessary. Adding them could upset the balance inside the tank with the enzymes and ultimately the breakdown of waste. 

When it is time for your routine septic system inspection and cleaning, contact Dr. Flush. Our technicians will arrive on-site and perform a quick inspection of the tank and system as a whole. They will advise you on the best way to move forward and wait for your approval. Once your septic system is made ready for use again, make sure to stay away from the items that damaged it in the first place.