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Respect Your Septic System

espite what Steve Campbell’s hilar- your household liquid waste. Take a look
ious County Handbook says, a septic and make sure your landscape and gutters
Dsystem is no laughing matter. It’s are not directing rainwater straight to your
serious business, so to speak. Knowing drain field.
what to do, or more precisely what NOT to
do, can avoid a lot of heartache. Here are a KEEP THOSE TREES AWAY
few tips or, if you’re a seasoned septic user, One of the biggest enemies to your under-
a few reminders to keep things going ground drainage system is roots, especially
smoothly. big aggressive ones. Roots encroaching on
your pipes and tank can lead to backups
DON’T USE THE TOILET and other damage. Best keep all trees 100
FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL feet away – and if they’re willows, even
The toilet is not meant to be used to get rid further!
of food, especially not the kind that could
clog up an actual garbage disposal. No hair, MINIMIZE HEAVY-DUTY CLEANERS
coffee grounds, cat litter, paper towels, Living inside the septic tank are tiny micro -
grease or oil, pasta, flour, tampons, diapers, organisms that nibble away at the solid
condoms, or cigarette butts. In fact, don’t waste that exits your house. Heavy-duty
even flush used Kleenex, better to throw drain cleaners with chemical disinfectants
them in the trash. You’d be amazed how will kill them! Don’t use them! Don’t kill
fast such items will clog up your septic the troops that handle your poops. Septic
tank, if they don't clog your toilet first. Any- systems work, so give them the respect they
thing that can go on your compost pile deserve, and keep them going smoothly by
should go on your compose pile. Not down calling on the experts when you need them.
the toilet or drain.
DON’T POUR GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN
Grease is one of the worst things to pour
down a drain, but people do it all the time.
Because it’s liquid right? Sadly this liquid
doesn’t just woosh down the pipes. Grease
can form gunk along the inner lining of
your drainage pipes and also clog the septic
drain field. And if too much grease or –
God forbid – paint! goes down the drain, so
might your savings when you have to pay
for a new drain field.
DIVERT RAINWATER
Yes, even a drain field can get saturated if
too much rainwater collects there. If it’s sat-
urated and soggy it won’t be able to handle

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