As I was suffering a mild bout of cabin fever this week, I thought about how difficult life is this time of year. The days are still short and that darn snow just won’t go away. As I dodged a car-sized pothole on the way to work today, I thought about the dilemma my neighbor was suffering and decided my life is good in comparison, at least at this moment in time. My neighbor’s septic backed up the other day which created a stinky situation to say the least. After many laborious hours of snow removal and then digging through over four feet of sticky dirt, he finally uncovered his septic tank lid and discovered a clog consisting of “septic-safe” anti-bacterial wipes and other icky impediments to the flow of things.

Most of us flush and forget about where it goes, usually taking no thought as to what we flush or how that affects the septic system. Items not easily decomposed, including baby wipes and sanitary napkins, coffee grounds, cooking fats, bones, diapers, cigarette butts, paint thinner, etc. should never be flushed into a septic tank. These items will not degrade in the tank and can (like the case described above) clog inlets, outlets and the drainfield. Garbage grinders at the kitchen sink should not be used, nor should you plumb the salty discharge from water filtration systems into a septic system. These types of use can kill the natural decomposition process while creating excessive flows of water and burdening the system with solids that will have to be pumped more frequently. 

Most septic systems should be pumped on a regular schedule (every 3-5 years, or sooner, depending on use), which can help alleviate a difficult winter-time crisis when systems are harder to dig and more difficult to access with pump equipment. 

Septic systems are basically a mini-sewage-treatment-plant in your own back yard. When working properly, such systems effectively control solids and treat effluent so it is clean enough to drink before it returns to ground water. Shirking responsibility for this major house-hold system will most certainly come back to haunt you! 

The lack of septic tank maintenance is the major cause of drainfield failure and can cause sewage backup into the house at those inopportune moments, such as when the family is over for a New Years Eve party. Flush and forget, will eventually come back to haunt you!