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Care and Maintenance

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Once your system has been properly installed, routine maintenance from the start will go a long way to preventing system failure.  The following section is adapted from the Whatcom County Health Department fact sheet, The Care of Your Septic System and Well Water.

Inspection and Pumping:

• Pump when the total amount of solids equals 1/3 the volume of the tank.  This requires a visual inspection and probing of the tank contents.  Use caution as the tank contains disease-causing microorganisms.  If you choose to do this yourself rather than calling a professional wear rubber gloves, disinfect yourself after, and never enter the tank.
• Check for water tightness.
• Check monitoring ports located in the drainfield for ponded effluent.
• Check baffles for damage.
• Check valve positions in your pressure distribution system for tampering.
• Check drainfield for seepage, soft ground, surfacing effluent, odors, or evidence of soil compaction.

Avoid Overloading The System:

Basic Water Conservation

Hydraulic overloading of the OSS is a result of too much water from too many sources.  This results in surface ponding in the vicinity of the drainfield and can lead to contaminated runoff should a storm occur.

• Check all plumbing (sinks, toilets, showers…) regularly for leaks.  
• Don’t run the dishwasher, washing machine, showers, and faucet at the same time.  
• Stagger loads of wash.  Wait several hours between loads and only wash with full loads.
• Direct all surface water runoff from the driveway, roof, and patios away from the drainfield.

What’s Going Into The System?

Often, improper use of the OSS results in its failure.  Monitoring what is put down the drains is critical to long-term operations.

• Septic tank additives are not needed and do not reduce having to pump routinely.  These additives may be flushed out through the drainfield and can end up in streams and the lake.
• Avoid use of garbage disposals.  Undigested organics are hard on the system and often are too finely ground to settle into the sludge layer.  They increase the overall volume of solids in the system, requiring more frequent pumping.
• Introduction of products whose job it is to kill bacteria will also kill the essential compounds needed for the septic to work properly.  Avoid flushing these products down the drain or toilet:
• Antibiotics (their job is to kill bacteria-enough said)
• Household cleaning products that contain bleach, acids, and disinfectants
• Polishes
• Caustic drain openers
• Look for products for your home cleaning that indicate they are safe for use with an OSS and avoid products with labels that warn of potential health risks, i.e. “harmful if swallowed”, “avoid skin contact”, “do not get in open cuts or sores”.
• Never pour grease or oils into a drain.  
• Avoid the addition of phosphates and nitrates.  These compounds naturally occur in human waste and phosphates can be found in many detergents.  Phosphates often leach out of the system and into the ground water.  Phosphates and nitrates contribute to an increase in algal blooms and choke the watershed of dissolved oxygen.
• Never flush materials such as cigarette butts, sanitary napkins, or other inorganic materials down the toilet.

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