It’s no secret that septic tanks are sensitive systems. And, when you have a septic tank, it can be tempting to treat it the same as a city sewer.
But the truth is that some things that are okay to flush into a city sewer can destroy your septic system…not to mention the fact that many people have a bad habit of flushing things that are never meant to be flushed.
Doing things like flushing disposable wipes or letting coffee grounds drain down the sink may seem harmless enough…but these actions could actually cause serious damage to your septic system!
Here are 9 things you might be doing to destroy your septic system:
- Flushing Things That Aren’t Human Waste or Toilet Paper
- Using A Garbage Disposal
- Planting Flower or Bushes Over the Leach Field
- Building Structures Over The Tank
- Using Too Much Drain Cleaner
- Using Enzyme Additives
- Excessive Lint From Washing Machines
- Over Saturating Your Leach Field
- Ignoring Your Septic System
Flushing Things That Aren’t Human Waste or Toilet Paper
It’s very easy to take for granted how most of us can flush pretty much anything and let it become the cities problem. Sure, you’re not flushing yard clippings and garbage…but most of us are guilty of flushing wet wipes or dumping coffee grounds into the sink and letting them wash away.
But if you’re on a septic system you have to be much more careful…it no longer becomes the cities problem if you flush something you’re not supposed to, that’s going to be your problem….your very expensive problem!
These are the main things you should never flush or drain into your septic tank…but there are other culprits too. Basically, if it isn’t human waste or toilet paper, don’t flush it!
- Kitty Litter
- Wet Wipes and Feminine Hygiene Products
- Non Human Feces
- Too Much Water (Leaky Faucets)
- Cloth, Condoms, Band Aids, etc. (Pretty Much Anything Else)
Kitty Litter
If only it was as easy as scooping out the cat’s litter box, dropping it in the toilet and flushing it down…and it almost seems like a logical thing to do. However, most kitty litter is made from clay which never breaks down in a septic system.
Even so-called “septic safe” litters that are made from corn or paper products take a long time to break down which can lead to clogs or require you to call the pumping company more often than you normally would.
Cat litter can also clog up the perforations that take water from the tank out to the leach field, now you’re talking big bucks to fix and a torn-up (aka dug-up) yard.
Wet Wipes and Feminine Hygiene Products
This is another thing that seems like it would be perfectly okay to flush down the toilet…I mean, paper is paper, right? Nope!
The paper used in wet wipes doesn’t break down as quickly as toilet paper with some septic professionals finding completely intact towelettes months after the homeowner says they had been flushed.
Flushing paper that ISN’T toilet paper is going to make you more susceptible to clogging and frequent pumping from your friendly local septic company. An even worse scenario is them clogging in the pipes between your house and septic tank, which is also known to happen.
Non-Human Feces
I’ll say it again, if it isn’t human waste don’t flush it. And I want to emphasize HUMAN waste. Dog and cat feces should not be flushed into a septic system.
While there are systems that are designed to handle animal waste, the majority that is installed are not.
Cats and dogs have diets that contain more grasses, rawhide, and denser meats which…you guessed it…don’t break down at as quick a rate as human waste and will lead to clogging and more frequent maintenance.
Too Much Water (Leaky Faucets)
Watch out for excessive water going into the system from leaky faucets, drips, excessive use, or toilets that keep running.
Most septic systems are only designed to hold around 2000 gallons of water before they need to be pumped out…This is why it’s important not to overfill your tank.
Too much water will fill the tank up more quickly which leads to more water emptying into the leach field. If you have issues with drips or leaks, keep an eye out for swampy areas or pooling water over the leach field.
Cloth, Condoms, Band Aids, etc. (Pretty Much Anything Else)
At the start of this article, I mentioned how sensitive septic systems are…they are really designed for a specific purpose; to store greywater, human waste, and toilet paper.
If you drop in things like cloth, condoms, band-aids (really any non-absorbent material) there’s a good chance that this stuff isn’t going to break down in a short period of time (and sometimes never.)
Using A Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals are great, but they are one of the most common causes of septic system problems. If you’re not careful there’s a good chance that the blades and motor will clog up with food, sending it into your drain field or even worse to try and break down in the septic tank.
Eventually, you’re going to have water from appliances, sinks, and toilets back up into your house. If that doesn’t get fixed quickly enough it could lead to sewage coming out on top of your toilet bowl or flooding your leach field.
Having excessive food waste makes its way into your septic tank can also affect the microbes that your tank needs to break down the waste.
Foods, even chopped-up ones, don’t break down as human waste does. It can sit and build up over months, which will eventually lead to clogs in your system. A septic system is made up of 3 layers:
- Human solid waste layer at the bottom. Bacteria that live in your septic system are microscopic critters that have evolved into little poop eating powerhouses. They can’t break down food solids nearly as quickly or efficiently.
- Human liquid waste layer in the middle. This layer seeps out excess liquid into the drain field. Food solids fill your system up faster, meaning the excess liquids go out to the drain field more often. This can cause loose soil above the system or pooling of nasty water.
- Thin top layer of natural occurring scum. This is going to be toilet paper that hasn’t broken down completely yet, or the waste created by the bacteria. It’s usually a fairly fine layer and you can get by having it drained and maintained once every 3 years or so. As food waste rots it will add excess scum to this layer, greatly increasing the chance of a clog.
Adding food solids from using garbage disposals means having your system pumped and maintained at double its normal rate. So, if you have it pumped once every three years now, bump that to once every 18 months if you plan to use a garbage disposal.
What about garbage disposals that are marketed as “Septic Safe?” If you really need a garbage disposer, then you need to use one with a very fine grind. The finer food particles are easier for the septic bacteria to break down, however, you may still need to increase the frequency of regular maintenance and pumping.
If you have a garbage disposal, try to use it very sparingly and be sure that it gets regularly run with lots of cold water and use plenty of drain cleaner from time to time…though excessive water and drain cleaner can also lead to problems, more on this below.
Inspecting Your Septic System Every Year This one may seem like common sense but many people wait until something goes wrong before they inspect their septic system.
Planting Flower or Bushes Over the Leach Field
Shallow root plants like normal lawn grasses are the only plants that can be safely planted over your septic systems leach field.
Small trees, bushes, and even flowers that have substantial root systems go into the earth too deeply. As the roots take hold and spread out under the ground they can cause a myriad of issues in your leach field. They become intrusive, compact the soil, and damage drainage lines.
Just thinking about what a leach field is should tell you if it’s a good idea to grow a vegetable garden on top of it.
Okay, just to take the mystery out, NO…do not grow a garden over your septic leach field. Even if the soil on top is clean, the roots are going down into the dirt, directly to where harmful bacteria are located.
Here is what is safe to plant, according to landscape architects and septic specialists:
- Eco Grass with Fescue
- Smaller Grasses like feather grass, deschampsia or tufted fescue
- Grass like plants such as liatris, armeria or mondo grass
It’s best to avoid plants that have to be replanted or treated each season. Ideally, you want grass you don’t need to mow and plants that have shallow roots, no maintenance, and low water usage.
Building Structures Over The Tank
This one seems obvious right…building any kind of structure or cemented parking space over your septic tank is just a bad idea.
The ground is going to be wet almost all of the time so it will always be heaving and sinking…even slightly. Anything built on top of this lack of stability is going to crack, bend and bow.
If you have any problem with your septic and something is built over it…you’re going to be ripping it down. In fact, if you go to sell your property you will most likely be made to tear any structure down before it can go on the market!
Here is a quick list of common things people have built over septic tanks and leach fields:
- Pools
- Trampolines
- Permanent Structures (Sheds, Garages, Gazebos)
- Cement Pads
- Parking Space (Gravel/Paved)
Pools
It seems like such a shame to have this large area of the yard and not put it to use. But, you’ll want to make sure you keep the area clear. This includes moveable things like above-ground pools.
An above-ground pool would have to be drained, which means dumping hundreds of gallons of water over your leach field…not a good idea.
Trampolines
Trampolines wouldn’t be too difficult to move, but if there was an emergency and you were away from home (especially if this is for a vacation cabin or second home that isn’t lived in year-round) and septic professionals needed access to your system quickly the less that’s in the way the better.
Permanent Structures Or Cement Pads
You’ve spent $6000 on a beautiful gazebo or $3000 for a nice pad to park your boat and the septic system has decided to clog. Well, guess what’s getting moved, torn down, or jack-hammered up?
Cost to you isn’t the only factor here. You want the dirt that’s down in your leach field to be loose so that it can aerate and dry out and have room to move a bit. Putting a heavy structure on top will pack the dirt down and eventually clog the drainage pipes from the tank.
Using It As A Spare Parking Spot
This one feeds into the last few points in that putting heavy objects, even ones that come and go, pack the dirt down.
Septic systems usually have vent pipes and other piping that sticks up out of the ground. If you’re regularly driving or parking in this area sooner or later you’ll hit and break a pipe.
One last thing about having heavy objects over a septic system is the extra weight can crack pipes or the tank itself. The tank lives underground so small crack and hairline fractures would go unnoticed but could eventually lead to a collapse.
Using Too Much Drain Cleaner
This is especially true for root blockages. A septic tank can only move so much water in a day and if your plumbing system needs to push more than that through the leach field then you’re going to have some problems sooner or later.
Your drain lines are usually made of clay, which has tiny holes throughout it allowing water to pass through.
If you pour drain cleaner down your drains, which is designed to eat away at organic material like hair and food scraps it will eventually clog up these holes completely stopping the flow of water.
Using too much soap or laundry detergent can also be a big problem for septic systems as well as dishwashers that don’t have their own septic line.
Using Enzyme Additives
You may have heard about enzymes and how they work by breaking down all those nasty organics that cause problems with your system. These can be really effective in some cases but if you’re using them regularly along with other products it can cause a bit of a downward spiral.
Over time the enzymes and other additives build up in your tank causing clumping and solidifying, which leads to more frequent pumpings and backups as well as root infiltration into your system.
The best thing you could do for yourself is not pour anything down any drains except water (and even then not too much). And avoid pouring anything down the toilet unless it’s biodegradable.
Excessive Lint From Washing Machines
Most people think that a washing machine is just going to scrub your clothes clean and all that will drain out is the used water and a little detergent.
But as your clothes are cleaned and agitated, a small number of cloth fibers and lint are coming off your clothes and getting drained out into your septic system.
Lint in the septic system means clogging up pipes, pumps, and even tanks themselves.
Basically, everything and anything can fill up your septic system and lead to more frequent pumping or, worse yet, clog things up and cost you thousands in repair and yard reconstruction.
Don’t use too much laundry detergent, especially if it’s concentrated. Make sure you use the right amount of soap or detergent for your particular machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If an enzyme type cleaner is what you prefer, look for one that uses live bacteria cultures to break down organics in your septic system rather than harsh chemicals. This will help keep things more balanced and not cause problems with clumping.
Lastly, make sure you use a high-efficiency washer to reduce the amount of lint and other materials going down your drains.
Over Saturating Your Septic System Leach Field
When you saturate your soil with too much wastewater, it becomes a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria and viruses that thrive in wet environments.
So when you over-saturate your leach field by flushing excessive amounts of water, dish soap, or laundry detergent down your drains it doesn’t just go away. It all ends up in the same place and can cause problems for both you and Mother Nature.
The best thing to do is stick with what your septic system was designed for. Use cold water when possible and avoid flushing chemicals down your drains.
Ignoring Your Septic System
If you wait too long to have your system pumped we get the dreaded four-letter word I’ve been typing over and over in this article…CLOG!
Clogging means that the field drain pipe isn’t able to release water out to the leach field and eventually things are going to start backing up in the pipe that leads to the house.
These are some things to look for…or smell for when a system becomes clogged:
- The Smell of Sewage Out In The Yard
- Sitting Water Over The Leach Field
- Bright Green Grass Over The Leach Field
- Waste Water Backing Up In To The House
- Drains In Sinks and Showers Not Draining Or Draining Very Slowly
In a worst-case scenario, ignoring your septic system for too long can damage it beyond repair… which means replacing it.
The average cost to pump your septic system is about $400-$500 and the average cost to replace it is between $13,000 and $15,000…so get that regular maintenance on your calendar!
Final Thoughts
Having your system pumped also means that you have a professional coming out and putting eyes on things. Even if they aren’t doing a thorough inspection of your system, they will still notice things that you might not.
Most homeowners can get a little lazy when it comes to walking their property just to check things out and do a little preventative maintenance. Having a professional come out when your tank needs to be pumped means problems can be caught before you have some unfortunate toilet back-ups.
Septic systems aren’t the only option for an off-grid living so if you’re looking for another alternative to city sewer, I recently wrote an article covering the differences between a Septic Tank and a Holding Tank.