Maintaining your septic system is the most important thing to learn.

A septic tank should be inspected every 3 years and pumped out every 3 to 5 years, or more frequently if your system gets heavy use, or you aren’t . This should be done my a professional.

Keep your system in good working order by using water efficiently. Simple water conservation like turning water off while shaving, only running clothes and dish washers when they’re full, and being sure that faucets are not dripping. A dripping faucet can waste about 2.000 gallons of water each year. Leaky toilets can waste 200 gallons a day. The more water you conserve, the less that goes into the septic system.
Everyone in the house needs to be educated about the impact they have on your septic system. Dental floss, feminine hygiene products, diapers, cotton swabs, cigarette butts, coffee grounds, cat litter, paper towels and other kitchen and bathroom items can clog and potentially damage septic system operations.

Flushing household chemicals, gasoline, oil, pesticides, antifreeze and paint can stress or destroy the biological treatment taking place in the system. These harmful chemicals can potentially leach into the groundwater and leach into your well.

It’s not just the tank that needs care, the drainfield or leachfield also needs attention. Plant only grass over your drainfield, and around your septic system. Roots from nearby trees or shrubs can potentially clog and damage the drainfield. Knowing where your system pipes and drainfield are is important because you shoudl not drive or park vehicles on any part of your system. Doing this can compact the soil in your drainfield, or damage other components of the system. Be sure that roof drains, sump pump drains and other rainwater drainage systems are kept away from the drainfield. Excess water on the drainfield slows down or can stop the treatment processes. This can cause plumbing fixtures to back up.

Would you like to be reminded every 3 years to have your septic tank inspected?  Just send me an email and give me your mailing address and I’ll put you on my septic reminder list.

Categories: First Time Buyers, Buying, Environmental, Septic Systems, Bennington VT

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 23rd, 2006 at 8:14 am and is filed under Bennington VT, Buying, Environmental, First Time Buyers, Septic Systems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the Bennington VT Real Estate RSS 2.0 feed. You can respond to the Bennington VT Real Estate Commentary, or trackback to Bennington VT Real Estate Commentary from your own site.