How Water Conservation Helps With Septic System Care
A healthy septic tank should separate solid and liquid waste to ensure proper waste treatment. Most importantly, solid waste needs to settle at the bottom of the tank to allow anaerobic bacteria to decompose the waste. Liquid waste then floats on top to form a scum layer.
However, too much wastewater into the tank may prevent solid waste from settling properly at the bottom of your septic tank. As a result, your tank may not have enough time to separate liquid and solid waste. Eventually, large amounts of debris may flow into the drainfield. Your septic system can no longer be effective at proper waste treatment.
Why Is Water Conservation Important?
Many homeowners don't understand the importance of reducing the amount of wastewater in their septic system. However, all the wastewater that enters the septic tank eventually flows into the drainfield. The lesser the amount of wastewater, the less liquid waste your septic system has to process.
If too much water ends up in your drainfield, solid waste could clog the soil and cause flooding. The resulting repair costs can be overwhelming, not to mention the hazards of a bad septic system.
Remember that an older septic system might require a lot more attention. If you've recently brought in new home appliances, your water demand may be higher. As a result, the increased amount of wastewater you generate might overwhelm your old septic system.
What Are Ways You Can Conserve Water?
The following tips should help you conserve water in your home to protect against an overwhelmed septic system.
Install Nozzles on Your Faucets
Nozzles are an excellent option to reduce the water flow through your bathroom and sink faucets. These nozzles allow water to flow out in several streams, with air in between these streams. The water volume output from the faucet significantly reduces. Moreover, the nozzle also prevents water from splashing around the faucet.
You can also attach similar flow reducers to your showerheads to limit the water pressure. The volume of water that flows out per minute will reduce if the water pressure isn't too high. As a result, the amount of wastewater that flows into your septic tank from your shower drains reduces significantly.
Change Your Sink Habits
Unfortunately, many people hardly think about how often they flush water down their drains. But some water usage habits can greatly contribute to the volume of wastewater into your septic system.
For example, you may have a habit of leaving your tap running as you brush your teeth but then turn off the water after you're finished. However, water through your sink can quickly add up over time, which can overwhelm your septic tank.
Similarly, when you wash your dishes with the faucet on the whole time, all that wastewater ends up in your septic system. You could instead turn on the taps only when you need to rinse. This strategy is an easy way to limit the amount of wastewater through your septic tank.
Repair Any Leaky Fixtures
Some plumbing leaks don't appear to have any immediate impact. For example, a leaky faucet or showerhead that leaks a few drops every second might not seem like an emergency. But those small drops can add up to several gallons of water in a day. The wasted water will still end up in your septic system and cause you problems.
With these water conservation tips, you can significantly boost your septic system's performance and overall lifespan. But you should still maintain a regular pumping schedule for your septic system to remain functional.
Contact AAA Pumping Service Inc. if you need to draft a pumping and maintenance appointment that fits in with your schedule.
Contact Information
Address: 2855 2nd Street Southwest , Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: 505-345-3965
Payment Options
