As a homeowner, it’s important to remember that septic systems are designed to handle a small list of waste materials. Certain objects, like foods and manufactured goods, won’t safely travel down your drains, and can potentially damage your pipes, causing septic backups that are costly, unsanitary, and dangerous to the environment. Review the guide below to find out key tips to avoid future septic failures.

How Can You Prevent Septic Issues at Home?

1. Know What Goes Down a Kitchen Drain

Drains in a kitchen can only accept certain foods and liquids, meaning that anything that isn’t sink-safe will clog up septic systems and cause dangerous backups. This is why it’s important to know what is and isn’t okay to send down a kitchen drain. 

For example, fats, greases, and oils will only harden on your plumbing. Similar clogging culprits include eggshells and coffee grounds which clump together, as well as foods that are high in starch because they expand when they interact with water. 

2. Educate Children

As children grow up, they’ll be experimenting and trying new aspects for themselves. However, if they’re still potty training, they may have unique ideas about what can and can’t go down the toilet. If there are young kids in your home, teach them about how to safely use a toilet and why certain objects, like balls or toy boats, can’t be flushed. 

3. Avoid Unflushables

Like a kitchen drain, there is a list of acceptable and unacceptable flushable items for the toilet. However, unlike a kitchen drain, this list is very easy to remember: only wastewater and toilet paper can flush down a toilet. 

Tissues, paper towels, menstrual products, and cotton products will only be absorbed by flowing water, which makes them harder to safely remove from septic systems. Even if certain wipes are labeled as flushable, it will be much safer to dispose of them in the trash, as they don’t disintegrate in water the way you might expect.

When you need assistance with your septic system, turn to Notestone County Sanitary Service in Chillicothe, OH. Since 1956, this family-owned business has serviced residential, commercial, and industrial clients throughout Ross County with sewer and drain cleanings, as well as EPA-certified wastewater removal. For more information, visit their website and call (740) 772-1189.