• Have your septic system pumped out at least once ever two years
• Winterize your septic system (see article on frozen septic systems)
• Using low-phosphate dishwasher and laundry detergents
• Use toilet tissue that breaks up easily when wet.
• Do not deposit coffee grounds, cooking fats, facial tissue, diapers, tampons, wet-strength towels, or cigarette butts.
• Eliminate or minimizie the use of a garbage disposal.
• Keep hazardous household waste out of the septic system.
• Use Potassium Chloride pellets in your water softener to keep sodium chloride out of your septic system.

Septic Failure

• How to Tell if Your Septic System is Failing
• Sewage backs up in your drains or toilets. It may be black with a bad odor. (It always happens when you have guests.)
• Sluggish toilet flushing. Even if you use plungers or drain cleaners, drains may continue to be slower than usual.
• Wet areas or water seepage near the drainfield. It may or may not have an odor.
• Excessive growth of aquatic vegetation in the lake near your home. Incomplete treatment of nutrient rich water seeping into the ground promotes this growth.
• Unpleasant odors around your home. This may result from either an improper venting system or a filing septic system.
• Bacteria or nitrates found in your well water. This indicates a serious water contamination problem that may come from your own failing system or your neighbors.
• Biodegradable dye flushed through your system shows up in the lake.
•  Return to LHCA Main Page
•  Tips to prevent frozen septic systems
•  Understanding the parts of your septic system