Septic Tank Care| Plumbing Arlington

Not every home has access to a municipal sewer system. For those homes where sewage isn’t available, homes will have a septic tank system. A sewer drain line carries all wastewater from the home to the underground septic tank. Field lines exit the septic tank and enter into the septic field. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing’s licensed plumbers can service, install, repair or replace your home’s drains, sewer lines and field lines, as well as your homes other plumbing in Arlington needs. The pumping of your septic tank will require the service of a septic tank pumping company. In the following we will discuss septic tank care.

A septic tank, when reasonably maintained can last indefinitely, while the septic field will most likely require care or replacement in as little as 15 to 20 years, depending upon the soil, and whether or not proper maintenance has been received. The following covers the septic tank care needed by a septic tank, to ensure it lasts many decades.

• One of the most important rules of septic tank care (besides what you put into it) is having the septic tank cleaned every one to three years. How often will depend upon the size of the septic tank and the amount of solids going into it. On average, a 1,000 gallon septic tank serving a three bedroom home with four occupants and no garbage disposal, should be cleaned every three years. What you put into the septic tank will determine how long it will operate efficiently, and how often you will have to replace the drain field.
• Additives are not needed to improve the bacterial breakdown inside the septic tank. Human waste will provide all of the bacteria that are needed. Some additives may cause failure of the tank, or contamination of ground water due to the presence of carcinogens and other contaminants.
• If allowed, it is recommended that laundry water doesn’t run into the septic tank as this will cause soil to skim over causing premature septic field failure. Typically, septic field failure results in the need for the complete replacement of the field lines to restore the function of wastewater removal to your home’s plumbing in Arlington.
• Some sources claim normal amounts of detergents, bleaches, and other household cleaners won’t stop the bacterial action within the septic tank. Yet other sources, including numerous septic tank installers and those who pump them, feel that even normal amounts of these chemicals (especially detergents and bleach) will adversely affect the septic tanks function. The ability of the homeowner to run laundry wastewater or other gray water onto the ground, rather than in the septic tank, will depend upon the home’s location, type of soil and the ability of the soil to drain.
• For example, let’s say you run all gray water sources (laundry, bathroom sinks, tubs and showers) to a field located near your home. If the water drains away quickly, you should have no problem. If however, water typically stands after a rain, you will not be able to run gray water onto the ground without providing soil enrichment to enable the gray water to quickly drain away. To route gray water away from the septic tank will require the drains from gray water sources be placed on a separate line. For most homeowner’s, this will require a plumbers services to reroute this portion of your plumbing in Arlington.
• Furthermore, even with proper drainage, raw sewage from toilets, or water from kitchen sinks or dishwashers should never be drained directly on the ground due to bacteria and viruses, and the potential for illness it will pose to you, your family, your neighbors and community.
• Never flush coffee grounds, cooking fats, paper towels, disposable diapers, facial tissues, cigarette butts, Q-tips, cotton balls, plastics, toys and other non-decomposable materials into any drain. These materials can clog toilets and drains, including those going into the septic field, requiring repairs to your plumbing in Arlington.
• It can’t be stressed enough, never pour or scrape grease or oil down the drain. It will not only clog the drain, but will also cause a glaze over the soil in the septic field causing it to fail. Resulting in toilets that won’t flush, and backed up sewage. Disposal of grease and oils in a container, and disposed in the trash will help to prevent clogs and other problems with your septic tank, as well as your plumbing in Arlington.
• The use of a garbage disposal with a septic tank will require the installation of a special treatment system, and the flushing of the septic tank yearly.
• Use a bath tissue that breaks up easily when wet.
• Repair water leaks to your plumbing in Arlington that will go down the drain, too much water going into the septic tank can affect the tanks biological balance, affecting its performance.

The signs the septic tank needs pumping are foul odors, such as raw sewage or methane, slow drains or drains that back up. If you experience these problems, or it has been three years or more since your septic tank was pumped call schedule a septic tank pump by a septic tank care company. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing provides full service plumbing in Arlington and the Fort Worth regions. Give us a call for prompt service of your plumbing in Arlington.