How Kids Can Negatively Affect Your Septic System

How Kids Can Negatively Affect Your Septic System

Children bring great joy into our lives, yet sometimes their playful activities and curiosity can have unintended repercussions on household systems, including your septic tank system. Metro Septic Pumping knows that understanding how children may negatively impact your septic system allows you to take preventive steps against septic tank repair and maintain its good working order.

What Is a Septic System?

A septic system is an underground wastewater treatment structure commonly utilized in areas without central sewer networks. A typical septic system consists of two primary elements, including the septic tank and drain field. Wastewater from your house flows directly into the septic tank where solids settle to the bottom, producing sludge while oils and grease rise to the top to form scum - then off into a drain field where natural soil filters filter any remaining solids before exiting as liquid wastewater into its final destination - naturally filtering any further from there onward.

How Kids Cause Problems

• Flushing Wrong Things: Young children may not understand which items can and shouldn't be flushed down the toilet, such as toys, excess amounts of toilet paper and wipes, and any objects, such as wipes, that might create blockages that need fixing septic tank system repairs or cause backups into pipes that require repair of their own. This often results in backups requiring costly septic tank service repairs for repairs to be undertaken on backup septic systems and possibly backup repair of both systems!
• Over-Utilizing Water: Children love playing with water! Excessive use—from long showers, running the faucet while brushing teeth, or leaving your hose running outside—can put undue strain on a septic system, which cannot separate and treat waste effectively, leading to frequent septic tank pumping schedules being required of you as an adult.
• Playing in the Yard: Children playing in their yards can unknowingly damage a drain field by playing too hard with heavy play equipment or simply running around too often. This can potentially compact soil and decrease how well wastewater flows out through its treatment processes. In severe cases, this could even necessitate expensive septic tank repair costs.
• Pouring Chemicals Down the Drain: Children may occasionally pour chemicals that should not be in your septic tank down your drain, including paint, cleaning supplies, and household chemicals like paint thinner. Doing this disrupts natural bacteria that break down waste in your system causing serious issues with its functioning resulting in frequent repairs to keep up with demand resulting in the need for extensive septic tank cleaning or repairs being required in the long term.

Preventative Measures

• Education: It is crucial for children to learn about septic systems and what should or shouldn't go down their drains, in particular why only toilet paper and human waste should go into your septic tank and other items can create issues in it.
• Supervision: When playing outdoors with children near drain fields or drain fields, be vigilant. Make sure they understand to not put heavy objects or dig them there.
• Water Use Education: Teach kids the importance of conserving water wisely through simple actions such as shutting off faucets when brushing teeth, taking shorter showers, and not using their toilet as a wastebasket. Even small changes like turning off taps while brushing their teeth or taking shorter showers can make an enormous impactful statement about water conservation!
• Safe Chemical Disposal: Ensure your kids understand the significance of proper chemical disposal. Teach them not to pour any substances down the drain, as this could damage septic systems, and explain the dangers.

What to Do in Case of Problems

No matter how hard we try, problems still sometimes occur. When slow drains, bad smells, or backups arise, it could be time to call in professional assistance. Regular pumping of your system—usually every three or five years—should keep things functioning optimally. If blockages or damage occur more frequently, repair or cleaning may become necessary as soon as immediately.

Professional Help

Septic companies offer regular inspection and maintenance to catch potential issues early, pumping sludge out of tanks to prevent overflow, and repairs in case damage is done to drain fields or tanks requiring professional septic repair service.

Sometimes, older systems need septic tank installation. Although this might require a significant investment and time commitment, such tanks will ensure that wastewater management in your home runs as effectively as possible.

Metro Septic Pumping

Children may not mean to cause trouble, but their actions may still have detrimental impacts on your septic system. By providing education on what's safe for the system and overseeing activities closely while encouraging good habits, you can help avoid issues with their actions affecting it. Furthermore, regular maintenance from a professional septic company such as Metro Septic Pumping and proper care from you as a homeowner are crucial elements to making sure it runs efficiently for many years to come!