Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–9 p.m. · Emergency service based on availability
shanerw@comcast.netSeptic guide
A septic tank is not a bin with water in it. Everything that goes down either breaks down, floats, or sinks — and the things that sink are what we pump out of it.
Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–9 p.m. · Emergency service based on availability
It goes down warm and liquid and sets hard further along. In the tank it joins the scum layer at the top instead of breaking down, and in the line it narrows the pipe a little more every time. Pour it into a tin, let it set, and bin it.
Flushable means it clears the toilet, not that it breaks down. Paper disintegrates in water; wipes are made not to. They sink to the bottom of the tank, add to the sludge layer faster than anything else on this list, and are a common cause of a blocked line.
Designed to absorb and hold liquid, which is the opposite of what you want in a tank. They swell, they do not decompose, and they go straight to the sludge layer.
Made to stay strong when wet, unlike toilet paper. A kitchen roll that holds together in your hand holds together in the tank too.
Absorbent gel and plastic backing. Nothing about a diaper breaks down in a septic tank, and one is enough to block a line on the way there.
A septic tank works because of the bacteria living in it. Tip enough disinfectant or caustic drain cleaner down and you kill the bacteria off, at which point solids stop breaking down and simply accumulate. Normal household cleaning is fine; emptying bottles of the stuff is not.
They do not belong in a septic system, they do not belong in groundwater, and a tank is not a sealed box — whatever leaves it leaves through the drainfield into the ground. Take them to a proper disposal point.
A garbage disposal does not make food waste disappear, it makes it small enough to reach the tank. Heavy disposal use is one of the main reasons a household needs pumping every two or three years rather than every five.
Wastewater and toilet paper. That is the short version. Solids settle to the bottom as sludge, grease and light material float to the top as scum, and the relatively clear liquid in between moves on to the drainfield to filter through the ground.
That arrangement works for years on end as long as two things hold: the bacteria in the tank stay alive, and the sludge layer gets removed before it is deep enough for solids to carry through with the liquid. Everything on the list above interferes with one or the other.
The second one is the reason for pumping on a schedule — every three to five years for most households. Nothing you flush or avoid flushing removes the need for it.
FAQs
Yes. Flushable describes whether it leaves the toilet, not whether it breaks down. They stay intact in the tank and build the sludge layer quickly, and they are one of the more common causes of a blocked line.
Ordinary household use is fine. The problem is quantity — tipping bottles of bleach or caustic drain cleaner into the system kills off the bacteria the tank depends on, and without them solids stop breaking down and just accumulate.
A healthy tank already has the bacteria it needs. No additive removes the sludge layer, and nothing sold in a bottle is a substitute for having the tank emptied on a sensible interval.
You can, but it adds solids. Households that use one daily generally need pumping every two to three years rather than every three to five.
One item is unlikely to be a crisis. Watch for drains slowing over the following days, and if they do, call or text us and say what went down — it saves guessing when we get there.
Call or text Wetherell at (740) 632-4843.
