With the holidays approaching, the house must be packed with family and friends celebrating this joyous time of the year. While you are hosting parties at home or traveling, guests are planning to stay a few days, which means extra water usage. Suddenly the septic tank has to handle all this extra load which it wasn’t intended for.
Luckily, there are some simple tips for avoiding septic backups during the holidays that are a breeze to implement. Now is the time to implement this plan so that you can avoid any trouble during the holidays that will ruin all fun and festivities.
Here are the tips for avoiding and preventing incidents with the septic system during the holiday season:
Stagger Shower Usage
Allow the guests to choose the time at which they are comfortable with showering when you and your family make some compromises and stagger when you take a shower. If the guests want showers before bed, you take showers in the morning to help balance the output.
Thoughtful Dishwasher usage
With a houseful of guests, dirty dishes will pile up quickly. Rather than washing load after load in the sink, start stacking things in the dishwasher, run the unit in the afternoon or late at night when no one is in the shower.
Limit Laundry washing
Avoid doing laundry while you have a house full of guests for the holidays. Either the plan to do the laundry loads spread out over the period.
Get on a schedule
Be sure to get the septic system serviced before the problem. Get it serviced on a regular basis. According to the environmental protection agency, you must have the septic tank pumped and serviced every three to five years.
Pay attention to the signs of trouble.
If you have yet to keep any records, have been on a routine schedule with the septic system, or are shifting into a new home and do not understand the septic system’s state, pay attention to the small anomalies with the system and note indications of the trouble.
Keep the septic system clear.
Keep shrubs, plants, trees, or buildings away from the septic system. Do not build over the septic tank. The weight may cause damage and make the tank unreachable to septic professionals.
Ensure that the septic tank cover has easy access
For example, the septic tank hole cover is not accessible or buried. In such cases, that may require extra time and tools for the septic professionals to find and access the septic tank when servicing or pumping it.
Investing in installing the extension or riser of the septic tank might be worth it. If the septic tank cover is hard to access, installing an extension or riser will be worth the savings of any future visits from the Septic company.
Conserve water
If you do not want to flush certain items, you also want to avoid flooding the system with too much water. Too much water at one time does not allow enough time to separate solids and liquids.
Keep the balance of the bacteria, liquids, and solids in the tank. The more you conserve the water, the less often you may need to service the septic system.
When in Doubt, reach out to an expert
Have an expert clear any clogs instead of using harsh chemicals. Using a store-bought chemical may seem easier and cheaper, but it will cost you more money if done incorrectly. Nobody will want to take such a risk in the festive season when the house will be filled with guests. Chemicals rarely work very well, requiring an expert to come to fix the mistakes you’ve created. Harsh chemicals can weaken the pipes and cause bacterial imbalance in the septic tank. All these would be costly repairs.
Saving money on septic services means calling the experts first and not handling the repairs yourself.
Conclusion
Remember that while you take care of the guests at home, the experts at Crews Environmental will take care of you. Make sure to follow the septic system tips for the holidays to keep the preventable emergency from interrupting the festivities. If you have any concerns about the septic system, schedule the inspection to identify potential issues before they become bigger problems.
Crews Environmental has been helping residential and commercial customers maintain their septic systems.
