Septic System Care for Country Homes

The short version

Spread water use out, keep grease and wipes out of the drains, pump the tank on a regular schedule and know where every part of the system is. Most septic failures start inside the house with habits, not in the ground. Homes in rural Milton, Halton Hills and the Escarpment hamlets depend on these systems, and replacing a failed leaching bed is a major project.

The routine, in order

1. Find your system. Locate the tank lids, the distribution box if there is one, and the leaching bed. Sketch them and keep the drawing with your house papers.
2. Know your pumping schedule. Tanks need regular pumping, with frequency depending on tank size and household. A septic contractor can advise.
3. Spread out laundry. Several loads in one day flood the tank and push solids toward the bed. A load a day is gentler.
4. Watch what goes down. No grease, wipes, paper towels, medications or harsh chemicals. Our what not to flush pamphlet applies twice over on septic.
5. Fix running toilets and drips fast. A toilet that runs all day sends a steady stream into the tank that it was never sized for.
6. Protect the bed. No driving, parking or building on it. Keep downspouts and sump discharge away from it.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using additives as a substitute for pumping. They do not replace removing solids.
• Running a garbage disposal heavily. It adds a lot of solids to the tank.
• Planting trees or shrubs with aggressive roots near the bed.
• Directing sump pump water into the septic system. That sends groundwater where it does not belong.
• Waiting for a backup before pumping.

In winter, snow cover insulates the system. Avoid packing snow down over the tank and bed with a snowmobile or plowing path, which drives frost deeper.

When to ring the shop

Call us for problems inside the house: slow drains throughout, gurgling, sewage smells in the basement or a backup at the lowest fixture. We can clear house drains, check the line out to the tank and spot plumbing habits that load the system. For pumping, tank inspection or bed problems, a licensed septic contractor is the right call, and we will tell you plainly which side of the line your problem sits on. Often it is a bit of both, and the two trades work best talking to each other./p>

Wet, spongy ground or strong odours over the leaching bed are a sign to stop heavy water use and get the system looked at. Basement water from the ground is a separate issue covered under basement flooding prevention.