Summertime is often a time of family and fun. When family comes to visit – while it might be a bit chaotic, the last thing on your mind will be your septic tank. When you have a large group of friends or family staying over, the influx of water usage can wreck havoc on your septic system. To avoid a costly septic tank repair, here’s a few easy tips to follow:
When a large group of people are staying together, this obviously means more food! When it comes to food prep, make sure that you are not just putting everything down the garbage disposal. While this might be okay for your personal tank when it’s just your family – if you are going from a family of 4 to suddenly serving 8-10 extra people it could push your septic tank over the limit. Food waste can be put into your green food bin. If your sinks do start to back up, do not use a liquid drain cleaner to clear up the clog. Instead try a plunger to clear the clog. If that doesn’t work, call your plumbing professional.
When there’s a lot of people, there’s also a bigger chance for a toilet overflow. Make sure that all of your guests have easy access to a trash can in the bathroom, otherwise you might be finding q-tips and cotton balls being flushed down the toilet. If your clog or overflow isn’t fixed by a plunger, you’re going to want to check in with your local plumber in case the problem is with your septic tank. Your guests would rather have a plumber visit before they end up ankle deep in toilet water.
Hold off on laundry if you can! If you can hold off on your own laundry, this will help not overflow your septic tank. If your guests need to do their own laundry, make sure everyone does full loads and space it out over the course of the week instead of doing it all during one day.
If at any time your septic tank is overfilled and the alarm goes off, call your septic tank specialist immediately!