Here at American Waste Septic, we understand just how much you rely on your septic system. In the absence of a municipal sewer connection, your septic tank is what collects your home’s waste products for safe containment, breakdown, and treatment. Something going wrong with your septic system can lead to a multitude of negative consequences, from something merely unpleasant like a bad smell, to serious problems like exposure to sewage and disease. Our team wants to help you keep your property clean and safe, so in this article, we’ll be going over some common sources of septic problems.

1. Excess Water- Your septic tank has a finite volume and overloading it with too much water can lead to backups, blockages, and worse issues. You can minimize this risk by limiting the amount of water entering the tank at once—we at American Waste Septic recommend limiting the length of your showers, spreading out laundry across multiple days, and installing low-flow showerheads, as these are all effective measures to prevent tank overflow.
   
2. Nonbiodegradable Items- Another thing that can lead to tank overflow is flushing nonbiodegradable items or substances down the drain. Things like diapers and tampons should not be flushed down the toilet, as these will not be broken down and will take up important space in your tank. Even things like kitchen waste, particularly grease and oil, should be kept out of your tank, as they break down differently than septic waste.
   
3. Harsh Chemicals- In addition to keeping kitchen waste out of your septic system, you should also not use your tank to dispose of harsh chemicals like solvents, gasoline, motor oil, etc. These toxic chemicals will kill off the bacteria that your system uses to break down solid waste, meaning that it’ll fill up faster and likely overflow. In addition, since these chemicals can’t be processed by the bacteria, they’ll simply pass into the surrounding soil, poisoning it, too. If you want more information on what household products can lead to septic problems when flushed, you can call our team for a comprehensive list.