Weird, Unusual Causes of Septic Tank Failures
Everybody knows to not put drain cleaners or oil down
the drain into a septic tank, but what are some of the weird other
things that can mess up your septic system and leach field?
First
off, remember that your septic tank will work only if the bacteria in
it are healthy and hungry. If they get sick or die, your septic tank
will start sending un-digested waste out to the drain field which will
quickly plug it up. So, what are some of the weird, unexpected causes
of septic tank failure?
Chemotherapy Drugs
Chemotherapy
is a necessary, but often very uncomfortable, treatment for many cancer
patients. Few people realize that powerful chemo drugs, once they have
passed through the patient, often still have enough activity to bring a
septic tank to its knees. A person undergoing chemo has a difficult
enough time without having the drains suddenly back up or a stinking
pond develop in the back yard.
One solution is to keep
chemo-contaminated urine and poop out of the septic tank, by whatever
means possible. Failing that, you may need to schedule more frequent
pumping of the tank during the course of chemo treatment.
Hand Washing Soap
Liquid
hand soaps are convenient, but usually contain anti-bacterial
chemicals. These don't stop killing bacteria when they reach your tank.
Children often over-use liquid hand soaps. A bar of soap is more
economical and will send much less bactericide to your tank.
Toilet Bowl Cleaners
Every
septic tank pumper has seen a dead tank full of blue water. The source
of the blue is from automatic toilet cleaners that you can buy at the
grocery store, which send deadly (to your bacteria) chemicals to your
septic tank every time you flush.
Meth Labs
If
you run an illegal methamphetamin lab, you probably flush a lot of
yellow or pink tablets down the toilet. Be aware that these colors do
not disappear in the tank, where they are often accompanied by a strong
ammonia odor.
Bath Oils, Body Oils
Bath
and body oils may make your skin feel smoother, but when they wash down
the drain they increase the chances of septic tank failure.