Weird, Unusual Causes of Septic Tank Failures (page 2)
This is a continuation from Page 1
of some of the weird causes of septic tank failure.
Dishwashers
Many
of us find it hard to live without a dishwasher. The bacteria in our
septic tanks find it hard to live with one. Dishwashers send a surge of
water to the septic system, but generally not enough to disturb a
properlyk-operating tank. You can reduce the load on your septic tank
by scraping loose food waste off your dishes into the trash (NOT into
the garbage disposal / garburator) before loading them into the dishwasher.
Hot Tubs / Spas
Owners
frequently keep plenty of chlorine or bromine in their hot tubs (spas),
in order to kill any germs that might spread between the users. If they
decide to drain all that toxic water into the septic system, it can
likewise kill or "stun" the beneficial bacteria and stop the digestion
process. If it's legal in your area, you should consider draining your
spa onto the yard instead of the sewer.
This is much less of a
concern with so-called "Luv Tubs," which are large bathtubs. These hold
less water than hot tubs, and owners generally don't add choline or
bromine to them.
Water Softeners
Water
softeners add sodium (Na) to household water. Researchers are divided
on whether sodium is harmful to septic systems. One concern is that it
causes the sludge in a septic tank to swell, the other is that it clogs
the pores in clay soils.
If the sludge in the bottom of a
septic tank swells, it is more likely to go out the tank discharge line
and into the drain field (leach field). If this happens, the undigested
sludge will clog the field.
If, as some believe, the sodium also
closes up the pores in the clay, then your leach field will no longer
be able to drain effectively and you will get stopped-up drains or an
unwelcome pond in your yard. Until ongoing research determines if
sodium is really bad or not, our advice is to avoid using a water
softener if you can.
Time-Release
Pills and Capsules
Some
time release medicines consist of a porous, inert pill or capsule that
has been infused with the active ingredient. Think of a hard little
sponge, full of medicine, that does not digest. When you eliminate this
pill, it gets flushed down the toilet and out into your septic tank.
From there it travels out to your drain field, where it can plug one of
the holes that let water out of the pipe. Each pill or capsule can plug
one hole, so after a few bottles of medicine your entire drain field
may grind to a halt.