Avoid Putrid Holidays

The holiday season is a great time for having people over for a good time at your home.  Your house may be festively decorated and guests can be provided all the food and beverages they can indulge in but your get together is sure to be a bust if you have a plugged up and putrid smelling septic system.  Are you taking the proper precautions with your septic system to prevent unexpected problems like backups or foul smells while you are entertaining for the holidays?  Here are some easy tips for being proactive throughout the year when your house is on a septic system to help avoid having a putrid holiday:

Conserve Water

Reducing water flow provides more time for the waste to be degraded and filtered helping to avoid the system becoming strained and your drain field being eroded which can lead to clogging and other troubles.

Watch What You Flush

Primarily only toilet paper, water and human waste should be flushed through your plumbing into a home's septic system.  People have a tendency to toss diapers, cigarettes, paper towels, facial tissues, sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms, and a whole array of other things into their toilets which are sure to cause problems when flushed into a septic system.  Plus dumping unwanted grease, motor oils, and paint into other household sewer outlets attached to a septic system are a real no no too!

Don't Use A Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals add lots of solid waste, especially coffee grounds, egg shells, and nut shells, that aren't ideal for a septic system to process and break down. They also funnel a lot of fats and grease too that are really bad for clogging up both pipes and the overall septic system.  If you are going to use a garbage disposal your system's septic tank should be pumped out two to three times per year (compared to every 3 to 5 years otherwise) to remove the solids that are sure to be accumulating which can cause lots of trouble.

Avoid Rain Runoff

Don't allow rain and snow melt flowing off roofs, driveways and patios to drain in proximity to your septic system. This will overwhelm the drain field damaging it and create backflow situations into your house.

Grass Is Your Ally

Make sure to maintain a healthy layer of grass over top of your system's drain field.  Don't place impermeable materials, such as brick pavers, concrete or asphalt, on top of your drain field.  Grass facilitates oxygen getting into the drain field which is essential for fostering the bacteria needed to break down the waste released into the drain field for filtration and purification.  It also absorbs water being flushed from the septic system.

Use ROTO-ROOTER Septic Treatment Once Per Month

Roto-Rooter Septic Treatment is scientifically formulated to help prevent septic backups. Its natural formula uses 2X more enzymes than the leading national brand to eliminate MORE paper, fats, oils, grease, protein, and starch. This product also helps eliminate unpleasant odors and dampness in drain fields. Pour the product in a toilet bowl once per month and flush to avoid costly and messy backups.

It is nice that people can now go to the store and buy easy to use diy products backed by America's top name in plumbing, Roto-Rooter, that will allow them to conveniently and economically tackle basic plumbing issues without having to hire a professional for assistance.  Roto-Rooter Drain Care Products are available at a variety of retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond, Kroger, Lowes, Meijer, Menards and Walmart.  Before you pick some up for yourself make sure to print out a coupon from their website for a $1 off any product.

For more information, please visit rotorooter-products.com

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy is financially compensated and receives free products to review as a Roto-Rooter Ambassador.  Opinions expressed are honest and my own.  Your experiences may differ.  I am not obligated to write positive reviews and the brand has requested that I be honest in my appraisals of their products.