A person who has not been on a septic system before may be unfamiliar with the things that should not be flushed down a toilet. While some things are bad for a sewer system, they can be detrimental to a septic system causing it to fail and result in damage along with expense. Septic Repair Services occur because people are uneducated on how to treat their septic tank. So what are some things that should not be flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain when on a septic system?
Chemicals
Chemicals can destroy a septic system. This can happen immediately or can slowly deteriorate over time. Some things people often think will not cause harm is bleach, cooking oil, and grease. Each of these items will cause the system to backup.
Flushable Wipes or Baby Wipes
The misleading thing about flushable wipes is that many brands claim to be “Septic safe.” This is not the case. The same holds true for baby wipes. The materials that these items are made of do not break down like a normal toilet paper, and this causes septic back up.
Cat Litter
Cat litter is something that is often flushed in toilets as people are unsure of another place to expose that would not smell. It is made mostly of clay particles that are known to clog pipes. The septic cannot break down these particles, so instead, it sits in the pipes to cause damage.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are commonly poured down the drain as people clean out their coffee pots before making more coffee. This happens as a convenience thing. If people are at the sink anyway, why not pour the grounds down the drain? The septic cannot break the grounds down as they are not bio-degradable.
Tampons
Many tampons advertise themselves as having a “flushable applicator” which can cause much confusion to people. A “flushable applicator” is safe to flush when on sewer but not in a septic tank. The tampons themselves also cannot be flushed into the septic. Over time, if this has been done, it can cause the septic system to fail.
The only things that should be flushed down the toilet are toilet paper and human waste. Water and soap are the only things that should be poured down the drain. This will help to avoid Septic Repair Services.
