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Is Your Septic System Ready for Football Season?
Professional football is starting back up, which means it’s time for Sunday barbecues and game-watching. Although one day of extra usage on your septic system is nothing to panic about, there are a few things you can do to help minimize over-usage and backups during your get-togethers.
Remind guests that you have a septic system
Although it may be a sensitive subject, asking guests to avoid putting anything down the drains that shouldn’t go down (like feminine products) will not only help prevent those items from entering your tank, but can also prevent a plumbing blockage and possible backup.
Some homeowners set printed messages in picture frames in their bathrooms asking guests to be mindful of their septic tank.
Prepare food early
The further apart you can spread food prep time, the better: bake desserts a couple days before (they only get sweeter with time!), do the chopping and dicing the night before, etc.
Other ways to lessen the stress put on your septic system by big parties include:
- Avoid using the garbage disposal (in fact, pretend you don’t have one)
- Use disposable plates and silverware
- Run only full dishwasher loads (and spread them over several days if you can)
All of these things cut down on concentrated kitchen usage, giving your septic system more time to process the extra inflow.
Schedule a pre-party septic pumping
Pumping the septic tank just before guests arrive may give the drainfield a short resting period while the tank fills. Although this does not guarantee you won’t experience a septic problem, it may reduce the chances.
If you do experience a backup in the house, there is a chance you may have a blockage in the plumbing. Learn how to determine if a backup is caused by the plumbing or septic problem here.
Give us a call at 210.698.2000 (San Antonio) or 830.249.4000 (Boerne) to schedule a septic pumping.
[photo credit: Anders Ruff Custom Designs via photopin cc]