SepticTips

 1 Know how to safely remove your septic tank lid.  Concrete Septic lids are heavy by design to make it difficult for kids to remove and to prevent them from blowing away in the wind. Be careful when removing your lid to ensure that the ground is dry and your footing is stable and solid. Prying the lid open is ok as long as you have a sturdy shovel, pitch fork, metal rod, or something that you can use for leverage. If you are not strong enough to lift 120 pounds, then you will definitely not want to try to remove the lid on your own. However, you can pry the lid upwards and get it on its edge and then gently roll it out of the pit provided the pit is not too deep. Once you have gone through this process you will no doubt see the value of having a modern riser installed that eliminates the need to be down in a pit struggling to remove a lid that weighs close to 120 to 150 pounds. The deeper your tank is down in the ground, the more you will appreciate the value of new heavy duty plastic risers. But, if you like to get a few extra hours of exercise each time you uncover your lid, then ignore this tip. But realize that the culvert like Riser material is only $40 dollars per foot and once you install one you should never have to replace it unless you crushed it with a vehicle or heavy equipment.

 2 Place a planter box on the exact location of your lid if you cover it with soil or grass.

 3 Monitor your household use by checking your septic tank solids level in one year increments. Measure your use in terms of number of feet of accumulated solids per year. Measure the distance from the bottom of your tank up to the bottom of your baffle outlet pipe. Calculate the number of years it would take to fill the tank to within 18 to 24 inches from the baffle outlet. Check your levels more often if you are delaying pumping your tank beyond three years.

 4 Keep a journal of your service dates.  A journal gives you many advantages and becomes a permanent record of how well you maintained your drain field in the event you decide to sell your property.

 5 Minimize the use of your Garbage Disposal.  While garbage disposals are nice, they produce a lot of solid materials that end up at the bottom of your septic tank.

 6 Monitor your drain field on heavy Laundry day:  It is a good idea to check your drain field for signs of seepage on a heavy septic use day. If you find water is seeping to the surface or if you notice an odor coming from the surface of the ground above your drain field, that is a definite sign of an aging system. Whether you decide to replace the entire system, or simply improve the drainage characteristics along the edges of your field, you need to address the challenge. The best time to think about improving the effectiveness of your drain field is prior to it undergoing a complete failure. If your system produces any surface seepage during any period of use, know that it will only get worse and more expensive to fix if the symptoms are ignored.