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Simplify Your Septic Tank Maintenance

For simple and routine septic maintenance, Goebel has you covered.

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At Goebel Septic, we help you maintain your septic system before and after unfortunate issues arise. Following these tips and being aware of the warning signs helps ensure a long-lasting sewage system and avoiding expensive repairs, protecting everyone's water supply.

It’s important to know how to properly care for your septic and what causes a system failure.

To ensure a long-lasting septic system, homeowners should understand the basics of septic maintenance. This is crucial to avoiding a health hazard and a costly burden.

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Tips for septic system maintenance:

  • Regularly inspect your system. 
  • Pump your septic tank as needed. 
  • Keep your septic tank lids closed and secured. 
  • Be water-wise; reduce the amount of household water used.
  • Direct water from land and roof drains away from the drain field.  
  • Landscape with awareness. 
  • Keep septic tank lids easily accessible.

What not to do for septic tank maintenance: 

  • Don’t use a garbage disposal.
  • Don’t flush anything except toilet paper into your septic system.
  • Don’t put household chemicals down the drain.
  • Don’t park cars and trucks on your drain field, reserve area, or septic tank.
  • Don’t use septic tank additives.
  • Don’t drain water from hot tubs into your septic system.

Common questions regarding septic maintenance

How do you maintain a septic system?

In most rural areas, septic systems function as both sewers and sewage treatment plants. All household waste, good or bad, is disposed of through the septic system. Proper operation of septic systems is essential to health, property value, and ecology.

How do you know when your septic needs to be emptied?

A clear sign that your septic tank needs to be emptied is clogged drains. If the drain is moving slowly when you flush the toilet, it could be due to a clog. If the clog is removed and everything is still taking longer than expected, the septic tank may be full and needs to be emptied.

How often do you need to empty septic? 

As a general rule, you should empty your septic tank once every three to five years. However, the frequency varies depending on usage and how many people live in your household.

What happens after septic is pumped? 

Your septic tank should return to a proper working level—holding liquid one foot from the top of the tank—within one week of septic pumping service. This allows for the separation of solids and liquid to happen. Only the liquid—also referred to as grey water—should flow out to the leach field pipes.

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10 Tips to Maintain Your Septic System

1. How often should septic be pumped?

The septic tank should be pumped every three to five years. This reduces the sludge level and scum to help avoid a malfunctioning system and costly repairs.

2. Practice water conservation

It is always wise to practice water conservation. Don't run the washing machine during water-usage prime times—when the toilets, showers, and bathtubs are in demand. Don't do several loads of laundry in one day; do one load a day for several days. 

3. Phosphates

Use soaps and detergents which are low in phosphates. Phosphates damage the "good" bacteria in the septic tank. Phosphorus is used in fertilizers and can also cause algae to grow when it gets to our surface waters.

4. Hazardous materials

Do not flush hazardous chemicals such as paints, varnishes, thinners, waste oil, pesticides, etc. They destroy "good" bacteria in your septic tank, pollute the groundwater, and can kill aquatic life such as microscopic plants and animals, fish, frogs, etc.

5. Undissolvables

Do not flush anything that will not dissolve in water. This includes coffee grounds, dental floss, disposable diapers, kitty litter, sanitary napkins, tampons, cigarette butts, condoms, grease or oil, paper towels, facial tissues, etc. 

6. Commercial additives

Commercial septic tank additives are not necessary and not recommended. They can partially liquefy solids in the tank, allowing them to flow out and clog up your lateral lines.

7. Vehicles on lateral field

Do not allow vehicles larger than a riding mower to park on or drive over your lateral field.

8. What to divert from sewage system

Divert surface water, roof drains, sump pumps, hoses, and house footing drains away from the sewage system.

9. Covering a sewage system

Sewage systems should have a good cover of grass, good ventilation, and abundant sunlight. Don't pour concrete patios or basketball courts on top of your lateral field. Trees and shrubs should not be planted over sewage systems. Their roots are drawn to the water in the lateral lines and may grow into and clog them. Trees and shrubs planted between the septic system and a sinkhole, creek, pond, or lake, however, would be beneficial.

10. Common warning signs

  • Sewage surfacing over the lateral field. 
  • Sewage backing up in the house. 
  • Mushy ground of greener grass in the area of the lateral field. 
  • Slowly draining toilets or drains. 
  • Sewage odors.

From all of us at Goebel Septic Tank Services - we can’t wait to hear from you!

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Goebel Septic Tank Services, Inc

171 Big Hanaford Rd,
Centralia, WA 98531

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    We maintain “Quality of Service” with continual training and education to better serve our customers. 

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