Do you have a new home in the country that has a septic system? Living in the country is a bit different than living in the city or the suburbs. You have to get used to living life at a slower pace, living miles away from the nearest grocery store, and of course, living in a home with a septic tank.

Life with a septic tank is not overly challenging or very different from life with a sewer connection. However, as a newcomer to the countryside, you may need to change a few city habits to avoid damaging your septic system.

1. Taking Back-to-Back Showers When You Have Guests
When you live in a house with a sewer connection and friends come to visit, everyone can usually shower back-to-back without the worry of flooding. But your septic tank has a limited capacity, and if you send too much water down the pipes at once, it can start overflowing into your yard and require calling professional plumbers in Reno to fix it.

When you have guests over, make sure you space out your showers — and other high-water-volume activities like laundry and dishes — to avoid overloading the tank. On a daily basis, avoid doing multiple back-to-back loads of laundry, especially if you have an older washer that uses a lot of water.

Water conservation is important no matter where you live but is even more vital when you have a septic tank.

2. Using Caustic Drain Cleaners
When your drain seems slow, do you reach for a bottle of drain cleaner? Doing so may get you in trouble when you have a septic tank. Your septic tank is full of bacteria that help break down solid waste. Conventional drain cleaners can kill these bacteria, causing waste to build up too quickly in your septic tank.

Always try to clear a clog with a plunger and some hot water before restoring to drain cleaner. If you do use drain cleaner, make sure it is one that is specifically labeled septic-safe. Septic-safe drain cleaners usually contain enzymes and bacteria, rather than caustic chemicals, to break down clogs more naturally.

3. Putting All of Your Scraps Down the Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals are not all that compatible with septic tanks, so your country home might not even have one. If it does, try to use the disposal sparingly. Any food scraps you send down the disposal will sit at the bottom of the septic tank, breaking down slowly and taking up a lot of space. The more often you use the disposal, the more often you will need to pump your tank.

Most people can get away with pumping their tank every three to five years. But if you use a garbage disposal, you might need to call professionals annually for septic pumping in Sparks.

4. Parking in Your Yard
If you are lucky enough to live in an area where the HOA does not prohibit doing so, you may have occasionally used your backyard as extra parking space if your small driveway filled up with guests. You may have also allowed contractors to place a dumpster in the front yard when re-roofing your home or performing similar remodeling projects.

If you plan to allow any heavy equipment on your lawn in the country, make sure you locate your septic drain field first. The drain field is the soil into which your septic tank drains. If you park over this soil, you will compact it and the tank will not be able to empty properly.

5. Planting Trees Over Your Drainfield
Planting trees over your drainfield can cause roots to grow into your septic system, which can cause your septic system to fail. While some plants are okay to plant — such as most grasses — trees should be a safe distance away from the drainfield. If you are unsure what plants you should not plant, speak to a septic system professional for advice.

6. Flushing Feminine Hygiene Products
Flushing feminine hygiene products is never a good idea. Unfortunately, many city dwellers are not aware of the problems feminine hygiene products cause in public sewers, so they continue to flush them. Now that you live in the country, flushing feminine hygiene products may directly initiate a call to the septic service.

These items are made from sturdy cotton, which takes a very long time to break down and thus takes up valuable space in your septic tank. The same goes for wet wipes, paper towels, cotton balls, and facial tissues: do not flush them.

If you can break the five city-dweller habits above, you should have no trouble with your septic tank. Also, remember to keep up with regular pumping appointments to avoid backups and overflows.

Contact Easy Rooter Plumbing to schedule an appointment. Our expert septic technicians can provide both regular septic pumping and inspection services. In fact, if you are a new septic tank owner, we highly recommend a comprehensive septic system evaluation. Please let us know what questions and concerns you may have about your septic system.