Are you getting ready for holiday visitors? Are your in-laws, siblings, or cousins coming for a few days to “talk turkey”, gobble at your table, and toss the old football around? At Pro Rooter & Septic, we think it’s important to share some thanksgiving tips for your septic system.
Schedule A Maintenance Visit This Week.
How ready is your septic system for the holidays? The more people you have eating, showering, and using the plumbing, the higher the probability that you may have a problem with a back-up. So when you do the math, if your family of four is suddenly multiplied by two or four more people for three or four days, you have a pretty good chance of having a toilet overflow, a sink with standing water, or a clogged shower drain. That’s why now is a perfect time to schedule a septic maintenance visit. As we’ve said in previous blogs, a regularly scheduled septic check-up now can prevent a bigger, more expensive problem later on.
Plan Ahead for Your Big Meals.
Most families start on their big Turkey Day mean planning the day before at the earliest. But have you ever considered cooking your bird, making the yams, preparing the stuffing, baking the pies, etc., a day or two prior to Thanksgiving? By doing this planning ahead, you’ll have washed all of those greasy dishes already and only have to clean up the dishes and silverware. This can really safe you using too much water on the holiday, which then reduces the amount of grease and sludge going into your system.
Think Before You “Sink”.
Of if you still choose to do it all on Thanksgiving Day, whether you’re cooking a turkey, chicken, or duck, you’re going to have a lot of food and all the trimmings. When the meals are done and you’ll be washing all the pots, pans, dishes, and silverware, be mindful of not flushing or rinsing any fats or oils down your sink.
First, scrape all of your dishes into a garbage can. Better yet, put them into your green can if you have one for composting. Next, pour any cooking oil, grease or fatty gravy into a coffee can, along with the turkey scraps left on the plates, stuffing remnants, globs of mashed potatoes, and pie residue. This will prevent them from going down your kitchen sink that can ultimately plug up your drains, flow into your septic tank, and cause a blockage, or even worse, back up into your home. And third, did you know that some of these oils can typically be reused after they’ve been filtered? That’s as good a reason as any to take that full coffee container of grease and what-not, then dispose of them at a local recycling center or your landfill.
Space Out Your Showers.
With more people taking showers and using the bathrooms, you should ask your houseguests to stagger their time using the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes between each other. This will both ensure that everyone gets a hot shower while the outside temperatures are dropping, while also making sure that your drains drain and that your septic system can process the wastewater.
Think Before You Flush.
Remember to only flush toilet paper and what your body produces, not other stuff like flushable wipes, cotton balls, and Q-tips, which can all harm and clog your septic system.
Prevent Overflows.
Sludge should be prevented whenever possible because too much sludge can cause problems and your tank will be to be cleaned more regularly. Once the sludge level in your septic tank and system gets higher than you’d prefer, more solid substances like turkey grease, cranberries, fatty gravy, and lumpy mashed potatoes can permeate into your drainage field. Next thing you know, your sludge and other materials can often prevent liquids from flowing through your pipes to then be absorbed into your drainage field and your soil.
Check Your Septic System Filter.
If you consider the fact that your septic system is a “living filter”, its purpose is to naturally separate scum from solid materials. This simple process helps pretreat your wastewater before it can flow out to your drainage filed for purification.
Typically, this process can take from one to two days for filtration, which is an effective way to prevent any solids from clogging your pipes and, respectively, clogging your septic system’s pump.
Remember to Ventilate Your Septic System.
Opening a window is a great way to ventilate your car or your home. Similarly, ventilation is a great Thanksgiving week tip for any septic system to enable it and its percolation trenches to work efficiently.
Call for Your Annual Septic System Check-Up Now.
Starting with this Thanksgiving week, your septic system will be working overtime even if you’re taking a few days off. And it will continue working harder throughout the remainder of the year as you entertain guests and have overnight visitors, so it’s a great idea to schedule your annual check-up now.
Our service professionals have years of experience, are terrific at trouble-shooting issues on the spot, and Pro Rooter & Septic will always provide you with a written estimate prior to us starting any work. In fact, we offer a 100% guarantee, or your money back, with 100% financing if needed, on any septic system work. However, some limitations typically apply.
Four Decades of Central Valley Experience.
Better yet, with over 40 years of experience as one of the most trusted plumbing and septic tank service companies throughout the Central Valley, from Fresno to Clovis, Madera to Leemore, and Visalia to Porterville. We also specialize in same-day septic projects, when and if you need it. So despite our wide coverage area, our technicians can typically arrive within two hours of your call. Finally, for our final Thanksgiving tip for your septic system, all of our field technicians are licensed, bonded, and insured for any and all residential and commercial plumbing and septic issues that can arise. Call (559) 623-2340 today.