What Can A Septic Service Do For You?

When you have a pan full of grease or oil, pouring it down your kitchen drain may seem to be much more convenient than dealing with it some other way, such as pouring it into an old coffee can and disposing of it. However, especially if your home has a septic tank, grease poured into the system can have a couple of potential adverse effects besides clogging up your pipes.

1.  Interferes with the Breakdown of Waste Inside the Tank

Your home's septic tank does so much more than simply hold gray water and solid wastes. It is also responsible for breaking down the solids thanks to the beneficial bacteria that live inside of the tank.

Normally, when the environment within the tank is in equilibrium, the bacteria eat away at the waste materials. This keeps the mass from becoming so great that it fills up the tank too quickly and causes it to overflow.

However, if you introduce grease and oils into the environment, the fats from these substances cause a couple of issues. First, since fat is harder to break down, it accumulates faster than the bacteria can keep up with, which causes the fats to build up.

Second, since fats create a film on the surface, it can actually kill the bacteria in the tank. When this happens, not only will the fat not be broken down but neither will any other solid water materials.

2.  Clogs up the System's Leech Field

Although most of the fat from grease and oils will accumulate within the septic tank, some of it will eventually make its way past the tank and into the leech field. Normally, the leech field helps to dispose of the excess gray water by siphoning it from the tank and into the soil where it evaporates.

However, if grease enters into the leech field, it will block its ability to fully siphon the wastewater. This wastewater will then flow back into the tank where the liquid will cause the tank to fill up quickly, potentially causing the tank to rupture from the excess volume.

If your home's drains are slowing down, and you know that you have poured grease down them, there is a good possibility that the grease has adversely affected your septic lines and tank. Stop pouring grease down your drains, and contact a septic system repair service to have them clean the grease out of the system and pinpoint and fix any issues it may have caused.

For more information, reach out to a septic system repair professional.