Out of sight, out of mind is a great mindset—in theory, until your septic tank starts acting up. Here are are collection of things that you should definitely not put in your septic system.
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6 things that should never go in your septic tank
1. Too much water
The main cause of septic failures is too much water. It overflows the tank and forces solids into the septic field where it clogs. Low-flow faucets, toilets, and other fixtures are a great way to reduce this risk. If you do laundry at the cottage, stagger loads over several days. You could also consider installing a no-flush urinal.
2. Grease, oil, and kitchen scraps
You should minimize the amount of fats and oils that go into any drain system, as these materials will slowly build up and block the pipes. Once in the septic tank, that can bind with other solids making it harder for the bacteria to break things down. Also, don’t use a garburator at the cottage. Your septic system won’t be able to break the material down and you’ll need to have the tank pumped out more frequently.
3. Harsh chemicals and antibacterial products
Limit the use of antibacterial products at the cottage, particularly things such as soap and household cleaners that will get flushed into the septic. Large amounts of these products—or other strong disinfectants such as bleach or toilet bowl cleaners—can actually kill off the essential bacteria in the tank and render your system inoperable.
4. Personal hygiene products
Anything that isn’t biodegradable should not get flushed down the drain. These things will accumulate in the tank or clog the weeping bed if the get flushed out. This includes feminine hygiene products, condoms, diapers, “disposable” wipes, and other plastics. Also, don’t flush cigarette butts for the same reason.
5. Meat and roadkill
Yep, you read that correctly. In some circles, there’s a rural legend that if you have a seasonal cottage you should drop some raw meat—often in the form of roadkill—to “kickstart” your system for the start of the season. That’s not only not true, but the fur and bones could clog up the system.
6. Medicines
Never flush unneeded medications down the drain (at the cottage or at home). Not only do you risk impacting the bacteriological activity in the tank, if they flush all the way through the system, they can end up in the lake where research has shown that some drugs have negative impacts on local wildlife. Most pharmacies will collect and safely dispose of surplus or expired medicine.
