Caring For Your Septic System: A Quick Guide For Homeowners

Congratulations, you are a proud new owner of your very own household sewage treatment system (HSTS)! You may not be as excited about your HSTS as we are, but there are a number of things you should know about your system before you start putting it to use.

The very first thing you need to know about your HSTS is learn what kind of system you have and where it is located. This information can be obtained from the permit and final inspection report from this office along with the as-built record from the installer. If you have an aerator, your HSTS installer should have provided you a homeowner manual.

Most HSTS require minimum maintenance from a homeowner. However the one thing all tanks have in common regardless of style or size is they need to be pumped out regularly. The Athens City-County Health Department (ACCHD) recommends all tanks are to be pumped out every three years. This frequency may be increased or decreased based on the water usage of your household. The frequency of pumping will need to be increased significantly if a garbage disposal is used in the home. This office registers and inspects companies who pump out HSTS. The list of these sewage haulers is on our website at www.health.athens.oh.us.

Please follow the tips below to avoid trouble in the future:

• Do have your septic tank or aeration tank pumped out every 3-5 years and have your aerator motor serviced at least annually or more often if needed.
• Do check your aerator motor monthly to ensure it is running. Know the location of the control panel for the aerator motor and how it works. If the motor is not operating, it is not treating the wastewater properly.
• Do practice water conservation by repairing leaking fixtures, run washing machines and dishwashers only when full, avoid long showers, and using low flow plumbing fixtures.
• Do keep roof drains, sump pump drains, and any surface water drainage away from your leach field.
• Do plant grass over the leach field as soon as possible and keep plants and trees with invasive roots away from the leach field.
• Do clean out the effluent filter (check your records to see if you have one) out every six months.
• Do know the signs a HSTS is starting to fail including; sewage back-ups in the home, slow draining toilets or sinks, water ponding or surfacing over the leach field, sewage odors outside.

• Don't drive or park cars, or build anything over any part of the HSTS. The soil in this area should not be compacted or disturbed.
• Don't use your septic system as a trash can. Non-degradables(grease, disposable diapers, plastics, etc), strong cleaners, medications, cat litter, sanitary napkins, chemicals, and paint can clog the leach field and kill beneficial bacteria in the tank.
• Don't use any septic tank additives or cleaners. These products usually do not help at all and often will be harmful to the HSTS.
• Don't use a garbage disposal or flush other large food products into the septic system. This will increase the need to have the tank pumped out and may damage the leach field.
• Don't make any changes or repairs to the HSTS without contacting the ACCHD first.
• Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions!

It is critical that you understand the performance and longevity of your HSTS is dependent on how you care for and maintain the system. All new aeration tanks that are installed in Athens County have a two year service contract, however your operational permit requires you to maintain a service contract on this system while occupying the home. This service contract is required because there are additional and more frequent service requirements that historically homeowners do not conduct. The tank supplier is the service provider for the first two years. After this timeframe, you can continue to use this supplier or use other service providers registered with this office.

Failing to maintain your HSTS can cause many problems including threatening the health of your family and neighbors, degrading the environment, especially streams, rivers, and groundwater, reducing the value of your property, and can be very expensive to replace.

Please feel free to contact the ACCHD with any questions you have or if you would like more resources to learn about your septic system.