10 Well and Septic Tank Maintenance Tips to Keep Things Flowing Smoothly

For homeowners with properties that are not attached to a public sewer system, septic tank maintenance is of utmost importance. If you live in a rural area or private community that is too far from the city water supply, this likely applies to you. That means it’s up to you—or your homeowners association—to maintain your septic system. For the most part, it quietly does its thing out in the yard, but don’t fall victim to “out of sight, out of mind.” 

A septic tank is an underground container where household sewage is treated. From there, pre-treated water flows through the drainfield on its way back to the ground. 

Improperly maintained systems can become breeding grounds for mosquitos and bad septic tank smells. Deferred maintenance can also cause sewage to back up into the home or contaminate area groundwater. But don’t let that dissuade you from buying the charming property of your dreams. Keep these septic tank maintenance tips in mind to keep everything flowing.

1. Keep Maintenance Records

Before buying property with a well and septic system, it’s important to get it inspected and ask questions. You might get lucky and find that the previous owners have records of how the well and septic systems were built and who maintained it. Make sure you:

• Know where the septic tank and drainfield are. 

• Know where the wellhead is. It should be uphill and away from the septic system.

• Verify which tests your state requires.

Get the well water professionally tested for ​​total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH levels. Call your local health office or the EPA to find a certified water testing lab.

2. Have Yearly Inspections

Even if it’s not required, annual well pump and equipment inspections are a low-cost way to make sure everything is working as expected. A local septic system company can check ​​the pressure in your expansion tank. Your well pump will stop and start more often than necessary without the proper pressure or due to a failing well pump pressure switch, which can lead to premature failure of the pump. A well maintenance company near you can make sure the equipment is in good condition, perform repairs, and check the water quality. 

But don’t wait for the annual inspection and call your for service if you:

• Suspect a bacteria problem

• Notice a change in well water pressure or flow

• Notice a change in taste, color, or smell of water

• Notice an increase in construction or industrial activity in your neighborhood

3. Pump the Septic Tank 

A thorough pumping of your septic tank should be scheduled every three to five years, though a more specific timeframe depends on a few factors. The size of your tank is one of the biggest; larger tanks can hold more, so you won’t have to pump as often. The average cost to pump a septic tank is $400.

It also depends on how quickly your household is adding to your septic tank (i.e. using the bathroom). If you have a large home with a large family, more waste is being created on a daily basis than by a smaller home with just one or two people living there. As such, you may need to have your tank pumped more often.

4. Protect the Leach Field

We’d be remiss not to talk about the leach field when discussing proper septic tank maintenance. Also called the drainfield, this is the part of the ground adjacent to the septic tank that collects the liquid waste after it’s been separated and filtered out from the solid waste. That liquid wastewater travels through perforated pipes, seeping out into the leach field, where it is purified by the soil. 

To avoid damaging this highly important area, the leach field must be clearly designated and kept clear. It’s fine to walk over it—it your backyard, after all—but that’s really the extent of it. Here’s a list, though not exhaustive, of things to avoid in a leach field:

• Excess water from draining pools or rainwater/snowmelt runoff

• Parked cars

• Patios or other permanent structures

• Trees. Keep them at least 100 feet away from the area, as roots invading the septic system can cause backups and damage. 

• Heavy landscaping. It’s fine to have grass there because your lawn will absorb water to prevent flooding and avoid erosion, but you cannot have any plants with deep roots, like large shrubs or trees, that could damage underground pipes. You can landscape the area with shallow-rooted flowers or grass. But avoid covering the area with plastic weed guards or gravel. 

5. Be Careful About What Goes Down the Drain

When living with a septic tank, everything that goes down the drain goes into the septic system, so be careful of what you rinse or flush down your drains. However, some experts say that septic tank additives aren’t nearly as important as what you should keep out of your septic tank. This includes things like tampons, paper towels, and other solid waste that can’t break down naturally. When in doubt, contact your local septic company for best practices on maintaining a healthy septic system.

Keep leftover paint, automotive fluids, and cleaners out of your drains. These products lead to build up that will eventually need to be pumped out. 

There’s a much longer list of things that shouldn’t go in a septic tank that go above and beyond obvious things, like sanitary napkins and tampons, diapers, and cleaning wipes (ignore the fact that some are marketed as flushable). Here are a few more things that have no business being in your septic tank:

• Cat litter

• Coffee grounds

• Cigarette butts

• Cooking oil, grease, and fat

• Dental floss

• Paint, paint thinners, and solvents

• Any solid waste that won’t break down naturally

• Antibacterial soaps

• Cleaning products that are not marked as safe for septic systems.

When in doubt, contact your local septic company for best practices on maintaining a healthy septic system. 

6. Add “Good” Bacteria

While adding yeast to a septic tank will not create the “good” bacteria that your septic tank needs, there are septic tank additives you can use that will support the natural processes occuring to the waste there. 

Septic tank additive are easily purchased online or at your local home improvement store. While dosing will vary by brand, septic tank additives are usually poured into a toilet and flushed. When used, these additives have been known to dissolve clogs more quickly and reduce the need for more frequent pumping.

7. Avoid Using the Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals and septic systems don’t get along well. Garbage disposals can allow too much solid matter into the system. It just increases the need for pumping. Scrape plates and cutting boards into a compost pail instead.

A backyard compost solution is a great alternative to a garbage disposal. It keeps kitchen grease, vegetable scraps, and chunks of meat out of your septic system and can provide beneficial nutrients to your vegetable garden.

8. Keep the Lid on the Septic System

The septic system lid needs to stay on at all times, otherwise there’s a risk of people falling in, and it’s not the cool underworld you’ve seen in cartoons—it’s incredibly dangerous. Periodically check on the condition of the lid to make sure it’s secure and not cracked or deteriorated. 

Check the wellhead to ensure the well cap and seals are tight. Any vents should have screens to prevent critters from getting in, and the concrete slab must be in good shape to prevent groundwater from collecting around the well.

9. Conserve Water

Using less water is not only a good conservation practice, but it will also extend the life of your system. It’s easy for septic systems to get overloaded, so give them a break and space out water use. Try to avoid doing weeks’ worth of laundry on one Saturday, and certainly don’t drain the hot tub the same weekend.

Your well is going to be affected by the amount of water in the ground. In times of drought, the water table—or the level of the water below ground—is lower. When the water level dips below the pump’s location, it’ll just pump air. So conserve groundwater by:  

• Taking shorter showers

• Running only full loads of dishes or laundry

• Using the small load setting when the machine isn’t full

• Installing low-flow toilets

• Checking for hidden leaks in your bathroom

10. Protect the Well

Ideally, the wellhead is located uphill from the septic drainfield, and groundwater does not come into contact with it. Keep animal waste, garden fertilizer, and any other potential contaminants that you wouldn’t want in your drinking water at least 100 feet from the well.

Candace Nelson contributed to this piece.