Maintain Your Septic System Naturally
What can you do to proactively keep your home's septic system working efficiently before it's too late? Try these super-easy tips.
While this isn’t a pleasant topic for polite conversation, having your septic system back up into your home is anything but pleasant. There are steps that you can take, not only to prevent septic problems from happening, but to ensure that the process of breaking down flushed waste occurs as it should.
A Well-Functioning Septic System
A more descriptive title for this article could be, “The Care and Maintenance Of The Gut in Your Yard.” If you understand the importance and benefits of eating dietary fiber, alkaline forming foods and taking probiotics for your own gut health, you’ll quickly see the similarity in maintaining a well-functioning septic system.
Like our own digestive systems, there are certain things that you should avoid putting into any septic system and certain things that are beneficial. There are proactive measures that you can take to keep things functioning well in the tank beneath your lawn. If you wait until there is a problem, you’ve waited too long, and should immediately call a septic cleaning company to pump your tank.
Indications that you may have a septic system problem are slow water drainage, and water backing up in the toilet, dishwasher, tub, or sinks.
Septic System Care and Maintenance Tips:
- A family of 4 living in a home with a 1,000 gallon tank should have their septic system cleaned every 3-4 years. Ask your local septic cleaning company how often you should give them a call.
- Do not use products containing bleach to clean your toilets, as it destroys the bacteria needed to break down waste solids in your septic system. Try this natural toilet cleaner.
- If you’re installing a new septic system or need to have yours pumped, it’s a good idea to know exactly where it’s located in your yard to avoid excessive digging up of your lawn during future pumping. Measure the exact distance of the septic tank lid from the house with a tape measure and take a picture with your cell phone, showing the exact measurement. Keep the photograph in a home maintenance file on your computer for future reference.
Deborah Tukua
Deborah Tukua is a natural living, healthy lifestyle writer and author of 7 non-fiction books, including Pearls of Garden Wisdom: Time-Saving Tips and Techniques from a Country Home, Pearls of Country Wisdom: Hints from a Small Town on Keeping Garden and Home, and Naturally Sweet Blender Treats. Tukua has been a writer for the Farmers' Almanac since 2004.
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- Deborah Tukua#molongui-disabled-link
- Deborah Tukua#molongui-disabled-link
- Deborah Tukua#molongui-disabled-link
Thanks for the reminder that the capacity of the tank should also be considered when planning to get septic tank repair services. I’d like to find a good septic tank repair service because my drains have been making gurgling sounds lately. It would be best to get that checked out before things get worse.
We agree! That sounds like something that a preventative measure is going to favorable over an emergency! Best of luck.
After 25 years, my parents septic is indicating some trouble. My parents are obsessed with Charmin tissue from Costco. On average, less than 1c of solids goes down the disposer monthly. They have been using yeast, 3 pks instant every 2 to 3 months. Currently when the downstairs toilet is flushed, the sink in that room and the nearby kitchen sink (last sink on the drain line) gurgle.
I have designed restaurant kitchens and so know more than an average person about wastewater, but I am by no means an expert. Worked in a small Cafe that had a 5 gal grease trap in the kitchen floor. Cafe did not have a fryer or a hood. Mostly soups, sandwiches and ice cream made on site. Grease trap required monthly clean out and dumped into city sewage system. By law had to use bleach in the rinse water of 3 compartment sink.
I recommended we try adding rid-x once a week. Immediately, grease trap went 9 months without needing clean out. Bleach entered trap daily, used 2 tsp rid-x once a week. I’m going to try rid-x to see if it will help with current problem. I’ll try to remember to come back and post.
PLEASE STOP ADDING YEAST TO SEPTICS, ITS NOT BASED ON SCIENCE!
You need to get the science correct first, Yeast is not Bacteria its a fungi. So you are not replacing bacteria, you are competing with it for a food source when adding yeast.
No supplier of a black water septic/treatment plants will tell you to add yeast to a septic tank, only a bacteria blend and enzymes.
PLEASE USE SCIENCE NOT HEARSAY.
Hi Monty Scott,
Thank you for your comment. We did some additional research and will edit the article accordingly.
We had a bad septic backup during Covid when there was a toilet paper shortage–we bought the thick stuff at Costco because it was the only thing available. It helped cause the clog–I’ll spare you the details. The terrific septic guy told me to do an experiment–take 10 sheets of thick (Charmin type) toilet paper and put them in a quart jar. Then take 10 sheets of a thin TP–like Scott’s. Fill the quart jars 3/4 full of water and shake each one 5 or 6 times to imitate the froth of flushing. The thick paper will be a soggy mess and ready to turn into paper mache. The thin paper will have disintegrated and would have just flowed easily down the pipe. Thick TP isn’t good for septic systems, according to this guy, and he was very knowledgeable.
That is a great point! What we put in the septic system matters!
Myself and my best friend live in a hotel that was built in the 1960’s and we had to hang the plumber here twice within a month and a half because the toilet clogged up and overflowed into the tub. My question is will the yeast work to break down waste solids and toilet paper ?
I built my house over 17 years ago. Never pumped. I do have a septic company who recommended me to throw in a yogurt ever month or every other month. He also said if you eat yogurt your fine. It goes down the toilet eventually and will keep your septic tank moving along.I do try to stay away from bleach products and use Holy Cow Cleaner which I believe works great on everything cuts grease WELL and is OK for septic systems. We have always had 3 -5 people in our household through out the years.
Thank you for the information!
Thanks for the information
The comment that yeast helps keep bacteria alive is not correct, its the opposite, they compete against each other. Its like when your homemade beer or wine gets infected its because of bacteria the yeast has not killed. Same goes for your own gut. You need to add compatible micro organisms & enzymes to your septic.
You are not trying to kill the bacteria in your septic, you are replacing the bacteria , you need the bacteria to destroy the waste, maybe you should reread the article.
Have you ever looked at a bag of Rid X?It looks just like cooking yeast… At about four times the price.
Also, flush your rotten tomatoes and sour milk, as both of those help keep the good stuff growing in the tank.
You need to get the science correct first Marlee, Yeast is not Bacteria its a fungi. So you are not replacing it you are competing with it for a food source when adding yeast.
No supplier of a black water septic/treatment plants will tell you to add yeast to a septic tank, only a bacteria blend and enzymes.
You sir are 100% right <<
My sprinklers keep clogging up with debris..how can I keep that from happening
thanks
Does Bakers Dry Yeast need to be refrigerated after opening if only used in the Septic System?
So, I know that yeast will not “bloom” unless it is mixed with warm liquid. In baking bread anyway. I would not think that the underground temperature of 50 -60 F would be warm enough to even activate the yeast. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
They recommend instant yeast . Instant yeast does not have to be mixed with warm liquids to reactivate it the way active dry yeast does.
I had used a block style yeast for years in our new home system. I mixed it in a bucket with warm water and sugar to activate the yeast. Then poured down the toilet at bedtime. That gave the yeast time to start it’s work in the tank.
To activate yeast you typically want the water in the 105-110 degrees mark. It will still activate though even in cold water. It’s can bloom in cold temps though, takes longer, it gives a less potent reaction, but it still does it. 95 degrees being the temp that is optimal reaction for yeast it won’t proof. I’d also expect the tank to be warmer anyways though.. the microbes turn everything into liquid and gas. There’s no way your tank is only at 50-60 degrees. It’s probably near close to perfect conditions for the yeast to thrive. Now idk how great of an idea putting yeast down your toilet.. its going to break down starchy stuff, but not the fats, meat, plants etc stuff. It would compete but it’s not going to kill off bacteria. They’re 2 different things. Fungi and bacteria have been together before we ever walked the earth.. it ought to be fine, but I don’t recommend it. There are far better things you can put down the toilet that will fix water blockage or full tank you got going on. You just need to figure out what exactly you’re trying to do. If it’s TP
cellulase enzymes will break it down.