During the holiday season, when you are preparing lots of food and your house is full of extra guests, your septic system has to do a lot more work than it normally does. Here are four tips you can employ this holiday season to make sure that you don't overload and stress out your septic system. The last thing you want to deal with this holiday season is a broken septic tank!
#1 Stagger Your Showers
If you are going to have extra guests taking showers at your house this holiday season, on top of the regular individuals who take showers, you need to work together and have everyone stagger their showers. You don't want to have too much water entering your septic system all at once; this can overwhelm it.
You have a few different options. You can have the people who regularly live in your house stagger their showers, or you can talk to your guests as well about staggering their showers. You can set up a written shower schedule or a verbal one. Try to spread the showers out in the morning, and see if a few individuals are willing to take showers during the day or in the evening instead.
You should also ask everyone to take shorter showers if possible; this will help ensure you have enough hot water and will further reduce the stress on your septic tank.
#2 Post A Reminder In Your Bathroom
Many individuals who do not have septic tanks are not aware that you shouldn't flush baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, and things such as cigarette butts down the toilet. Post a sign in your bathroom asking your guests to only flush toilet paper and to put all other items in the trash.
Make sure you provide a trash can with a lid right next to your toilet so your guests can feel comfortable throwing away things such as feminine hygiene products. Be sure to take out the trash every evening while you have guests in your home; if your trash is full, your guests will not be able to follow your instructions.
#3 Do Laundry Ahead Of Time
With all the extra usage your septic tank is going to be under when your house is full of guests, its best to not be running laundry at the same time. Try to get all of your laundry done before your guests arrive, especially if you will have guests that will be staying with you for a few days. Only do necessary laundry when your guests are at your home; this is an easy way to reduce stress on your septic tank.
#4 Run Your Dishwasher At Night
Make sure all your dishes are clean before your guests arrive. If you are having guests who are staying over for multiple days, load up the dishwasher after meals, but wait until late at night when everyone has gone to bed and are not using the showers, sinks, and toilets to run your dishwasher.
With so many extra people in your house, this is just another easy way to spread out water usage. You can also give yourself a break and try to stick to disposable dishes and utensils so you don't have to run your dishwasher.
#5 Spread Out The Food Preparation & Avoid The Garbage Disposal
Food preparation can involve a lot of water use, from washing hands to washing vegetables to washing dishes. If possible, try to prepare as many food dishes ahead of time, and try to spread out the food preparation throughout the day.
If you have a garbage disposal, try to avoid using it during the holidays.Throw all scraps into the trash. Post a sign asking your guests to not use the garbage disposal or place a piece of tape over the switch for your garbage disposal. Your garbage disposal will only add extra waste to your septic system when it is already running at full capacity. Take a break from your garbage disposal this holiday season.
Additionally, you don't want someone to try to grind up too much food or something your garbage disposal isn't equipped to handle and end up with a clogged kitchen sink. Not all garbage disposals work the same, and you don't want someone trying to grind up something that works just fine in their disposal but clogs up yours.
This holiday season, with a little planning, you can reduce the stress on your septic tank when you have holiday guests over to your home. Follow the tips above to avoid a septic tank emergency during the holiday season. For septic tank assistance, talk to a professional like Mr Bob.
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