1. Maintain a service contract with a service provider for your system. This will insure that your system will be taken care of and the necessary filters and cleaning will be completed. Although this will not prevent all problems from occurring, it will help prevent most problems and help your system last longer.
2. Keep your tank and components accessible for inspections and maintenance. Do not plant trees or shrubs around tanks where they will get trampled during inspections. Leave some room. Planting trees or bushes with hearty roots (such as lilac) will allow those roots to penetrate your tanks, thus cracking them.
3. Conserve water to avoid overloading the system. Repair any leaky faucets or toilets and use water saving devices for dishwashers and washing machines, if available.
4. Make sure all clear water sources, such as roof drains, footing drains and sump pumps are routed away from the system. Water softeners should not be diverted into your septic system, but should go to the sump pump. These additional water sources will overload your system, causing problems.
5. Keep anything heavier than a riding lawn mower off of your septic field as this could compact the soil and cause your field to fail.
6. Be aware of where your alarms are so that you can call your service provider if they go off and know how to silence them until they show up.
7. Do not put harmful chemicals or garbage down your toilets or drains. This can kill the bacteria in your system or clog the pipes. Use "safe for septic system" products and do not overdo it on anti-bacterial cleaners. You also do not need any product to add bacteria to your system. Your system is made of bacteria!
