{"id":416,"date":"2019-09-20T16:31:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T16:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandybrown-koala-804212.hostingersite.com\/?p=416"},"modified":"2020-08-12T18:08:06","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T18:08:06","slug":"septic-system-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/?p=416&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Septic system tips&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Really, it does not get&nbsp;much more&nbsp;basic than septic systems!&nbsp; In the city, connected to municipal sewer systems, it is easy to not think&nbsp;nearly as&nbsp;much about what happens to all the water that goes down the drain&nbsp;(although, we should!).&nbsp; However, at cottages and rural properties around the world, owners need to be a bit more mindful of where that waste water is going and make sure that it is properly managed and treated.&nbsp; This is important for the health of the lake and the protection of the environment.&nbsp; The good news is that with a little bit of caution and a bit of effort you can make sure your system&nbsp;remains&nbsp;running&nbsp;in&nbsp;top shape!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few assorted tips and assorted information about septic systems that should help us protect Lac Sam.  As always, better safe than sorry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A few things to do\u2026<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Empty your septic or holding tank according to municipal regulations and best practices;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Watch for changes that may indicate a poorly maintained drain field;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Have your effluent filter checked and cleaned every year; if you don\u2019t have an effluent filter, consider adding one&nbsp;(this can be done relatively inexpensively by a do-it-yourselfer, or most can be retrofitted to an existing system for about $400)&nbsp;<\/li><li>Conserve water in the house to reduce the amount&nbsp;of wastewater that must be treated, such as&nbsp;replacing&nbsp;older toilets with newer low-flow models;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Reroute surface run-off water from roofs, patios, walkways and other areas away from the&nbsp;septic field<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A few things to avoid\u2026<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t dispose of products that can kill the useful bacteria in your system (like household disinfectant, bleach, solvents);&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Don\u2019t&nbsp;allow surface water to drain into a septic system&nbsp;<\/li><li>Don\u2019t dispose of&nbsp;things that can block your system or make it less efficient (like grease, hair,&nbsp;cigarette butts or sanitary products)&nbsp;<\/li><li>Don\u2019t plant trees or shrubs&nbsp;near&nbsp;the drain field, to prevent damage from the roots;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Don\u2019t&nbsp;drive on a weeping field;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Don&#8217;t drain hot tub and spa water to the septic system&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A malfunctioning septic system is&nbsp;generally&nbsp;easy to&nbsp;spot&nbsp;and&nbsp;often very easy to&nbsp;smell.&nbsp;Should&nbsp;you suspect&nbsp;that&nbsp;you&nbsp;might&nbsp;have a problem, it is important to fix the problem quickly. A malfunctioning septic system is a risk to&nbsp;the&nbsp;environment and&nbsp;the&nbsp;health&nbsp;of those in the area. It can contaminate&nbsp;the lake that water that you or your neighbours&nbsp;may use as&nbsp;drinking water&nbsp;and that all residents of Lac Sam enjoy both in and out of the water.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For detailed information on septic systems there are resources online&nbsp;with&nbsp;a great deal of information&nbsp;that&nbsp;you may wish to review:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvca.on.ca\/Shared%20Documents\/SepticSmart!%20Understanding%20Your%20Home%27s%20Septic%20System.pdf\">https:\/\/www.nvca.on.ca\/Shared%20Documents\/SepticSmart!%20Understanding%20Your%20Home%27s%20Septic%20System.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/inspectapedia.com\/septic\/Septic_Tank_Cleaning_Mistakes.ph\">https:\/\/inspectapedia.com\/septic\/Septic_Tank_Cleaning_Mistakes.ph<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the <a href=\"https:\/\/sandybrown-koala-804212.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Quebec-Outhouse-guidelines.pdf\">Quebec regulations regarding outhouses:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SIMPLE<\/strong> <strong>FACT<\/strong>:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more efficiently your Septic System operates, the less pollution goes into the environment&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are 2 simple secrets to septic health and minimizing lake&nbsp;pollution :&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bacteria &amp; Time&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BACTERIA<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Never let anything go down the drain that kills the good bacteria in your system, such as:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bleach (non-chlorine bleach is ok)&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Anti-Bacterial Products \u2013 ban them from your house and cottage&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Dishwasher Detergent containing bleach (most brands do contain bleach)&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It can take only ONE load of dishes using a regular detergent to kill ALL the good bacteria in your system for up to 70 hours \u2013&nbsp;instead,use&nbsp;septic friendly products a and look for a statement on the front of the package stating no bleach (&amp; no phosphates)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Dishwasher Rinse Aids (use lemon juice instead)&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Cream Cleansers (most have bleach)&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Drain Cleaners&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaners (blue is not &#8220;green&#8221;)&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Never use a garburator&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TIME<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Your system needs as much time as you can give it to digest the waste you put in before the next load of water arrives.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Remember:&nbsp; <strong>one drop in = one&nbsp;drop&nbsp;out of your system<\/strong>. Give your system time by minimizing water use and spreading it out over time.&nbsp;<\/li><li>You can cut your household water use  by installing a new water efficient toilet (or an RV toilet)&nbsp;<\/li><li>Bring laundry back to the city or try not to do any more than 1 load of laundry per day.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Keep showers short and use a low flow shower head&nbsp;<\/li><li>Use every opportunity to use less water when doing regular activities&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Really, it does not get&nbsp;much more&nbsp;basic than septic systems!&nbsp; In the city, connected to municipal sewer systems, it is easy to not think&nbsp;nearly as&nbsp;much about what happens to all the water that goes down the drain&nbsp;(although, we should!).&nbsp; However, at<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=416"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":609,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions\/609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacsam.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}