Your septic system is not everlasting and will not last forever. Septic systems have an average lifespan of 15 – 45 years (more or less). It’s not all that bad. That is, until you throw caution into the wind and handle your septic tank poorly. In addition to setting off an environmental hazard, poor septic system maintenance will have you spending heavily on costly repairs and even reduce the longevity of your septic system. To avoid these problems, you need to maintain your septic system properly, and there’s no better place to begin than your septic tank filter. Hence, the reason for this article.
This article is like the light at the end of the tunnel. In addition to enlightening you, it will also open your eyes to the importance of cleaning your septic system filter.
But before we get to that, it’s first important to understand what a septic tank filter is and why you need one.
What is a Septic Tank Filter?
A septic tank filter is a unit that filters wastewater as it leaves the tank, thereby preventing solid waste and debris from exiting the tank and clogging your soak away. A septic tank filter is also known as an effluent filter, and it’s typically a mechanical component attached to the outlet pipe of your septic system.
Your septic tank filter performs a vital role in your system. However, in carrying out its duty, the effluent filter over time becomes clogged with the same solid waste it so desperately fights against. In other words, when your septic tank filter gazes into the abyss for too long, the abyss also gazes into it.
Proper cleaning and maintenance should be done to remedy this problem and prevent your septic tank filter from going out of commission.
5 Benefits of Cleaning Your Septic Tank Filter
The following are key reasons why septic tank filter cleaning is necessary.
Prevention of Drainfield Clogging
The main function of a septic system filter is to prevent solids from going into the drain field. Realistically, a fully functional and clean septic tank filter may not catch every single solid waste or debris. However, it’s ten times better than a clogged filter.
A dirty septic tank filter has little to no effectiveness and, as such, allows too much solid waste to reach your drain field. Over time, these solids will overload the field and reduce its ability to treat and absorb wastewater.
Cleaning your septic tank filter allows it to perform its duty optimally and ensures there are little to no solids clogging up and overloading your drain field.
Improved Septic System Efficiency
Regularly cleaning your septic system filter helps prevent clogs, blockages, and disruptions. This is important because it allows wastewater to flow through your septic system smoothly.
This effortless flow of wastewater through the system reduces the risk of backups and overflows, and in the end, it allows your septic system to function more efficiently.
Reduced Maintenance Costs
A clogged septic tank filter will likely lead to drain field overloading, wastewater overflows, and system disruptions. As a result, there is greater strain on parts of your system, and these parts become prone to malfunction and collapse.
When this happens, you may spend a lot of money on maintenance, and in the worst-case scenario, you may even have to replace parts of the septic system or the whole of it. Septic tank filter cleaning can help avert this potential financial crisis.
A clean filter allows your septic system and all its parts to function optimally, preventing major issues requiring costly repairs or replacements.
Extended Septic System Lifespan
Experts have opined that cleaning your septic tank filter can extend the longevity of your septic system.
The rationale is that when your filter is clean, waste flows through the septic system and to your drain field without disruption. As a result of this smooth sailing, there is less strain on parts of your system, and the likelihood of premature breakdowns or failures is significantly reduced.
Ultimately, your septic system may claim the better end of its estimated lifespan, which is between 15 – 45 years.
Avoidance of Environmental Hazards
Your septic tank harbors a lot of chemical waste. Your septic system accommodates everything from your favorite cleaning agents to the grease from your pots and even oil and fats from food.
When your septic tank filter is clogged, its efficiency reduces, and it cannot prevent these chemical substances from getting into your drain field. These chemicals can accumulate in the drain field, and with time, they can pollute the surrounding environment and nearby waterways.
Septic tank filter cleaning keeps your system in top shape, allowing it to efficiently prevent harmful chemicals from getting into your drain field.
Bonus: Other Benefits of Cleaning Your Septic System Filter
Regularly cleaning your septic tank filter also helps you to:
- Preserve the value of your property
- Comply with local regulations
- Prevent soil contamination
Conclusion
At this point, you already understand how important it is to clean your septic tank filter. It not only prevents the clogging of your drain field but also promotes the overall health of your septic system.
That much is clear, but you don’t know that septic tank filter cleaning is a job best left to the professionals. If you need professional septic tank filter cleaning services, then you can’t go wrong with VI REEL.
This expert team of contractors brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the table. In addition to septic tank filter cleaning, this company can inspect your septic system, repair it, or install a new one. Whether based in Qualicum Beach, Duncan, or any other place in Central Vancouver Island, you can contact VI REEL for help.